2081

2009 short

Rating: I don't rate shorts.

Plot: In 2081, laws and the Handicapper General has ensured that everybody is equal. When one man tries to defy those laws and threatens the status quo, something has to be done.

My students agreed with me that this short wasn't as good as the short story it was based on--Kurt Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron." The changes the filmmakers made didn't add anything at all, and in one instance, I thought they really hurt a surprise element that makes the story work. Director Chandler Tuttle (a made-up name if I've ever heard one!) does a lot with a small budget, but it's impossible to hide some of the problems the lack of funds caused. I did enjoy the performances. Julie Hagerty is in this, and she plays a dumb character about as well as any actress can. James Cosmo's good, really subdued, revealing his emotions in quiet non-movements and barely-audible grunts. And guess who plays Harrison Bergeron? That's right, a long-haired Armie Hammer.

I'm glad that despite the changes that were made to the story, they still kept the goofy joke that Vonnegut ended his story with.