Paul Tarson has never seen the world, his father, a religious language professor at the university had kept him safe for all the years he has been in this world and now, having the opportunity to take over the business, so to speak, Paul finds himself rebelling. After he meets Naomi on-campus, she gives him the boost of self-confidence he needs to go out into the world and try new things… which includes entering a citywide Trivia Tournament. However, can he win the game, get the girl and ultimately find his own path in life before the semester is over?
Answer This! is a comedy that is quite a fun little film with a lot of good messages in between the lines of the script. We have a guy, who is probably as ordinary as any graduate student with a passion for trivia and it’s this love for trivia that ultimately sets his mind into drive. Christopher Gorham (The Other Side of Heaven) takes on the role of Paul Tarson, a nerdy student that loves his father dearly, and tries his best to please him regardless of what it means to him at the end of the day. Arielle Kebbel (John Tucker Must Die) plays his conquest, the fun-loving freshman Naomi Nahar, who he falls in love with almost instantly. Answer This! has a lot of qualities that gives it the “repeat-watching” qualities that are often found in films like Cat Run, Eurotrip and John Tucker Must Die, though still keeping a certain originality that makes it difficult to class it in any of the above-mentioned films. It’s fresh, fun, sexy and quite hilarious in many ways, without bringing toilet humour into the equation.
Writer/Director Christopher Farah is new to directing feature films, but not new to directing in general. Answer This! was his first film and shockingly, it doesn’t look like a first timer’s work. It’s rare to find new directors being able to produce a film that qualifies as being quality, but Farah does it beautifully with a well-thought out plot, good acting and some great shots that showcases his abilities on-screen.
Furthermore, Answer This! has some beautiful shots of nature and incorporating that into the story of “young love”, you can’t help but keep your fingers crossed that Paul and Naomi will get together in the end and that everything will work out alright. That being said, the ending is not half as cliché as one would imagine these types of films to be, not being quite a romantic comedy film, but rather having elements of romance in the comedy, Answer This! takes viewers in another direction at the end of the film, as personal growth leads Paul into a new world of possibilities. Frankly, I found it to be a good film and the seasoned actors knew exactly how to channel their characters, making it pleasurable to watch. That’s usually the make or break in films anyway and Answer This! made it without a doubt.
This is an attractive buy for those who enjoy comedies set in college, like American Pie, though not hardly as daring. Answer This! definitely has its moments though and will be a good addition to any DVD collection. Click on the image to purchase your copy of the film… you won’t regret it.
