Haiku Tunnel (2001) User Reviews

two definitions of mugging

[ThurstonHunger · 7/10 · 27 March 2004]

There's bug-eyed mugging, as in what Josh Kornbluth does a little too much in this film. And then there's the brutal mugging that this film is receiving here in IMDB comments. Ouch.

Much of the latter seems to stem around some resentment regarding this film and "Office Space." I've not seen the latter yet, but it seems to me "Haiku Tunnel" is a total ripoff of "Magnolia."

Kidding...kidding. That's my own little inside joke.

As for the jokes in here, I guess they might be somewhat inside. But I think if you've ever felt a bit like a stow-away on a job, you could connect with some of the alienation that Josh pokes fun at. All of the other characters here really are just foils for Josh, that might bug some folks.

Generally I found the amateurish charm to work here. I love "catalog" humor, and we get some of that early on in regards to types of fellow temps and types of lawyers. Quick flicks through stereotypes work for me usually. The film does slow down (as almost all comedies do) towards the end, when the plot piper must be paid.

Along those lines, in a bad horror film, I often will want to yell at the screen "Call the cops...NOW!" During this film, you will likely reach a point, as my wife and I did, where you will want to scream, "Mail the damned letters...NOW!" But we both did laugh throughout this. She especially loved the scene where Josh's boss won't let him quit, especially during Josh's litany of reasons that he is a bad seed.

But why do so many people, so strongly dislike this film?

If I squint my memory, I can sort of reimagine Kornbluth as Garfield (the cat, not the president). Maybe that is why some folks find him so patently unfunny. Just thinking about a punchline involving "Lasagna" and that comic strip sets my blood to boiling. Could that be it?

Or maybe some of the smirks that Kornbluth lobs towards the camera have the effect on others that a laugh track has on me. This does have a bit of a sitcom feel, but at least it isn't dragged out over 100 episodes. And there are some unique idiosyncratic moments here.

Or perhaps some folks need to be able to identify with the main character in a comedy, and Josh comes across with a little too much self-confidence and well, a little too much self. It's okay for Bill Murray to have too much of the former, just like it's okay for Chris Farley to have too much of the latter. But put them in one body, and look out?

I don't know what it is. But evidently half of you out there really shouldn't see this film. Not even on cable, late at night. I decided to watch this after seeing the trailer along time ago, so maybe look at that first? Or cross-check my other reviews...I recommend this one with a

7/10

PS You can fault Kornbluth's sense of humor, but certainly not his taste in music! Great songs through-out.

A mixed bag, but a unique one at that

[ALauff · 6/10 · 15 February 2005]

Based on his theatrical monologue, Josh Kornbluth stars, writes and directs this office comedy that has an uncannily offbeat feel for character and dialogue, but succumbs to some degree to stupid, if not lazy, digressions. When the pages to a lost document begin speaking like a grateful child to the porcine procrastinator, well, sorry, but you have to do better than that. He is a skilled writer, however, and his feel for the mundane repetitions of office life are disarming and quite hilarious. As an actor, he has a built-in series of facial expressions that effectively substitute for emoting or playing a character. In the spirit of Peter Gibbons (Office Space), his malaise and utter disinterest in all things work-related becomes a sort of appealing ethos: long live the defiant slacker.

funny quote

[johnpaulhennessy · 7/10 · 19 August 2005]

I walked into Jacks office this morning, and I said, "Jack, I don't care if you're a partner, you owe me an apology for what you said to me on Friday." I walked right in, I said, "Jack, I don't care if you're a partner, you owe me an apology, 'cause what you said to me on Friday, it was unforgivable Jack, and you owe me an apology." I said, "Jack, I don't care if you're a partner, what you said to me on Friday, it ruined my weekend. It ruined my Saturday, it ruined my Sunday, and that's my weekend Jack and you owe me an apology!" He said, "Well I'm sorry." And I said, "Well you better be sorry because you owe me an apology!"

("He probably did owe you an apology...")

You're damn right he did! I said, "Jack, I don't care if you're a partner, what you said to me on Friday, it ruined my weekend." I woke up Saturday morning and 9-10, I was miserable. 10-11 worse, 11-12 even worse, 12-1, well that was a little better because I was having lunch....

