When most people think of Elijah Wood as an actor, usually one film comes to mind. It goes against my disposition to mention it, but you know where I'm going. I'm willing to bet my lunch money no one will think comedian, and rightful so. Wood has been acting since a child and most of his films delve into the dramatic. However, Wood shines impeccably in the short film Setup, Punch. Written and directed by David Schlussel, who took the material from his own experiences, Wood portrays stand up comedian, Reuben Stein.
We first see Reuben frantically pacing in the men's restroom. He pulls an engagement ring from his pocket, then proceeds to go through his set, nervous over what's about to happen. A short time later, he joins his girlfriend, Dottie, played by Alia Shawkat (Green Room, Arrested Development) and to her bewilderment, he stares at her with admiration. "I'm crazy about you." Reuben whispers before he takes the stage.
It bears a great amount of skill and talent to make a room full of people laugh. Reuben opens with the usual bodily function jabs which people can relate to. It's a bit cliche, but what better way to get an audience on your side. From there Wood displays a rarely seen talent of his own. It's a one-man show and he commands this performance, not only as the character, but as the comedian. He jokes, which are genuinely funny, waits for reactions, takes his pauses, then goes back for more rounds of drollery. All of this is leading up to what we gathered from the first few minutes of this 20 minute film.
Reuben asks Dottie to join him on stage and proceeds to serenade her with a song and his feelings for her and for a while, it's as if they're the only two in the room. It's only when Reuben tosses in some humor that we're brought back to this being a public announcement. Before Dottie knows it, her beloved is on one knee, calls for champagne from the bar and pops the big question, ring in hand in front of the entire audience. I have always believed that proposing should be a one-on-one event. The answer to that important question can go three ways and two of them can be catastrophic. But Reuben takes his chances and is handed one of those disastrous replies.
Now truly alone on stage as Dottie quickly retreats from the club, Reuben is left with such embarrassment, that he too leaves. Before he completely vanishes, he comes back to complete what he started, though it's hard for him to pick up where he left off before he got all romantic. As difficult as it is for Reuben to continue, he does so and the crowd is with him all the way. This is probably the best I've seen Wood. We see Reuben as an actual person and not a fictional character pretending to be hurt. We feel the disappointment and humiliation that just happened to him. The tilt and hang of his head and the shifting from one foot to the other displays it like thunder to our souls.
Wood has an astonishing ability to reach viewers without articulating anything and he's top notch here. It unnerves people to see another trying to overcome a devastation but people wouldn't be this way if they didn't care and at this point Wood makes us care deeply. I have great respect for Wood, who could have fallen into a world of big-budgeted filmmaking but chooses to do smaller, more intimately written pieces. For me, this makes him an actor of great virtuosity and integrity.
Setup, punch, if you're not aware, is a strategy in comedy. First you "setup" the situation and the premise of the joke. The "punch" is where the comedian gets the laugh from the premise. The audience is led in one direction, then is surprised by the different direction it takes. I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen the film, but all along it was the audience, we as viewers, who got the punchline in the end.
Setup, Punch is a great piece of writing with fantastic performances from Shawkat and especially, Wood. The short was released at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2013 and was nominated for the Narrative Short Jury Award. It's a rarely seen gem, and if you stumble upon it, do yourself a favor and watch.
