Whoever came up with the title for this film, and I assume it is writer/director Jason Kartalian, has made it too easy on film reviewers like myself. You see, to me "Pedestrian" not only means someone walking through the street on foot but also, as my "Synonym Finder" states, "spiritless, lifeless, tiresome and uninspired." Kartalian will no doubt get this adjectives in reviews and headlines across the country (if the film ever gets picked up). I can see the headlines now: "'Pedestrian' is just that." And it's true, I'm afraid.

I think Kartalian (and again I am assuming he came up with the title) also meant for this adjective use to be applied to his main character, and not the film. Marty, as played by Jeffrey Stubblefield, is in a slump. As a writer, he has a long way to go. His work is "spiritless" and his existence is "lifeless." He is in desperate need of something... anything.

So the story that evolves out of this character is one of a struggling screenwriter. Marty works for a corrupt film producer who is taking advantage of people by using telemarketing to get them to invest in his film, one that will never be made. Marty, squelched by his lackluster job as scriptwriter for a nonexistent film, begins to exist only in his Walter Mitty-esque daydreams which are, at first, also his scripts as well.

The film tries to do a lot. It tries to tie all these loose ends together. It tries to be amusing - funny even. It tries to be independent and "inside" and clever. But it rarely succeeds. It just never seems to feel right.

Stubblefield is horribly miscast. The nicest thing I can think to say about him is that he is a poor-man's Griffin Dunne. He tries to eek any comedy or thought provoking insight out of the script that he can but always falls squarely flat on his face. It's hard to watch sometimes.

Kartalian, meanwhile, can't seem to find the right pace for his film. There are endless dissolves that seem to evaporate any sense of immediacy the film might have began to generate. There is one scene, for example, that seems full of possibilities: Marty pushes a heavy Rubbermaid trash can (on wheels) down the city street. It is heavy due to a certain object being concealed within. I know it's not a great set- up, but it has potential. But in the hands of Kartalian and Stubblefield, it just lays there. Nothing funny or interesting happens. Kartalian just wanders through images of this action as if it means nothing, so, alas, it does.

If there is any redeeming value to the film, it lies in the score. Jim Lang (not the host of "The Dating Game," another Jim Lang) provides the film with some quirky modern jazz that underscores the absurdity of the film. His music is always on target. It gives the film a new and "indie" feel. It's no surprise when you find out that Lang has also done some score work for Nickelodeon's "Hey Arnold." His work is reminiscent of Mark Mothersbaugh but is much jazzier and more quirky.

I wanted to like this film. And it's not horrible. It has a few moments and some interesting stuff does happen here and there. There are a few clever ideas floating around in the film. Stubblefield also looks pretty sexy in a scene where he appears only in his briefs. But it's a "reverse" rape scene and it's in poor taste, really. It makes a mockery of rape.

I met Kartalian briefly at Park City during the Sundance/Slamdance party madness. He seemed like a pretty nice guy. What's a film critic to do?

Note:

Also with Avery Schreiber and Peter Onorati in small roles that seem to exist only so a few "name" actors can be placed in the credits (and on posters and in press material).

Kartalian is the son of cult film star Buck Kartalian, who appeared in "Planet of the Apes" and "The Acid Eaters."

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