Writing and directing can suck. Not just because it’s hard to get consistent work, or because once you start getting consistent work, the pressure to “deliver” is incredibly high, but for a much more important reason: lots of comedic actors don’t have great timing.
Now, let me be clear, many have timing that’s good enough. They’re serviceable, as we say in the biz. In other words, good, funny actors will come in, they’ll do your lines at a 7/10 and you’ll hope your editor can bump them up to an 8.5 which is…really pretty great. If you’re making movies, an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes gets you at least another five years of a career, but it’s not a 95%. It’s not the golden comedy goose which can only be caught when your actors have such naturally impeccable instincts that any piece of direction you give isn’t merely serviced, but made better by their considerable chops. “The Paul Rudd Treatment,” I call it. Blake Rosier has that instinct.
I first discovered his work back in April, when he sent us this character piece. Around that time, he started creating daily videos for Facebook and Instagram which represent some of the best snippet-form stuff I’ve seen online. In the past few weeks, he’s turned back to longer form character pieces with a revisiting of Damien, the celibate frat boy and the introduction of the insufferable “Mr. Business.” That Blake can make two pretty worn comedy tropes (frat dudes and I-Bankers) feel so fresh and ring so true is evidence that he’s got the 95% rotten tomato goods. Now, some lucky writer/director’s gotta put him in a movie.
Will You Join My Celibate Frat?
Mr. Business
Luke is an executive producer for CollegeHumor and a watcher of many web videos. Send him yours @LKellyClyne. Full disclosure: Blake Rosier is starring in an upcoming show Luke created.
