Pizza: The Movie (2004) User Reviews

This is an excellent balance of Hollywood and Indies.

[VinceRocca · 7/10 · 16 April 2005]

First was Hot Dog, Then Hamburger, Now Pizza The Movie.

If you've ever delivered Pizza, and who hasn't, you'll love this flick. I cracked up over and over. Maybe that's because the movies scenarios happened to me, but my wife enjoyed it as well. Course, as a kid she too worked the counter of a Pizza joint.

How many times did I have to wait for coupons, or people to count out their pennies? Ugh! People need to tip better!

The flicks premise is fun and original. I expected it to just be about pizza deliveries, but the movie has a heart. It's about love.

What is great about this movie is that it doesn't follow Hollywood's sugarcoated bull or Indies tragic art. It walks a fine line that makes it different and stand alone.

The movie takes the indie road, but not seriously. It has pig Latin subtitles for Christ sakes. I think that pretty much sums up writer/director Donald Gregory's sense of humor.

Grab some friends, order a pizza, and pop in this flick.

an low-budget indie with a few laughs and a lot of heart.

[cbathum · 7/10 · 13 September 2004]

This little known, no-budget indie flick took me by surprise. As a self-proclaimed low-budget enthusiast, I went in excepting laughs, mainly from low production values and campy acting. I got it, but I also laughed a great deal at the intentionally funny parts as well, many which come at you unexpectedly, ala the much mentioned squirrel. Unlike a great majority of disappointing films that start of with a lot of promise and fizzle by the third act, this movie does the exact opposite. The beginning shows little promise and begins in much the same way as a million other romantic comedies. By the second act, it begins to become apparent that this movie is not going to follow that much treaded plot structure and begins to take on a Kevin Smith type dynamic with a little slapstick thrown in for measure. The third act takes a refreshing turn and avoids the typically expected Hollywood ending to leave the viewer feeling as if the characters in this film actually achieved a real growth (except for one)

The acting isn't the best, however the male and female leads do an satisfactory job. The best friend character is played extremely over the top, almost to the point of unbearableness in this reviewer opinion, although this is countered a lot by the main characters 'straight man' performance. The pizza shop owner is also very funny, although a little one-note in his delivery. The female lead did a good job at balancing these extremes. The best part about this movie was the extras however. The making of feature was downright hilarious, almost more than the actual movie itself, done in a extremely tongue-in-cheek manner. It's becomes readily apparent that the people involved in this film don't take themselves too seriously, and that made me somehow more forgiving of the film as a whole. The outtakes were also funny, even if they went on a bit too long. What's most interesting about the extra was the soundtrack (in it's entirety) was accessible from the DVD menu, and is actually quite good for a soundtrack comprised of complete unknowns.

In the end I walked away from this film pleasantly surprised, but I also walked away with a sense that the film was made by people who truly cared about what they were doing, even if the results weren't as

spectacular as they imagined. Definitely worth checking out.

Absolutely great (for an independent film)!

[dodecaRyan · 8/10 · 1 September 2004]

'Pizza: the Movie' is no technical masterpiece. It doesn't have million dollar actors. It's not full of special effects or crazy, mind splitting camera work. In fact, I've never heard of the director. At first thought, a glace at the website and based on the title, I expected very little.

Then this package came in the mail. And, that in and of itself, is no big thing because I get all sorts of packages (do you hear that FBI), but this package I wasn't expecting. It was 'Pizza: the Movie', an incredibly well packaged and produced DVD. The quote on the back summed it up oh so perfectly... "It's better than I thought it would be." Barbara Gregory, the director's mom. Damn that made me chuckle. And that wasn't the last laugh either.

I'm not going to get into a detailed diatribe about what was wrong with "Pizza: the Movie' (because it wasn't much in this humble reviewers mind, just typical but forgivable indie problems), but what I will say is what was so great. It's a great premise that doesn't go where you would expect it to go (Hollywood style) and isn't too over the top. It's enjoyable to watch and is full of humorous parts, some that I wouldn't have expected. The characters are enjoyable (although one character is the like 'em or hate 'em variety) and well balanced, reminding me fondly of my days in college. It's paced well, and believable.

