Saving Silverman

Ever seen a three-legged dog? On the one hand, you feel sorry for it, and almost wish someone would have had the sense to put it out of its misery long ago. On the other, its almost comical to watch it hobble around, desperate to prove that its just as good as all the other dogs with four legs intact.

Saving Silverman is that dog. Probably someone should have put a bullet in this script when it was first put to paper… but it was almost funny the way it floundered around, looking for meaning in a series of insane and meaningless acts which muddle themselves up in between mild titillation and gut wrenching disgust. And so, Saving Silverman was given its life, even though it probably didn’t deserve it.

Silverman is the story of a big pussy weenie boy who allows himself to be manipulated and used by an overbearing, bitchy woman at the expense of his friend. When all seems lost, his friends leap into action so save him…. And do the unthinkable.

What a surprise! Jason Biggs (American Pie) is the weenie and Amanda Peet (Whipped) is the bitch. Biggs and Peet certainly seem to know what they’re good at and look to cling tightly to it. But the real joys in Silverman are Steve Zahn as Biggs Neil Diamond obsessed friend and Jack Black as his unknowingly gay, dimwitted sidekick. Both show a stellar sense of timing coupled with an uncanny bit of madness at just the right moments to pull the hapless audience through those moments when this hobbled little script falters. Yes, just when things look bleakest in Silverman, this humble little band of actors, freaks, bitches, and weirdoes manage to come up big, turning even the stupidest gags into a nice satisfying belly laugh.

So, maybe Columbia should have shot this dog when it was first brought into the kennel, but even on three legs Silverman delivers on the experienced shoulders of a funny, if somewhat one-dimensional, cast. Silverman isn’t savvy, but its still a success.