By Robert Scucci
| Up to date
Faking your individual loss of life with a view to begin a brand new life is sophisticated by the truth that there aren’t any actual sources on the market to coach your self on the method. Give it some thought. If anyone disappeared with out a hint efficiently, they’re not going to host an AMA on Reddit explaining how they did it as a result of that would go away a digital footprint and defeat the whole objective. George Wendt’s (or, Norm from Cheers) Warren Kooey in 1994’s Hostage for a Day finds himself in such a predicament, however as a substitute comes up with an insane plan to kidnap himself so he can escape his unfulfilling marriage, transfer to Alaska, and at last reside life on his personal phrases.
Problems come up alongside the best way on this Canadian made-for-TV film, which additionally occurs to be John Sweet’s first and solely directorial effort, launched posthumously one month after his loss of life. As a low-budget TV function, Hostage for a Day leaves quite a bit to be desired, however its premise and appearing expertise carry it additional than its 15 p.c viewers approval ranking on Rotten Tomatoes would lead you to consider. It gained’t change your life by any stretch of the creativeness, however if you wish to see one of many dumbest life escape plans conceivable pushed into more and more absurd territory, it’s a strong, low-stakes watch with a wholesome quantity of real laugh-out-loud moments.
Don’t Let The Promo Materials Idiot You
John Sweet is given prime billing within the promotional materials for Hostage for a Dayhowever he’s solely seen in a few scenes since most of his work right here was finished behind the digital camera as a substitute of in entrance of it. The actual star of the present is Warren Kooey, our hapless, hopeless, middle-aged protagonist who feels utterly trapped in an unfulfilling life. Warren works as a clerk at his father-in-law V.D.’s (John Vernon) copy store, and consequently has to bend to his will on the drop of a hat.
Warren experiences related therapy from his wholly unhappy stay-at-home spouse, Elizabeth (Robin Duke), who makes use of her father’s affect to get no matter she needs on the house entrance, together with exorbitant residence renovations from world-renowned handyman Hondo (Currie Graham). It’s clear that Elizabeth is having an affair with Hondo, as he’s at all times gutting Warren’s property below the guise of an expert working relationship. Warren, being the pushover that he’s, simply lets it occur.
After confronting his existential dread by speaking to his personal reflection on numerous flat, shiny surfaces, Warren lastly hits his breaking level when he learns that Elizabeth has stolen $40,000 from his credit score union account with a view to fund her illicit affair with Hondo. Round this similar time, Warren has a welcome run-in together with his outdated flame, Diane St. Clair (Christopher Anne Templeton), with whom he as soon as made elaborate plans to maneuver to Alaska and reside off the fats of the land.
With no cash to his identify and determined to begin recent, Warren decides to behave on his midlife disaster in probably the most excessive approach attainable. He straps highway flares and an alarm clock to his chest, tells Elizabeth that he’s been kidnapped by Russians, calls the SWAT crew, and calls for a ransom for the precise amount of cash that was stolen from him.
What May Probably Go Incorrect?
Hostage for a Day earns its namesake when the criminally underfunded SWAT crew exhibits up, woefully unprepared to deal with the scenario. To make issues worse, Russian terrorist Yuri Petrovich (John Sweet) conveniently breaks into the Kooey residence and truly holds Warren hostage for actual. As you’d anticipate, Warren, who was solely making an attempt to orchestrate an elaborate ruse with a view to begin a brand new life, instantly has to take care of real hazard as his home will get pumped filled with lead and he digs himself deeper into his self-kidnapping plot than he ever supposed.
Whilst you do must accept mid-90s made-for-TV manufacturing values, Hostage for a Day nonetheless has its moments, even when it in the end performs like a middle-of-the-road comedy of errors. The primary concern I had with the film, and the factor that took me out of it probably the most, was how conveniently unlikable each single particular person within the movie is. You may’t blame Warren Kooey for wanting out when his spouse is a cold-hearted scorpion lady who robs him of his solitude whereas providing zero companionship. She’s additionally clearly testing out the brand new bed room with Hondo sooner than you possibly can say, “Can I pour you a beer, Mr. Peterson?”
In different phrases, Warren is simply too likable, all people else sucks, and it’s slightly too handy as a setup. I personally would have discovered it funnier if Warren’s life was merely common and he took these excessive measures as a result of he was blowing every little thing else out of proportion. What we get as a substitute continues to be humorous, however you possibly can solely escalate a ridiculous setup a lot earlier than it begins to lose its luster.
Hostage for a Day is streaming without cost on Tubi.