By John Corrado
In Anchors Aweigh, writer-director-star Matt Barats delivers the most deadpan of deadpan comedies, mixed with video essay and home movie collage of loosely connected vignettes. The result is a mix of breakup comedy and meta mockumentary that feels destined for cult status.
Playing a version of himself, Barats stars in the film as an artist who is left heartbroken when his younger girlfriend Megan (Serena Profaci) dumps him to pursue her Broadway dreams. So he decides to rent a small sailboat on Craigslist to live on in “the marina by the airport.” This is where the meta aspect comes in.
Aboard his “small vessel,” Barats’ character begins to rewatch old home video footage, hoping to edit it together into an art project of “loosely connected vignettes.” The footage is real stuff that Barats shot over the years, including in high school and college, allowing him to pick through and find comical moments, as well as reflect on how his life hasn’t really changed.
In other scenes, Barats wanders around New York City, offering strange but oddly endearing anecdotes about places he’s been, while reflecting on his failed relationship with Megan and hopes to win her back. Many of the laughs come from Barats’ bone dry line deliveries and absurd observations. The lush jazz score by composer Simon Hanes adds to the irony of the experience.
It’s a very specific brand of comedy, at once totally ridiculous but also oddly reflective, and Barats is able to pull it off. At a tight 71 minutes, Anchors Aweigh not only doesn’t overstay its welcome, but also delivers laughs consistently throughout, and is chock full of quotes that will become inside jokes for anyone who has seen this future cult classic.
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