Well done, despite critical reviews...

[JudgeX · 22 September 2003]

Let me start by saying I have very little in common with a law temp.

This movie cannot be likened to Office Space except for in the fact that it deals with typical corporate America.

I see complaints that this movie is an inside joke, only understandable by certain people, etc... etc...

It's a really well done description of an experience, it's funny, and it describes with great accuracy the void experienced when life, in general sucks...

The well done monologue regarding his love for his own bed... his reaction upon meeting with the bed... his diversion from actual work to mess around writing his own novel rather than doing his work... his delaying of the easy work for gaps in the hard work... and various other details... the interaction with the guard and attempt to fast-talk his way into the building... all of these little parts are done so well and each one describes a flawed piece of the American workplace... with a dash of humor, this movie is extremely well done and something I think everyone should at least watch.

The negative reviews I read cast a dark shadow over my appreciation for the rest of the movie watching crowd... if you don't work as part of an office, you should most certainly NOT write a review for this... and if you work in an office and you wrote a bad review for this movie... maybe you should watch it again and realize which putz in the movie most accurately represents you, and then change your management style to more adequately fit your employees...

I think the accuracy of this film stabs manager-types in the chest with their own inadequacy and lack of insight, and appeals to those who work under them by illuminating the cycle of depression and cynicism the office instills.... and I think this was the goal of the movie, as well as drawing a few laughs.

Let me conclude by saying that this movie is NOT office space... it has very little to do with it. Office space is very 1 dimensional and thus more humorous... dealing with the utter lack of importance most of our work seems to have behind it (Filing those reports, using the right header) while this movie approaches the feeling of dread (the haiku tunnel itself) we face when given too much lattitude in pointless work after long periods of time, and the struggle to fit in with a model of business partially unfamiliar with what we do (working at S&M as a perm rather than temp, doing more than word processing)...

While not a world apart from Office Space, it is in fact more complex, more telling, less hollywood, and slightly less funny than it's counterpart.

"Temp" Enjoyment that Never Gets Past its Kinks to Go "Perm"

[EdYerkeRobins · 6/10 · 15 March 2002]

Work is one of the ripest subjects for parody, being that one absolute necessity in life loved by few and hated by many. Following in the steps of such popular office humor as "Dilbert" and "Office Space", "Haiku Tunnel" comes off as a fairly enjoyable work-place comedy, though its adaptation from a monologue is obviously in need of some fine tuning.

"Haiku Tunnel" teaches that being a temp worker (in this case, a temp male secretary) can be the greatest and worst experience at the same time (greatest because one can live fairly freely, the worst because that freedom's cost is being, for all purposes, invisible), and that switching to permanent status can take much getting used to. This theme of the perils of going perm for the first time is naturally the focal point of most of the film's humor – the new deadlines, responsibilities and relationships with some too-perky coworkers. Josh Kornbluth (who also directed, and co-wrote, adapting the script from his own comedic monologue), does a good job at playing himself – a big dork who wants to be a novelist and just can't stand any sort of commitment (though really, how could he fail at playing himself?). The coworkers are great about not being too annoying (the usual problem with ultra-perky characters), but the boss' character is confusing – Josh claims that he is the Devil, but he's obviously not, begging the question of this being the fault of the actor, character, or if Josh is just wrong and has no idea what to expect of a real boss (for thematic purposes I'll go with the latter).

Along the way, there are a few snags, mainly resulting from the fact that this was derived from a monologue. In monologues, especially comedic ones, it is rather common to have a break from the story where the narrator explains the background of a situation or character, since that may not be apparent from the dialogue alone. That works fine on a stage performance, but when kept in a film adaptation, it disrupts the flow of the movie, particularly since none of these `explanations' (barring the one in the beginning) are particularly relevant for understanding what's occurring in the next scene. Another problem with the plot is that Josh isn't really a lovable dork; he's just a dork, and as one that chooses to end his relationships only to lament over their ending, comes off a bit like a jerk as well. Though a "straight" dork/jerk can be an engrossing and entertaining character who eventually gains an audience's affections (the best example of this being "High Fidelity"), it can just as easily be a character the audience is indifferent to, which is the case in "Haiku Tunnel" (and given that said dork is the main character, this is a fairly bad thing).

