Rating: 3.5/5

Writers: Mark Potts, Cole Selix
Director: Mark Potts
Cast: Mark Potts, Cole Selix

The world of indie comedy can be a strange and mostly unseen place. Anyone with a camera can attempt to make a film, and the smaller the budget, the cheaper a film looks. Usually, this facade of a "cheap" film will ensure that almost no one will see the film. Sometimes though, there is actually a good movie hidden under that "cheap" label. The guys over at Singletree Productions seem to be oblivious to how their films look. They simply make good movies.

Singletree Productions is made up of Cole Selix and Mark Potts, who started their production company in 2006. They have made more than a few short films, and have completed two feature-length films that have made the festival circuit: THE STANTON FAMILY GRAVE ROBBERY and SIMMONS ON VINYL. Both films have been well received and their careers are certainly off to a good start. Their short films, as well as reviews for their previous features can be seen right HERE.

S&M LAWN CARE tells the story of two friends who own a landscaping company. Sal (Selix) and Mel (Potts) are two of the best lawn care men in town. Sal is a college student saving money to go to the Amazon one day. Mel has a dream to be the best lawn care specialist in town. They've got rockin' commercials, and things are going well - that is until, for seemingly no reason, they begin to slowly lose their clients. Every day they get more and more calls from customers leaving them, and they can't figure out why. That is until they see a commercial for a new lawn service in town, Lawns by Drake. With the aid of some scantily clad assistants, Drake and his tight spandex are stealing business away from S&M Lawn Care, and Sal and Mel will not stand for that shit!

Viewing a film like this can be an intriguing experience. On the one hand, you're seeing something that will be seen, in the grand scale of things, by very few people. Now, it will be obvious to anyone who will have the privilege of seeing S&M LAWN CARE that this film may never see the distribution light of day. There are a few gags in here the filmmakers never secured licensing for. It wouldn't have made sense to reshoot these scenes when they're just trying to get their name out there.

But imagine being one of the very first people to see something by Danny McBride or Clark Duke and to realize that these guys are destined for comedic greatness. Pretty sweet, right? Well, you've got to realize that in order to put yourself in that place, you've got to subject yourself to some things from these future greats that are going to miss the mark completely. You've got to take the good with the bad, but there is a lot of good to be had with S&M (I'm shortening the movie name, weirdo, not that kind of S&M). The performances of Cole Selix and Mark Potts are indicative of a team that works well together, knows each other’s strengths in front of the camera, and show an acute understanding of comedic timing. The small "indie-ness" of this film will turn the novice filmgoer away, but they will be missing out on something great, and something that could be great in the future once Singletree Productions gets more notice and these guys get some money thrown at them.

As a whole, S&M LAWN CARE isn't a masterpiece by any means, but like small indie comedies in the vein of THE FOOT FIST WAY and THE TEN, this will bring laughs. And it won't bring laughs from the obvious, full-of-raunch places, either. They will come from the places that great comedy should come from, place like clever writing, impeccable timing, and of course, relatable pet peeves. Icee's are called ICEE'S people, not slushes!