Janell Boone and Matthew Yaich make their directorial debut with That’s The Idea, Man!. The mockumentary follows a filmmaker (Sean Mansfield) who is gearing up to film a documentary on his favorite inventor, Gary Grossmont (Chris Hasenauer). The documentarian grew up idolizing Gary, seeing his face plastered all over the cover of a prestigious magazine.
However, the well-meaning inventor is so all over the place he can barely get through a single interview without being distracted. Others the filmmaker talks to include Gary’s Mom (Mary Ann Reisdorf), fellow inventor Vance Lockbarrel (Andy Rich), magazine editor Tom (owner?; Vincenzo L. McNeill), and patent office employee Patsy (Danielle Smith). Will they help shed light on the inner workings of Gary? Are his inventions as dangerous as they seem?

“…gearing up to film a documentary on his favorite inventor, Gary Grossmont.”
That’s The Idea, Man! is full of small charms. There are no big laughs throughout the swift 81-minute runtime. But each gag or quip will put a smile on one’s face. The pondering of a “blueprint” is absurd and amusing. Another fun moment is Gary signing autographs at a convention. The contraption he wears is ridiculous.
Hasenauer is in a difficult role as Gary. He has to be intelligent enough to buy as an inventor and bumbling enough to be a goof no one takes seriously. The actor pulls it off with aplomb. Reisdorf has excellent comedic timing, and her deadpan delivery makes audience members smile in her every scene. Smith is tons of fun as the fed-up patent office worker who lost a bet.
That’s The Idea, Man! doesn’t contain one full belly laugh. But it is amusing and sports a solid cast. While there are better mockumentaries, there are also much worse titles to watch. So prepare for a few laughs and check this out.
For more information about That’s The Idea, Man!, visit its Dark Animals page.