Now Streaming in Austin: "The Bob Zula"
The rom-com deflated in this quirky short
By Richard Whittaker, 4:24PM, Sat. Apr. 11, 2020
Welcome to Now Streaming in Austin, highlighting locally made titles to watch while self-quarantining. If Say Anything taught us one thing, it's that standing in the street with a boombox over your head doesn't win anyone over. Shame Bob Zula didn't realize that.
As played by Austin-based filmmaker Brandon Reich in his 2008 short, "The Bob Zula," our hero is stuck in small-town suburban nowhere (actually Magnolia), the archetypical nerdish rom-com hero who thinks a bold move will win back his ex-girlfriend. He is, of course, severely mistaken, and he's less the romantic lead than the guy that finally realizes that Blink-182's "Dammit" is actually about him (also that having friends who turn up to romantic encounters with a crowbar may be reason to reconsider some life choices).
Reich, who also wrote and co-directed the original short, has taken this lo-fi skit and turned it into a full feature called (natch) The Bob Zula. It's already played a few festivals (including hometown screenings at the Lake Travis Film Festival and AFS Cinema) and will be heading to Amazon very soon. We'll have a full interview with Reich for the VOD release, but for now enjoy this little piece of the misadventures of the man they call Bob Zula.
The Bob Zula
• YouTube (Link)
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April 19, 2024
April 19, 2024
Now Streaming in Austin, Brandon Reich, The Bob Zula, YouTube, Amazon
