3 DAYS OF NORMAL – The DVD Review

Review by Dane Marti

As a delightful, independent film, 3 DAYS OF NORMAL  is a treat. Ordinarily, a quirky love story is definitely not my favorite genre. Perhaps it reminds me too much of my own tempestuous romantic existence. I like films in which I can escape. Then again, any guy would enjoy spending a few hours fantasizing about the lead actress.

The film takes place in a small town. The cinematography is gorgeous; fall colors seem to blanket the old houses and buildings in a blaze of red and orange. Although a relatively low-budget film, careful attention was paid to all the elements – especially the color and imagery.

As written by Jared Parsons and Jace McLean this story impressed me. Skillfully directed by Ishai Setton, the story of a small town police officer who slowly becomes entangled in the world of a crazy – and undeniably attractive – actress, is fraught with clever one liners, silly but effective situations and charming chemistry from the two leads. I was especially impressed with the unforced style and confidence of the director. He has his own visual style, although he’s obviously studied the classics as well. Plus, while the dialogue is witty and corny, it never degenerates down into farce or seems to apologize for being low budget.

The incident that transforms the officer’s life occurs when he sees a fancy car on the side of the road a few miles out of town. There, he discovers a gorgeous actress, Nikki Gold, played by Mircea Monroe: She’s intoxicated and rambling. Before long, the entire town seems to realize they have a “Star” in their town and involved with the young, tall, lanky Police officer. The townspeople find the burgeoning relationship to be highly entertaining! Well, it takes our hapless hero a while to realize that Nikki is famous. The “Golden” girl starts out annoying Officer Morgan. While noticing her gorgeous blond looks, he is still put off by her; they are completely different in attitude and psychology, as one might imagine.

However, like many old-fashioned romantic comedies – for instance, the classic movies of Preston Sturgis or Howard Hawks, the man and woman start to fall in love. Obviously, for many of us, this is terribly cliche, but the actors are pretty good. The film wouldn’t work if the two leads were hammed it up unprofessionally or read their lines as if reading a teleprompter for the first time while battling a nasal infection.

While not as slick and charismatic as some well-known actors, the performers here are definitely skilled and professional in bringing across their respective characters; they never seem forced or sloppy. While not realistic, under the storyline of this genre, they (along with everyone else in the cast) pull off the miraculous: A low budget, independent film that actually is charming! While not an earth-shattering cinematic wonder, the movie is a lot of fun. I recommend it for anyone under the weather this holiday season.