I got to see "Who's Your Daddy?" at the Emerging Filmmakers screening at the Little Theatre in Rochester, NY on March 29, 2004. I got the impression that Matt Ehlers' wasn't quite finished editing it, or at least I very much hoped so.
In Matt's other shorts, he has relied on a consistent formula: get in, be funny, get out. "Autobank" is the best example of this, and "Lunch" adds on several layers of punchlines to make things funny. "Who's Your Daddy?" seemed as stiff and lifeless to me as the joke to other viewers of using the words "stiff and lifeless" to describe the central flaw. I mean, he gets to the reveal too quickly--answering the titular question--then dawdles around the point for a few minutes before getting to the final punchline.
I don't know ... I'm being fairly harsh on it. It's still a funny short and demonstrates a great skill of comedic timing through editing and directing--something few directors possess.
In Matt's other shorts, he has relied on a consistent formula: get in, be funny, get out. "Autobank" is the best example of this, and "Lunch" adds on several layers of punchlines to make things funny. "Who's Your Daddy?" seemed as stiff and lifeless to me as the joke to other viewers of using the words "stiff and lifeless" to describe the central flaw. I mean, he gets to the reveal too quickly--answering the titular question--then dawdles around the point for a few minutes before getting to the final punchline.
I don't know ... I'm being fairly harsh on it. It's still a funny short and demonstrates a great skill of comedic timing through editing and directing--something few directors possess.