'Pizza: the Movie' was not only a surprise, it has inspired this independent filmmaker to aim higher.

8/10 slices of pizza.

Oh, and lastly Donald, next project, be sure to let me know so you can quote me. 'It's a… Movie?' Ryan Foss, some idiot filmmaker online

Pizza Anyone?

[MicroCinemaMagazine · 23 September 2004]

Absolutely great (for an independent) Film!

'Pizza: the Movie' is no technical masterpiece. It doesn't have million dollar actors. It's not full of special effects or crazy, mind splitting camera work. In fact, I've never heard of the director. At first thought, a quick glace at the website (www.pizzathemovie.com) and based on the title, I expected very little.

Then this package came in the mail. And, that in and of itself, is no big thing because I get all sorts of packages (do you hear that FBI), but this package I wasn't expecting. It was Pizza: the Movie, an incredibly well packaged and produced DVD. The quote on the back summed it up oh so perfectly... "It's better than I thought it would be." Barbara Gregory, the director's mom. Damn that made me chuckle. And that wasn't the last laugh either.

I'm not going to get into a detailed diatribe about what was wrong with Pizza: the Movie (because it wasn't much in this humble reviewers mind, just typical but forgivable indie problems), but what I will say is what was so great. It's a great premise that doesn't go where you would expect it to go (Hollywood style) and isn't too over the top. It's enjoyable to watch and is full of humorous parts, some that I wouldn't have expected. The characters are enjoyable (although one character is the like 'em or hate 'em variety) and well balanced, reminding me fondly of my days in college. It's paced well, and believable.

Pizza: the Movie was not only a surprise, it has inspired this independent filmmaker to aim higher.

• 4/5 Little Guys -

Pretty Good To Okay.... Sprinkled With Some Funny Moments...

[sloane_sd6 · 6/10 · 29 August 2004]

Pizza The movie is over-all pretty good to okay for an independent film... sprinkled with some funny moments here and there for a topping. In fact, it's safe to say it is better than a lot of other independent stuff out there today. Labeled as a romantic comedy however... it works best as just a comedy. The pizza delivery moments in the movie were my favorite, especially the scene when Kevin Miller gets a pizza shoved in his face, and the scene when he get's asked to come inside to share the company of a one beautiful lady. Whhhooo doggy!!! But to be truly honest... my personal favorite however... was not the movie itself but the special features located on the DVD. It has some really side splitting funny stuff in the "making of featurette" and the "out takes" (mine (Barry's) to be exact).

Being an actor in this movie was truly a very fortunate thing for me. My thanks to the director, crew, and fellow actors for making this project a dream come true. It was a lot of hard work on all our parts, but it was also fun, too.

funny and true to life

[M_Stillman-1 · 9/10 · 27 September 2004]

The main reason I checked this movie out was because i myself deliver pizza for a living (for now). I have been anticipating it's release, and i wasn't disappointed. the movie is pretty true to life, and realistically depicts the plight of the pizza deliverer, in my opinion. it is also very funny, despite being really low budget and having no stars. Barry, the chubby star trek/wars quoting, video game playing, geeky best friend, reminds me a lot of a guy i know, but even more insane. i've know a lot of people think he's annoying, but personally, he cracked me up sideways. the pizza shop owner was really funny, i kinda wish my boss like that, except for the yelling. for the most part, it was a believable environment, except for Wendy. i just wish there was someone that hot working with me in real life. the best parts for me were the pizza deliverer scenes and the deliverer training sequences. I know other deliverers will really appreciate the humor, but i wonder how others will. the acting was passable and the story was all right, if a little basic. the music was also really well done as well. also, although I didn't like the ending at first, i've come to like it much more on repeated viewings. all in all, I really liked it, but i biased toward it's source material. maybe it has cult-flick potential. Who knows. I think this movie will be best received by those interested in low budget flicks, under the radar jokes, and both pizza employees and non-pizza employees as the humor really does goes beyond delivery jokes. Recommended.

