Mikes Film Talk

The Company Called Glitch That Nobody and Everybody Wanted (2024) is the brainchild of SAG wunderkind Graham Holliday. This chap has been one busy bee in terms of pollenating fresh ideas and filming eight short features. ‘Glitch is his first feature length film. It is, presumably, a follow-on of his 5 minute feature Glitch in 2020.

Holliday’s film is about a trio of startup techs who are attempting to sell or find investors for their new social media application. It is titled Glitch, which could be seen as a bit disconcerting as Lenita Harris‘s character points out in the last third of the film.

The Company Called Glitch That Nobody and Everybody Wanted follows Ev (Coley Bryant) during one very long day. He interacts with a plethora of folks. This is presented in a non-linear storyline, not unlike Pulp Fiction or perhaps more fittingly, like Smokin’ Aces. The latter film pulls in multiple story lines all running, more or less, concurrently. (This is a personal favorite.)

Ev’s two partners are Sean (Jack Murillo) and Noah (Lee Shorten). Ev, the company CEO, is having perhaps the worst day ever. His father is in the hospital, he is in danger of alienating his “future wife” Crystal (Carys Glynne) and on top of all that, he is fighting off a hostile takeover of the business (Glitch) he and his partners are trying to start up.

spinning those plates

There is a lot going on here. It took a moment to realize that there were multiple timelines, in the same day. After a while it became easier to follow if you focused on just what Ev was wearing, or what he was doing. A clever bit of storytelling that, perhaps, fell a bit flat due to a number of factors.

But.

Ev has so many spinning plates that he gets flustered and not a little bit annoyed at the way all the negotiations are going. This adds to the suspense of the film and helps move the story along.

covid method

Trying to read between the lines, it seems that the budget for The Company Called Glitch That Nobody and Everybody Wanted  was “low to no” budget. The settings for most of the characters featured a room with a laptop, a table and a spartan decorating style.

It also looks like the film utilizes the “Covid” method of putting a movie together. On paper this sounds perfect although it relies heavily on the editor to patch everything together perfectly. There are moments when there are lags in the conversations Ev is attempting to stay on top of. These “lags” work in favour of the story, anyone who has done business via Skype or Zoom knows, these breaks and other issues are part of internet conversations.

Casting was pretty much spot on. Bryant, as Ev, has the unenviable task of tying all this interaction together. Jack Murillo seems perfect as the man in charge of programming.

Lee Shorten is annoying as the word cross addict who cannot seem to focus. Bart Johnson is spot on as the “Cut to the chase,” guy who wants a completely tuned final package. It is apparent that he could care less about this new and improved bit of social media. He clearly just wants a product.

Krieger is not the only unpleasant character in this tale of the Glitch. Jack, played by James Fahselt, manages to exude threat and menace almost effortlessly. He intends to buyout the competition, whatever the cost.

I’m just putting you on hold

Holliday has chosen a great way to conference call. When the people Ev is talking to can be put on hold, repeatedly he has time to adapt. This was, for the most part quite interesting. Once you get into the groove, the ending ties everything up neatly and contains the only real sense of suspense and to a certain degree, danger in the film.

Phones and Laptops being utilized to this extent is clever. Ev, juggling way too many metaphorical balls, manages to keep us guessing. There is never, until the end, a clear goal is sight.

The Company Called Glitch That Nobody and Everybody Wanted  gets a solid 3.5 out of 5 stars just for its interesting concept. While we (At Mike’s Film Talk.) are not fans of excessive dialogue in a film, this played well for the subject matter presented.

Check it out

The film is available to watch via Amazon. It dropped on April 1.