A few years back, Steven Soderberg’s remake of the Rat Pack flick Oceans 11 exploded onto screens with such gleeful confidence and self-assurance in its pacing, direction and performances that it was almost impossible for one to dismiss as “just another movie.” The film moved like a bullet, traveling a semi-worn plot guided to a bulls-eye by sheer charisma. Jesse Cowell’s $2000 comedy feature Shades of Gray does the same thing, only without the likes of Soderberg, Clooney, Pitt, Roberts, and Damon. A rapid-fire comedy that could very well be the funniest movie this reviewer has ever seen at the no-budget level, Cowell’s Shades of Gray is a shot-in-the-arm for Microcinema comedies, a bar-raising, consistant laugh-inducer that’s as shockingly confident and assured as its cleaned-up Hollywood cousin.

While I find the vibe coming off Shades of Gray to be more reminiscent to the Oceans 11 remake because of its ensemble cast and break-neck pace, many will find the dialogue to be somewhat Clerks-flavored. While the vulgarity runs high, I’d argue that it’s well-placed, and unlike Kevin Smith’s gem, the dialogue in this piece propels scenes forward almost as fast as the editing and wonderful camera moves. If this is Clerks, it’s that movie with more diversified, interesting characters and a camera that actually gets off the tripod.

The logic tying all of these great qualities together is a simple revenge plot about a group of friends who have been wronged for far too long by their buddy Eric, a selfish yet likable bad guy who is both the protagonist and antagonist of the movie. Having stolen Eric’s “little black book” filled with star-ratings and occasionally vulgar descriptions of his many sexual conquests, his friends believe they now have the one thing that might get Eric to sit down and listen to their grievances with him. If he doesn’t repent for his sins, the book will be mailed off to Eric’s latest gal pal who he appears to really, truly care about, a woman named Charlie brought to life by Julie Anne Terrell as a charming short-haired lass with delightfully expressive doe eyes.

Played with frenetic, bug-eyed energy by writer-director-co-producer Cowell, Eric’s torment over the book is at once very real, yet absolutely deserved and hilarious. It’s a real credit to the writer/director to be able to portray this character as reprehensible and yet keep him likable. He screams, titters, smiles, shouts, cowers and shakes his way through the character’s several one-on-one’s with the various friends whose stories of betrayal range from amusing to outright hilarious. Best are Eric’s confrontation with Chris, whose offhand remark about his cat destroys his reputation at school when Eric tells everyone about it, and Eric’s confrontation with Dave, whose girlfriend and supermarket woes seem to result from Eric’s sadistic meddling. While Chris is usually the calm, brooding guy in dark glasses and Dave is a prime candidate for years worth of anger management, both men reach a fever pitch during their sit downs with Eric that are bolstered by inventive, brilliant editing in addition to the well rendered, rage-fueled performances by Russ Jones (Chris) and Tyler Brooks (Dave.) Brook’s Dave is particularly noteworthy as one of the most memorable characters I’ve ever seen in a movie at this level, as each time he comes onscreen I found myself laughing. Hard.

This isn’t to say that the other players don’t get their moments to shine – each and every one of the performers get to steal a scene at one time or another. And as Guy, the chubby kid with a heart of gold who isn’t sure he wants to punish his oldest buddy Eric, Guy Rader does a nice job keeping the movie based in a real, emotional place. Guy’s friendship with Charlie makes the case for revenge a bit less strong, and this added complexity to the narrative keeps the movie from being as one-note as it easily could have been. It’s the inclusion of such subplots, whether they be the hilarious Spanglish screamed conflicts between Jed and his spicy sister Linda or the teenage-adoration for Eric harbored by Guy’s sister, that make the movie rise above its somewhat weak central concept. Every time the flick stretches credibility, as it does with the conflicts between Eric, Jed and Victor which each reach a little too hard for their wrongdoing, it’s centered again by solid subplotting. In fact, one of the subplots, involving a Bull-dog of a man (played by co-producer Steven Bordelon) who is leaving flyers all around town that read “Have you seen this Motherfucker,” ends up tying nicely into a conclusion that tests the limits of how far Eric’s estranged buddies would go for their revenge. That’s good storytelling, and combined with all of the positive attributes of this movie, it makes it rise well above its few missteps.

Available on a website that’s structured like a DVD menu with each installment of the feature-length movie broken into its own chapter, Shades of Gray is well-worth the wait for downloading time and I look forward to when it will be made available as a DVD to watch on a bigger screen. While J. Stoles expert shooting and camera moves are certainly discernible on the web, they would look THAT much better in full resolution. But don’t expect Shades of Gray in stores anytime soon, as its chances for distribution are greatly hindered by the widespread use of unlicensed music from the 1980’s. While the choice of songs such as The Violent Femmes’ “Blister in the Sun,” “Come on Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners and A-Ha’s gem “Take on Me” verge on near genius, they destroy the movie’s chances for festival acclaim and retail sales. This is such a huge shame because Cowell has proved himself a talent to be reckoned with by creating an often side-splitting tale that balances absurdity, vulgarity and good, old-fashioned story craft with a deftness that’s usually only seen in higher budgeted fare. And dammit, he should be rewarded for such an outstanding achievement.

Five stars out of five.