Some Funny Parts

[clintberquist · 5/10 · 30 August 2004]

The exchanges between the main character and his buddy (played by Jason Muzie) were sometimes funny, but sometimes a little too over the top. Craig Wisniewski plays the straight guy pretty well, but I had a hard time trying to figure out if Muzie just watched The Mask too many times or what. If he is going to continue acting in future movies, I would try to remind him that less is more (The video game scene just killed me).

There was also good character acting by Alex Adzioski and Daniela Mangialardo was very good most of the time. While the setup with the old librarian is also very funny, she didn't quite seem comfortable in front of the camera.

The music definitely wasn't my thing, but the indy feel of it fit the movie pretty well. It looks like the star of the film had a hand in securing the local talent, maybe he is in a band or something.

Overall, I liked Pizza the Movie. It was a fun ultra low budget indy with some funny moments. The guys who made it were obviously a good group of friends that were comfortable with each other and seemed to be having a lot of fun. Some of the best moments were the deliveries (one, an homage to Chris Rock's character in I'm Gonna Get You Sucka). I look forward to seeing future films by the cast and crew.

A solid film and a good effort from Donald Gregory.

[bassplay19 · 8/10 · 14 September 2004]

The Acting-Solid acting. A bit over the top at times. The lead girl who plays Wendy, the very lovely 'Daniela Mangialardo' and Kevin 'Craig Wisniewski' give excellent performances. To me those two performances stood out. Both characters were played with enthusiasm and I really thought that there characters had a realness to them. 'Alex Adzioski' & 'Jason Muzie' give decent performances as well. All though at times I did get a bit annoyed with 'Muzie's' character. Sometimes it felt like the performance was to forced. Then again at times his character had me laughing my ass off as well.

The Story-The story is kinda a standard comedy. Boy wants to date girl, but dosen't know how to approach girl. And the story follows those exploits as 'Kevin' try's to figure out how he's going to go about asking out the girl of his dreams. He ends up taking advice from his co-workers and friends trying to find out what he needs to do to make her like him. The story was solid for the most part. There were a few minor things that I didn't like, but for the most part it was an enjoyable story that was easy to follow.

Overall-Overall 'Pizza:The Movie' is a solid film and a good effort from 'Donald Gregory' Who shows with P.T.M that he has potential to do some great things in film. There are a few things in P.T.M that reminded me some of 'Kevin Smith's' earlier works. Now I'm not comparing the two, but P.T.M kinda gave me that Vibe of 'Clerks'. Two completely different films in style and humor, but I got the same feeling with P.T.M as I did with 'Clerks' the first time I watched it. If you like films like 'Clerks' and other indie comedy's you should check out 'Pizza:The Movie'. I really think that 'Daniela Mangialardo' and Kevin 'Craig Wisniewski' could have decent film carers ahead of them, both showed a lot of potential with this film. You never know one day you just might be able to say that you remember watching one of 'Donald Gregory's' films before anyone knew who he was.

My thoughts on this movie

[angelabeaney · 3/10 · 19 December 2010]

I did watch this movie and thought it was weak in different areas I was also told that the movie cost 10,000 dollars which is not a lot f money but l have seen some movies where they have not cost a lot and they have been successful There is a Australian movie called the Animal Kingdom and l have to say l would prefer watching that to this I can also say that Jason Muzie was playing abit of a comic in his rle l didn't think much of it he needs to improve his acting before going forward Also l know of him as abit of a ladys man When l knew him which was along time he liked going on different sites trying to pick up women. he must be very lonely to do that I wouldn't like to be his girlfriend because if l knew he was doing this l would not like it I hope who ever is with him will be careful of this because people can get very hurt by his actions I know there is a lot of women used in this way

A very good look at pizza delivery

[rneal-2 · 8/10 · 22 July 2005]

Pizza The Movie by Donald Gregory is an entertaining comedy. I was surprised at how well done this film is for an independent production. From the film's comical nature, to the humorous box and interviews with the cast, the DVD showcases a high level of professionalism.

The basic story has been done before in different ways, but not like Donald has done with his creation. I expected one of two different things to happen with the ending, but an ending that most directors/writers avoid using fooled me. Donald succeeded in every way possible with this film.

