Film Review: Magic & Creativity is Formula for ‘Dave Made a Maze’

CHICAGO – When the magnificently creative film “Dave Made a Maze” begins, it seems like another Millennial generation stab at micro budget filmmaking, with a claustrophobic set and extreme archetypes instead of characters. But then the “exploration” of the title maze starts, and suddenly “Dave” becomes a marvel of invention, tribute, hilarity and even truth.

Rating: 4.5/5.0

A passionate group of filmmakers got together with a strange idea… what if they were to send this group of archetypes into a cardboard fort that a frustrated artist has built, a group that includes his offbeat lover? And what if once inside that maze, the magic begins, as rooms become expansive and tests the will of the search party, transporting them into fantasies of their favorite adventure films from the last 40 years. Oh yeah, and there has to be a film-within-a-film that a hapless documentary crew is trying to make. Does this sound like a movie you’d like to see? Well, it’s even better than what is imagined from that description.

Dave (Nick Thune) is an artist at the crossroads. He is lost in his own extreme angst, which includes his live-in relationship with Annie (Meera Rohit Kumbhani). While his galpal is on a business trip, he goes a bit mad and locks himself into the apartment, building a cardboard fort in the living room. When Annie comes home, she discovers that Dave is inside his creation, and cannot find his way out.

Annie begins to call in Dave’s fellow travelers, including his wingman Gordon (Adam Busch), caustic Leonard (Scott Krinsky) and daffy Jane (Kirsten Vangsness). While the troops begin to gather, they start to call other people to witness this odd occurrence, including a documentary film crew (James Urbaniak as the director, Frank Caeti, Scott Narver) and other odd bystanders, including two Flemish tourists. They all crawl inside the fort to save the artist hero.

“Dave Made a Maze” opens in select cities on August 18th. For a complete list, including Chicago (at Facets Cinematheque at 1517 West Fullerton Avenue), click here. [16] Featuring Nick Thune, Meera Rohit Kumbhani, Adam Busch, James Urbaniak, Scott Krinsky and Kirsten Vangsness. Written by Bill Watterson and Steven Sears. Directed by Bill Watterson. Not Rated, but fun for all!