Surrealistic ‘Wrong’ likely will become cult item

  • By Robert Horton Herald Movie Critic
  • Thursday, April 4, 2013 5:59pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

As the movie opens, there’s a close-up of an alarm clock reading 7:59. The camera holds, waiting for the numbers to tick over. We’ve seen this shot a million times in films.

But if we think we know what’s going to happen next, we would be wrong. As in “Wrong,” the title of this new film by ultra-quirky director Quentin Dupiuex, whose previous movie “Rubber” cast an automobile tire in the lead role.

I won’t give away the joke of that 7:59 scene. But it turns out to be, in its tiny, perfect way, the high point of this movie.

There’s something “off” about the day that dawns for Dolph Springer (nice performance by Jack Plotnick), who lives in a pleasant neighborhood. He can’t find his dog, Paul, and the disappearance will haunt the rest of his day.

The day includes going to work, even though Dolph was fired three months earlier. This explains why his co-workers are shooting him dirty looks.

It doesn’t explain why it is raining in his office. You will begin to understand the mind of Dupieux when you realize that nobody ever mentions the fact that a monsoon is going on in the workplace (although his boss does invite him to have a towel when he enters her office).

Eventually, after tangents involving Dolph’s French gardener (Eric Judor) and a young woman (Alexis Dziena) who works at a pizza place, Dolph actually gets a lead on what might have happened to his dog.

This introduces us to the mysterious Master Chang, who wears a thin ponytail and writes quasi-self-help books, or maybe books about human-dog communication. His face is scarred because he threw acid on himself as a child, an act he says made him appreciate that he had a face (he is truly a half-glass-full kind of guy).

Master Chang is played by William Fichtner, that hawk-faced gem of a character actor, and he brings “Wrong” to its rightest moments, adopting a calm demeanor and an indefinable accent. Happily, Master Chang keeps popping up at unexpected moments.

The movie needs him. “Wrong” embodies the kind of breezy absurdity that knocked around in the early 1970s, but it lacks anything that might give it weight: a little satirical edge, or maybe some anger.

Instead, it bobs along, conjuring up some amusing sight gags. Short films with this tone can be real winners, but it’s difficult to sustain the whimsy over 90 minutes, and “Wrong” doesn’t make it — although a cult following is guaranteed.

“Wrong” (2½ stars)

A series of strange occurrences, all happening to one normal man (Jack Plotnick) after his beloved dog disappears. The breezy surrealism of this movie (from “Rubber” director Quentin Dupiuex) can’t really sustain itself for 90 minutes, although William Fichtner’s self-help guru provides a boost. Cult status is guaranteed.

Rated: Not rated; probably PG-13 for language.

Showing: Grand Illusion.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.