The actors were right for their roles and the camera work was better than I expected as well, compared to other Indie productions I have seen.

I predict a bright future for Donald Gregory and his films.

British humor

[dudecar_96 · 9/10 · 29 August 2004]

strange movie. This mixes subtle British satire type humor with some pg13 Kevin Smith stuff.

I'm not sure if it works, I did laugh, but the subtle humor didn't exactly make me roll over on the floor. But I really like the fact SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that no one bought the fact that he was a chick when he dressed up in drag. I hate all the bs Hollywood movies where no one notices the guys huge Adam's apple.

the ending had me rolling on the floor, I really thought it was going a totally different direction.

had some other funny moments. Worth a rental

A unique, hilarious take on love and pizza delivery

[Nick_Neumann · 8/10 · 5 September 2004]

Pizza The Movie is about a guy named Kevin (Craig Wisniewski), who has a crush on Valerie (Eva Conrad), a girl he went to school with. He wants to ask her out but is not sure how to approach her. He finally decides to take her to the best French restaurant in town, which will cost about $300. So his buddy Barry (Jason Muzie) gets the "brilliant" idea of Kevin becoming a pizza delivery guy (like him) to get the courage/excuse to show up at her doorstep. It turns out pizza delivery is harder than Kevin thought, and runs into quite a few snags along the way, including a tough delivery girl named Wendy (Daniela Mangialardo), who won't let anyone stand in her way to afford breast surgery.

Now, I haven't seen any other independent films before, so all I could compare this movie to were big budget films, which doesn't hurt this movie at all.

I enjoyed this movie a great deal and I found myself laughing a lot. The film is produced very professionally, and the soundtrack (which is available to listen to via the movie's menu)seemed to fit perfectly with the scenes in which it was used.

The Extras: The extras are just as funny as the movie, if not more so. There is a lot of extras on the DVD, they were very generous with them. The out takes and "Making of" are my favorites.

Bottom Line: If you have a somewhat open mind and like to laugh, you will enjoy Pizza The Movie. It's well worth the 98 minutes.

Surprisingly enjoyable

[masterthes · 9/10 · 19 November 2004]

While Pizza: The Movie might never win any major awards, it presents itself as a pleasant, well-written comedy. It's kind of like Clerks meets pizza delivery, with more of an actual plot. It seemed like Donald Gregory was channeling the writing skills of Kevin Smith, with the video game, comic, and plenty of Star Wars references, which isn't a bad thing at all.

The acting was very commendable, especially considering these people are unknoowns and it was an independent film. Craig definitely did the best acting job out of everyone, followed next by the beautiful Daniella. Alex does a nice job as well with what was offered him. Then there's Mr. Muzie who, continuing with the Kevin Smith analogy seems like the Jay to Craig's Un-Silent Bob. He is very funny, but at times in the movie he did seem to overact. Whether that was intentional or not, who knows? Got to also give credit for the many "extras" who were Craig's customers. Those scenes were the ones I laughed the most in.

Overall, if you just simply want to be entertained for 90 minutes and have a fair share of laughs, pop this baby into your DVD player and enjoy. 9/10

Good First Effort (for the PTM guys)!

[jvillarreal-1 · 10/10 · 31 March 2005]

Making a film is no easy feat. It takes hard work and effort from the cast and crew to make a product that will hold one's attention without resorting to the typical T-n-A genre - especially if it's a indie film. I am proud to say that I have seen PTM over 5 times now and enjoy more it with each viewing. It's a romantic comedy that can be watched by the whole family. The DVD is loaded with more goodies than most DVD's from the major studios. . .that alone is worth the price of buying a copy. A good first time effort - that barring disaster, is just a taste of bigger and better things to come from donald gregory, Craig, Muzie, and Daniela. . .

Weird and wild stuff

[growinghairthemovie · 9/10 · 3 July 2005]

I have to admit, when it came in the mail, I was impressed by the packaging. It looked like a legit DVD...so I was excited. When I played it, it had some technical indie problems (the sound was not good...I had to ride the volume control), but mostly forgivable. I would've liked to have seen better set design/locations and tighter editing.