"Haiku Tunnel" is funny at parts, but at other parts rather uninteresting. It's certainly not a bad movie, but with a little fine-tuning around the monologue and a reason to really care for the main character, it could've been a really great one.

Pretty good for a low budget..

[10rust · 6/10 · 28 April 2002]

Ok, first of all, I decided to rent this movie hoping for another Office Space - A movie I absolutely loved! There did seem to be some similarities, in particular, the strong use of minor characters. For example, Harry Sheerer and Helen -the former S&M employee who calls Josh from her basement holding the phone with a kleenex while holding a flashlight under her face - were great. I also loved the part where the, I assume gay, secretary is complaining about how his weekend was ruined. While the story isn't the most interesting, it doesn't really need to be. I felt a lot of the humour came from the smaller things like the minor characters, some funny lines, and situations. I think if people could watch this movie twice, they would like it more. Give the Kornbluth's a break. This was a low budget film and a first time effort. I think you'll see some better stuff from these guys in the future.

A monologue that doesn't translate well to film.

[NJ_jimcat · 6/10 · 12 June 2003]

The most telling bit of information in this film comes during the closing credits, when it tells us that this film was "Based on the monologue 'Haiku Tunnel' by Josh Kornbluth". And that's how this film feels -- like a monologue, not like a drama. Kornbluth ignores the "show, don't tell" rule that I thought EVERY writer learns in their very first writing class. As a result, we are treated to needless voice-overs, and jarring cutaways from "Josh Kornbluth" the character to Josh Kornbluth the director, "explaining" the plot as if his audience is too stupid to think for themselves.

The essence of drama is a threat to one's identity. We quickly grasp Josh's identity as a neurotic creative type in a stifling corporate world, and we're shown how "going perm" at the law firm constitutes a threat to that identity. His repeated failure to mail the "17 very important letters" is an act of rebellion (sometimes conscious and sometimes not), to keep that identity from being submerged. But in the end, thanks to the intervention of his boss and co-workers, he succumbs to the corporate mindset.

That's the plot in a nutshell. A great movie could have been made out of it. Instead, we get a lot of distracting asides regarding the quirks of temp workers and, lawyers, and legal secretaries. This is fine in a comedic monologue, but death to a film.

It's not a terrible film, and it does have its funny moments, although I'll agree with the other viewers who said that it comes nowhere near "Office Space". Kornbluth ought to try again, with a script written as a movie rather than a warmed-over monologue. Then we'll see whether or not he can actually give us a good film.

Holy Crap this movie was so bad that I now believe there never was a Jesus

[Freebasedog · 1/10 · 5 January 2005]

Seriously, this Josh Kornbluth character needs to go down. I don't know where you guys got the money to make this super ultra mega garbage crap, but if you stole it from me I will take serious revenge. Violent, messy, disrespectful, smelly revenge. Damn you Kornbluths!!!!! Damn you!!!!!!

Here's a haiku for you ridiculously untalented, money wasting, thinking you're all funny and insightful when you are in fact useless, 2 hours of my life ruining hacks:

This movie sucks. It sucks more than a baby calf at its mother's teet. It seriously is so bad that you will roll around in agony, willing to kill your whole family just to make it stop. I almost killed myself during this movie. Don't rent it even if it's free. As bad as I'm making it sound...it's way worse. They should test nuclear weapons on this movie. This movie proves there was no god as he would have surely stopped such a horrible atrocity. If you want to see a much better movie about the quirks of office life then just watch anything else. anything at all. Even a movie about gay pirates. If you want to see the best movie involving an office of any kind watch Die Hard. Die Hard rules. Die Hard should have stopped Kornbluth before so much irreparable damage was done to the world. Kornbluth, thou art my nemesis Grrrrr!!!!!!

I know it's not your standard haiku, but I just had to get it all out.

P.S. The formatting did't work and so my poem has been robbed of some of its luster.

Weird, funny, fresh. I loved it!

