THE FILM

Since Richie Cunningham, Potsie, and Fonzie have all maintained directing careers, why not Ralph Malph?

Don Most, the beloved "Happy Days" alumni, takes the reins of "Moola," a comedic morality tale so frivolous you'll forget the experience the minute it ends. Actually, scratch that. "Moola" concludes with all the characters dancing and mugging to "My Girl." That means when "Moola" ends, you'll actually want to shoot yourself in the face.

Steve (William Mapother) is at the very end of his rope, losing his wife (Charlotte Ross) to a forthcoming divorce and trapped as the owner of a financially disastrous glo-stick manufacturing company. Feeling his life is over, Steve's fortunes suddenly change when he learns that dairy farmers use the sticks to better calculate the timing of bovine fertility. When news hits the corporate world, it engages the curiosity of a ruthless CEO (Doug Hutchinson), who makes an incredible offer to buy the glo-stick company. Now living with the promise of untold millions coming his way, Steve is compelled to reassess his life, along with the monetary lust of his partners (including Daniel Baldwin and Curtis Armstrong).

Now, "Moola" isn't that torturous of a film. Most, in his second directorial offering, shows a steady hand with the material, which is supposedly "inspired by true events." Sure. "Moola" feels like a sitcom and plays incredibly well as one, as Most acquits himself nicely to the mid-tempo speed of the premise.

The director is best with his actors, and while "Moola" isn't startling material, it does offer some actors a chance to play a little looser than previously anticipated. Daniel Baldwin is perhaps the most punch-drunk of the troupe, and the rim-shot-heavy dialogue is sold well by the actor, though the performance does slip into headache territory when Most fails to halt Baldwin while he's ahead. Mapother is another actor who is rarely handed a lead part and he's decent in "Moola," doing his damndest to convey the innocent joy of a loser finally tasting victory, only to find the results more toxic and destructive to his soul than he expected. Mapother's blast of conflicted earnestness coveys the proper tone for "Moola," yet Most appears confused on how to adequately throttle the emotion.

"Moola" is not an especially funny picture, and Most has great difficulty masking the low-budget he was supplied with (the handheld camerawork is dreadful). The film's strength is in its pleasantness; the hospitable quality that steals the film away from melodrama. Most maintains that small promise for the first two acts of the picture, only to botch the job in the final movement. Encouraging Hutchinson to overact obnoxiously as the cruel CEO, staging a cringe-worthy light bulb moment for Steve where he pulls a dramatic "Shawshank" pose, and taking the story down ridiculously clichéd paths, Most fumbles critical momentum, and "Moola" becomes a real chore to watch.

THE DVD

Visual:

Offered in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1 aspect ratio), "Moola" appears a bit washed out for its DVD presentation. Granted, this production didn't have much coin to play with, and the image reflects the lack of funds with an anemic visual appearance that doesn't have much in the way of detail or rich color range.

Audio:

"Moola's" 5.1 Dolby Digital sound experience is great with the soundtrack selections, most of which are quite lively and work the surrounds nicely. Outdoor sequences also have an agreeable sonic quality.

Subtitles:

Spanish subtitles are provided.

Extras:

A feature-length audio commentary is provided by director Don Most, and it's an engaging track. Most hits the ground running with information: discussing a last-minute structure change, how the animated opening title sequence came about, how much of the film is actually based in fact, pointing out the CGI enhancements and his filmmaking tributes, and underlining character motivations.

"'Moola:' Behind the Scenes" (6:33) is an EPK holdover, interviewing cast and crew on the making of the film and asking them to recall their disbelief upon hearing that, in fact, "Moola" was based on a true story. Backstory and thematic arcs are also discussed.

"Deleted Scenes" (9:25) offers more sexuality to the film, but most of the scenes are small trims and redundant character information. I did enjoy seeing a further portrait of Steve's fractured family life.

A Trailer is provided, along with peeks at "The Unknown Trilogy," "Lost Colony," and "Call of the Wild."

FINAL THOUGHTS

Again, once Most brings about a last-minute dance party to resuscitate the good times in "Moola," the entertainment value has already been sucked out of the picture. Surely "Moola" could've been a stronger, stranger film with a premise that includes cows with glo-sticks taped to their behinds, but Most only can find scattershot joy in the film. What a shame.