Acting was a bit of a problem. The two best/most natural actors in the film were the pizza manager and the stoner delivery guy. The campy sidekick was almost a distraction at times as he was trying to do The Skipper, Captain Kirk, and Ace Ventura in one role. And my biggest acting gripe was the simple fact that the actors would not listen to each other. This can really pull the viewer out of the story. But, from what I read, the film was shot in Ohio. Probably not the best acting pool to choose from.

My story gripe is that the film is almost a short about the adventures of a pizza delivery guy with a rom-com wrapped around it. The second act was disjointed because it was 90 minutes long and a bit unfocused. Also, I like to see the protagonist make his own decisions. Secondary characters (from beginning to end) brought the protag the entire story...everything everybody else did was his decision...even the ending (there are mainstream films where the protag is passive {Garden State, Muriel's Wedding, Little Big Man}, but it's not my cup of tea).

I know...lots of bad. But the thing I liked about the film was that it had a certain charm...kinda like Napolean Dynamite. This is tough to accomplish for any film. Honestly, if the director learns from this film, I would be interested in seeing what he does in the future. Kudos on making a charming indie...and next time, consider casting outta NYC! GH

Warm and delicious

[gunntimo · 10/10 · 8 September 2004]

For the price, not a bad experience. Maybe some intestinal gas, but I am lactose intolerant after all. The squirrel is transcendent, and I love the scene with the lasvicious old lady in the library. Truly funny stuff.

Give this guy a budget for his next films! He's obviously a major talent in the wings.

I think he's got to add some more hot girls (not that the girls in there aren't hot themselves - quantity vs. quality) and nudity is cool too, but not everybody can be picky I guess.

If there's one thing I'd recommend, it's the DVD authoring itself. Masterful. Fun.

The Pink Cat logo looked cool.

Hmm, running out of things to say. For the price, this is quite a deal. Instead of plopping all your $20 bucks on buying a DVD, you can get this movie and order a pizza, too.

peppered with fun

[hotredpumps · 10/10 · 10 September 2004]

On the surface this appears to be a typical teen romcom, however after it was nearly I realized there was much more to it. It has a subtle satirical humor mixed with a delightful storyline that rings very true to my heart.

"A person is like half of a puzzle, and you half to put all of your pieces together first, before you'll know if your half will fit with someone else's" the lead guy says as he's finally figured out at the end. And how true it is, while most movies would have you believe you need to find that someone to complete you, this movie's lesson is that you must complete yourself first, and I love that!

Going back to watch it a second time, made me realize that I wasn't paying attention the first. Thinking it was a superficial romp made me miss all the warmth and heart that's in this movie.

And although I could have done without some the screwball friend's antics, I would rank this movie right up close by Napoleon Dynamite, and only wish some of the crude humor was done without like ND.

Close, but not quite

[ianmc1972 · 9 December 2004]

PTM's plot consists of a man finally taking proactive measures towards a crush he's had since his high school days, now three years gone. In order to see the object of his, apparently neverending, adoration Kevin (Craig Wisniewski) adorns the guise of his pizza delivering best friend, Barry (Jason Muzie). Kevin, realizing that delivering her an occasional Italian pie is not going to spark any romance between them decides he needs to take decisive action. With the help of Barry they devise a plot more heinous than peeing on The Alamo. They decide that Kevin should go out on a thin limb and, well ,.........ask her out to dinner.

Personally, I've never been able to quantify the exact dollar amount of a romantic dinner. Apparently, much to Kevin's chagrin, the romantic American dollar isn't valued all that highly by the French. Kevin quickly establishes that the proper meal, within the proper French restaurant, with the apropos amorous results, will run him a tab of three hundred bills. This doesn't bode well, for our Kevin's financial foundation is built on a flimsy job as an underemployed, sexually harassed librarian's assistant. In dire monetary straights, and with limited time before his love returns to college, Kevin accepts Barry's offer to temporarily enter the world of pizza delivery.