[awerling · 10/10 · 6 March 2004]

While this film has its moments of "corporate spoof," I wouldn't say that's its main thrust. Haiku Tunnel reminds me more of The Critic, in that it seems to exist in its own universe. The cleverness of the writing brought me right into that universe, all the while knowing that the very surreal atmosphere in this guy's world was a near guarantee that everything would turn out okay. After a stressful work week myself, this was the perfect relief.

I would say I recommend this to the whole wide world, but judging from the other reviews here that would be silly. Some folks got into the humor, some did not. I must say I'm getting close to NOT reading the reviews of movies I loved, because the reviews are tending towards cruel. Haiku Tunnel does not deserve such treatment. And please, if you don't bother to watch a film all the way through, why bother reviewing it at all? I'm mystified.

Go with your instinct here, folks. It's obviously not for everyone, but I gave it a 10.

I never expected to hear Smithers's voice in the same movie as a mention of Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 13 April 2024]

To the pantheon of movies about the corporate world we can now add the Kornbluth brothers' "Haiku Tunnel", starring Josh Kornbluth as a man who works well as a temp but poorly when hired for a permanent position. Much of the movie is the protagonist's discussions of his life, and his constant distractions interfering with his work.

While I wouldn't call it a great movie, it's still a fun piece of work, showing the sheer unpleasantness of the corporate world. I've never worked in that sort of setting, so I can't comment on the accuracy, but I can say that this movie could easily be a double-screening with "The Apartment" or "Office Space". Worth seeing.

a temp becomes a "perm"

[shmoliken · 5/10 · 9 March 2002]

not very funny , no strong or likeable characters, lacking in continuity, with a minimum of believability. poorly acted and shot as well.self-indulgent. boring. fortunately, not hideously long.

hysterically funny

[cherold · 8/10 · 18 November 2003]

I only watched this because I was intrigued by the title and when I read the description in the online tv listings it just said, "temp job becomes permanent," and I wanted to see how you could get a movie out of that. Anyway, this film is absolutely wonderful, laugh out loud funny throughout. It's based on a monologue by Josh Kornbluth, parts of which are included, and that's probably the weakest part of the movie, since while it probably worked great with an audience some of it seems overly silly and frenetic without a live audience laughing. But most of it is utterly amazing, especially for us ex temps who loved Clockwatchers, and there are some wonderful performances, most notably Helen Shumaker as a Nurse Ratchet-style head secretary and Warren Keith as Josh's low-key boss. Well worth seeing, I gave it 8/10 in the vote.

Written and Acted by Dorks

[chongokat2 · 1/10 · 22 November 2005]

Watching Josh Kornbluth 'act' in this movie reminds me of my freshman TV production class, where the 'not funny' had the chance to prove just how unfunny they really were!

OBVIOUS is the word that comes to mind when I try to synopsize this wannabe comedy. The jokes are sophomoric and telegraphed. The delivery is painfully bad. OUCH!!!!!!! The writing is simply dorkish. It is akin to a Bob Saget show.

Watching this movie is as painful as watching a one and a half hour long Saturday Night Live skit (post Belushi).

I hated this movie and want my money back!!!

Amusing for some, funny for many

[unfound · 16 August 2002]

The Synopsis: "I don't go perm on my first week." remark the words of Josh Kornbluth, a San Francisco office temp by day, an aspring novelist whenever. Josh has gotten a new temp job with S&M, a downtown law firm where he works as a receptionist. But going back on his words, Josh takes on a "permanent" position as the receptionist of head lawyer Bob Shelby, and his first task is to mail out 17 high priority letters, but due to Josh's continual procrastination which run between his novel and an attractive lawyer, Josh gets further and further away from completing a simple task.

Review: If you've ever worked as a temp, you'll very much appreciate the kind of humor that the offbeat "Haiku Tunnel" injects. The Kornbluth Brothers' film captures every nook and cranny of temping from receiving that much awaited phone call to carrying out those simple tasks. A former temp himself, lead Josh Kornbluth is amusing in many ways from his unusual, yet warm personality as the inept temp. I really don't want to spoil the humor, but if you're offbeat, and I mean, a very offbeat individual, then "Haiku Tunnel" is precisely the kind of film you would want to view.

