This is a comedy about a supposed company that does inspirational seminars and in particular, it follows one of their presenters, Benson Montebank during one of his one-day talks.
Mr. Montebank obviously has no idea what he's doing. When the seminar begins, he instructs everyone NOT to look at him, as he has a fear of public speaking! His "seminar" is mostly a lot of platitudes and it's a complete waste of time. How he got the job is a wonder, though at the end of the film it explains this in a very funny epilogue. Another funny moment is hearing the thoughts of the participants as they fill out the satisfaction survey.
Overall, this is a clever and funny little film. While I did like it, it could have perhaps benefited from a slight trimming, as the 20 minute run-time seemed a bit excessive given the material.
By the way, a "mountebank" is a fraud and the name of the company ("Misanthrope") means someone who despises mankind.
PS--I recently received an email from the writer/director and he indicated that there is a shorter version and it was used for submission to film festivals. The one I saw on IMDb is the longer one. I wish him well, as a slightly trimmed film would improve the pace a bit and should please the audiences.
Mr. Montebank obviously has no idea what he's doing. When the seminar begins, he instructs everyone NOT to look at him, as he has a fear of public speaking! His "seminar" is mostly a lot of platitudes and it's a complete waste of time. How he got the job is a wonder, though at the end of the film it explains this in a very funny epilogue. Another funny moment is hearing the thoughts of the participants as they fill out the satisfaction survey.
Overall, this is a clever and funny little film. While I did like it, it could have perhaps benefited from a slight trimming, as the 20 minute run-time seemed a bit excessive given the material.
By the way, a "mountebank" is a fraud and the name of the company ("Misanthrope") means someone who despises mankind.
PS--I recently received an email from the writer/director and he indicated that there is a shorter version and it was used for submission to film festivals. The one I saw on IMDb is the longer one. I wish him well, as a slightly trimmed film would improve the pace a bit and should please the audiences.