Muffin

Monday 14th May in San Francisco. A muffin is sold to a couple of friends who are sitting talking about a woman that the man is seeing. They don't touch the muffin and the waiter replaces it behind the counter where it is bought by a businessman in a rush. The same businessman leaves the muffin on the dash of his car as he gets oral sex from a woman who then takes the muffin when she's finished. Later the woman goes home to her live-in partner and child.

Basically it's Pulp Muffin as opposed to Pulp Fiction! However that's doing it a disservice because it is a story in it's own right and only the interweaving stories theme makes it similar. It's set in America with American actors but it's really filmed in London, but it's done so well that you'd never know.

The story itself is a little unsatisfying but the wealth is in the dialogue and the direction. The director chose to keep American actors because the dialogue could only be carried off convincingly by an American accent. The story telling is better than the story itself. The dialogue is very interesting and most of it is like having someone read you a story. The final segment is weak but the film ends cleverly despite leaving you at a loose end if you wanted the story tied up nicely.

The cast are very good but the well written dialogue makes it easy for most of them. The problem is when it comes to character they don't really have any that is fully explained. For example the female lead - why does she live the way she does? Nothing is explained beyond what can be gleamed from the dialogue. However the telling makes up for it.

Overall this is an interesting tale that is only weak when the story has to go somewhere. The acting is good and the dialogue/writing and direction are very strong.