The exact opposite of funny

[wbinder007 · 1/10 · 1 March 2002]

Really, when it comes down to it, this movie is just not funny. Josh Kornbluth is the antithesis of funny, and yet he thinks he's hilarious. The plot about mailing the 17 letters was fine at first, until Josh's "look at me, I'm wacky" approach began infesting each and every scene. The Judas Priest joke may have been the least funny thing I have ever been privy to, and that is saying quite a bit, since it does have stiff competition from all the other jokes in the movie. And as for the incredible overuse of the Pixies' "Debaser," I have just one thing to say: What did the Pixies ever do to deserve a fate like this? What did anyone do to Josh Kornbluth to cause him to write/direct/produce/star in such a terrible movie?

Close enough to real life to accent the absurdity

[dgaither · 8/10 · 31 May 2005]

Anyone who has worked in a corporate office will recognize characters and events in this movie which will make you laugh out loud and wince at the same time. For example there's a one-day orientation class which is totally mind numbing. This movie also contains the best depiction yet of SysAdmin support for the computers, although it is only in two brief scenes. As an IT support professional, I'd like all my users to watch this movie just for these two scenes. The same weekend, I watched Way Downtown which makes similar points about the drudgery of office work, but had far fewer laugh-out-loud moments. I've never worked as a temp, but I've had several temps work on my team and have observed the changes in attitude and behavior that occur when one of them makes the transition to "perm" and Josh compresses that evolution into just his first week of work. Highly recommended.

The only film I've ever walked out of

[arkid77 · 1/10 · 7 October 2001]

I think this is almost all I need to say. I feel obliged to explain my actions though. I've basically never seen such an armateur production, and I mean that in all senses of the word. Although the physical camera work, boom MIC operation and other technical aspects of this film are laughable, unfortunately its not the only areas.

Unlike some classic independent films that have been saved by their scripts great characterization and plot, this unfortunately has an awful script, awful acting and worst of all, awful annoying characters.

It's a crime that for the every independent film that gets, distribution like Haiku Tunnel, there's a 101 other indie films that died silent deaths. I don't know who the Kornbluth brothers know at Sony, but that can be my only explanation as to how this amateur family production ever got distribution. I'm quite bemused as to why they picked this up.

The ONLY part of this film that holds out any intrigue is its title. However, the reason for that is even a let down. I hope this review will save a few people that may be intrigued by this films title from going to watch it. I've seen a lot of films in my time, and I'm very forgiving when in the cinema, but this was too much. I'll never forget 'tunnel', for marking an important point in my life experience of cinema. Shame it's such a low point.

A laugh a minute. This movie rules!

[dm3141 · 10/10 · 8 February 2005]

I don't understand the other rating; this movie is excellent.

All the role types that the characters have are as funny as those role types get, and they are are just adorable. The actors are in 100% stand-up comic imitation mode the whole time, and you wind up loving them all. One character, Marlena, who has a very stoic nature, is always accompanied by the sound of wind blowing desolately. Another, Mindy, is the classic over the top sweetness-and-pie secretary who gets a little out of control once she's had a few drinks after work. The main character, Josh, is actually one of my least favorite, but he's very appropriate and necessary for the whole theme of the movie, which is his fear of commitment in going from temp to perm.

The concept is frighteningly accurate for anyone who has ever worked in the law industry (at least in the United States, I can't speak for elsewhere) and has ever felt a measure of trepidation at committing to things. But you needn't have worked in law to be able to relate. Virtually anyone with half a brain who's ever had an office job can relate to this movie.

The flow of the movie is wisely done and finishes with all loose ends concisely and pleasingly tied up.

The soundtrack comprises a variety of independent punk rock and other stuff, all of which I enjoyed very much, and it is very difficult to please me musically right off the bat.

I honestly cannot understand why anyone might hate this movie, let alone walk out on it! It's accurate, fun, hilarious, well-timed, has a great soundtrack, good and funny plot, very appropriate title...

If your taste in comedies goes beyond the "Something About Mary" genre, definitely see Haiku Tunnel.

There's no light at the end of this tunnel!

