Fishbowl California | Film Review

The lovable loser has been a comedy staple for decades. Ever since Bill Murray and John Belushi dominated screens 4 decades ago, audiences have enjoyed laughing along with the latest man-child to take center stage. In Fishbowl California, Steve Olson grabs the reins as Rodney, an unemployed mooch with an ambition so lackadaisical he makes turtles seem like overachievers.

After a rough day of pretending to hunt for a job while somehow getting evicted, Rodney decides to move in with his girlfriend, who just happens to have her new boyfriend over. Desperation and humiliation lead Rodney to break down, both figuratively and literally, directly in front of June’s house. An ailing widow, Katherine Cortez’s June is not in the mood for a pathetic victim-of-life to take up residence in his car directly outside her home, nor pilfer electricity with an extension cord, as Rodney does.

Therefore, June offers him a pact: tidy up her yard, which will keep her bitchy neighbor at bay (a hilariously uptight Tim Bagley), and she will reward him by not calling the cops. Eventually, Rodney’s sardonic charm inspires June to let him stay with her, and a bond is forged.

Director Michael MacRae fully stocks Fishbowl California with nods to California archetypes and ideology. It’s almost a love letter to the Golden State, prominently displaying distinctions between the citizens of both the past and the present. June is older, alone, sick enough to debate drinking herself to death, and ultimately decides she has no patience for anyone’s youthful nonsense. Much of her thorny demeanor stems from a need to keep those concerned for her well-being at a distance (including her own daughter, Olivia), yet Rodney’s honest and ridiculous approach to life eventually wears down those barriers.

Rodney, on the other hand, is all about patience. His life is centered around doing as little as humanly possible and blaming the world for its lack of reward. Even his job interviews – as Rodney’s misplaced confidence routinely showcases his moronic arrogance – function more as a way to avoid work by convincing no one to hire him…ever. His time with June delivers exactly what Rodney needed, someone in his life who refuses to humor his sluggish lifestyle. The clashing perspectives make for delightful banter between the two actors, as their characters finally learn to live again.

Steve Olson channels early Adam Sandler if he were dating modern day Jason Sudeikis, a devil-may-care attitude riding the bullet train to Bitter Town. It’s a performance seething with sarcasm, often times eliciting hearty laughs, and is one that left me wanting to see more of the actor in years to come. That said, this film is carried by Katherine Cortez’s June.

From our first glimpse of June, as she scolds a would-be robber of a convenience store into submission, Cortez channels her inner Estelle Getty to create the most fully realized character in the film. The moment June walks into her home, dropping her guard and displaying the true pain she lives with every day, is the very moment Fishbowl California ceases feeling like a quirky Kevin Smith homage and creates its own identity. There are several instances in the film that forgo humor for heart, and Cortez is the lynchpin at the center of all of them.

Equal parts Odd Couple and Clerks, this tale of a pair of lovable losers finding each other is a charming ode to the adage that even strays deserve a chance, with a loving nod to Californication as a backdrop tossed in for good measure. Anchored by the impressive talent of Katherine Cortez, Fishbowl California is emphatically worth the visit.