Admittedly the premise of the movie is thin is retrospect. What is far more bothersome about the movie than its overarching plot is the portrayal within the story of the object of Kevin's affection. Have you noticed I haven't mentioned her name? It's not because I want to keep her a mysterious figure. I simply don't remember what it is.

To address the acting is to first call on the portrayal of Barry by the effusive Jason Muzie. The director (Donald Gregory) chose to let the character of Barry dominate the first third of the movie. Muzie's acting requires a small universe of anecdotes, so I will offer one: If you took an intoxicated Curly and combined him with Belushi (the good one) while he was actually on one of the speed balls that killed him you might have an approximation of the on-screen presence of Muzie. One thing that plagued this movie was character interaction. For the majority of it's run time the feeling is that the actors were plying their trade, in a room, by themselves. This lack of flow between players is painfully obvious a good percentage of the time that Muzie delivers a line.

That being said, there is an undeniable potential within someone like a Jason Muzie. If he learns how to deliver a line without making facial contortions that would make body linguists giggle, there is definitely something there. When Muzie became Barry I laughed, when Muzie tried to be Barry, I cringed.

Although Kevin is the central character of the movie, Wisniewski's portrayal of him is easily overshadowed for the first thirty minutes by one shot of Barry playing with his own nipples. However, once you do start to notice Wisniewski's acting; you realize that he's actually doing what an actor should. You believe that the poor bastard is actually Kevin. Wisniewski's delivery of lines is comparatively smooth and far more natural than that of his peers. Wisniewski is able to deliver someone having a normal, at least in vocal inflection if not topic, conversation.

If the interaction between Kevin and Barry dominate the first third of the movie, then the budding relationship between Kevin and Wendy (Daniela Mangialardo) dominates the closing third. Wendy is a tough-as-nails, well established delivery driver that brooks the rookie no respect as Kevin first joins the front line of pizza delivery.

Unfortunately, Mangialardo is about as relaxed playing a hard knocks kid as I am wearing a kilt. The thought might be inviting but you know you're not going to be comfortable once it happens. It's as the movie progresses and the relationship between Wendy and Kevin develops that Wendy is allowed to drop her shields a bit and for the first time in the movie two of the actors establish some actual, enjoyable, chemistry. This is when the movie has some serious potential that it should have gotten to much quicker and explored much further. Unfortunately that didn't happen.

The movie is enjoyable, I've probably been a bit overly harsh with some of my words. But it's hard when you watch an effort that is so admirable fall short of what it was actually quite close to achieving, being a very decent movie made by pure grit of those involved. Donald Gregory did an admirable job in many facets of the production. I've watched a lot of movies made for a hell of a lot more money that had far worse lighting, worse sound, and worse pace.

I'm not a good authority on DVD, quite frankly there are few movies that I want to see any special features about. I slugged through a couple on this disk. The Making Of, was fine, if strangely enough a little dry. They do actually have Pig Latin subtitles which amazed me. And if you like bloopers there's about 853 hours of them on the disk.

One note that I forgot to mention. One of the best soundtracks I have heard in a long, long time. Let's get that released on a CD, alright guys.

6/10

This indie is refreshingly fun with great extra features

[joaniejo · 3 September 2004]

This film starts out in a way that you think might be predictable, but with fun plot twists, clever dialogue, genuine energy and a slew of laughable moments, totally surprises you and wins you over.

If it seems like the film is only about the plight of a pizza delivery person, think again. Sure, most of the best moments are terribly funny scenes of the worst delivery scenarios imaginable. But there's a bigger story than that and other fun sub-plots that make for a well-rounded film about a guy who just happens to be delivering pizza for a concrete reason, and the rest of the world around him is given equal weight.

The whole DVD is a nice, slick presentation with tons of extras that are definitely worth checking out.

AND the soundtrack really rocks! It's a great array of mostly Ohio-based musicians (local to the filmmaker) and the varied songs are well incorporated into the film. This is truly a soundtrack that merits listening to on its own.

So, cue up your DVD, crank the volume, order a pizza (and tip generously, or at least humanely) and watch alone or with friends. Just don't burn the roof of your mouth!