[jonnyhart · 1/10 · 2 May 2003]

I'll dispense with the usual comparisons to a certain legendary filmmaker known for his neurotic New Yorker persona, because quite frankly, to draw comparisons with bumbling loser Josh Kornbluth, is just an insult to any such director. I will also avoid mentioning the spot-on satire `Office Space' in the same breath as this celluloid catastrophe. I can, however, compare it to waking up during your own surgery – it's painful to watch and you wonder whether the surgeons really know what they're doing. Haiku Tunnel is the kind of film you wish they'd pulled the plug on in its early stages of production. It was cruel to let it live and as a result, audiences around the world are being made to suffer.

The film's premise – if indeed it has one – is not even worth discussing, but for the sake of caution I will. Josh Kornbluth, a temp worker with severe commitment-phobia, is offered a permanent job. His main duty is to mail out 17 high priority letters for his boss. But ludicrously, he is unable to perform this simple task. My reaction? Big deal! That's not a story… it's a passing thought at best - one that should've passed any self-respecting filmmaker by.

The leading actor – if you can call him that – is a clumsy buffoon of a man, with chubby features, a receding, untamed hairline, and a series of facial expressions that range from cringe-making to plain disturbing. Where o where did the director find this schmuck? What's that you say…… he is the director? Oh, my mistake. Playing yourself in your own embarrassment of a screenplay is one thing, but I suspect that Mr Kornbluth isn't that convincing as a human being, let alone an actor. Rest assured, this is by no means an aimless character assassination, but never before have I been so riled up by an actor's on-screen presence! My frustration was further confounded by his incessant to-camera monologues in between scenes. I mean, as if the viewer needs an ounce of intelligence to comprehend this drivel, Kornbluth insults us further by `explaining' the action (first rule of filmmaking: `dramatize exposition'… show, don't tell). Who does this guy think he is? He has no charisma, no charm, and judging by his Hawaiian shirts, no sense of style. His casting agent should be shot point blank!

The supporting actors do nothing to relieve the intense boredom I felt, with but one exception. Patricia Scanlon puts in a very funny appearance as Helen the ex-secretary, who has been driven insane by her old boss, and makes harassing phone calls from her basement, while holding a flashlight under her face. This did make me chuckle to myself, but the moment soon passed and I was back to checking my watch for the remainder of the film.

The film's title is also a misnomer. Haiku Tunnel has nothing to do with the ancient form of Japanese poetry. Don't be fooled into thinking this is an art house film because of its pretentious-sounding title or the fact that it only played in a handful of cinemas and made no money at the box office……… there's a very good reason for that!

Zany, Funny, Hilarious!

[vic-12 · 12 October 2001]

That Josh Kornbluth is a cross between the young Zero Mostel and the not-so-young Woody Allen. He is the epitome of the schlemiel, which makes me realize that if you're Jewish, you will find it hilarious, but if you're a WASP (like my wife) you won't think it's funny, but sad. The poor guy... he needs help. That's why this permanent 'temp' becames tempted to 'perm.' He'll take a permanent job because the law firm will cover his psychotherapy. He's desperately in need of psychotherapy, and he seems to know it, but there's no indication he's in it, except that he's prone to free-associate, and so his unconscious spills onto he screen and into your lap, which gives the viewer mixed feelings. He talks to the audience, he has fantasies, he gets back to the plot, and new characters come on. The funniest is when he starts lying to a paralegal and she is so enchanted in his story that he's a full-time tax attorney who writes novels on the side. This is very similar to a recent New Yorker short story, which I think is by the same guy. He milks the situation of lying in order to get a gal in bed, and then guilt and inability to keep up the lies, and get kicked out of bed. It is clear he would rather sleep than screw, which indicates his need for therapy, one of these chronic lowgrade depressions that don't respond to Prozac or Paxil.

The worst thing I've seen in years!

[tmink · 1/10 · 16 March 2002]

My wife and I rented this movie because some people had drawn parallels between it and "Office Space". Blockbuster and IMDB even had it as an "also recommended" selection if you liked "Office Space".

Now, I've seen Office Space probably 15 or 20 times. I love it. It's probably one of my 10 favorite movies. Witty, humorous, and featuring characters that remind me of people I've worked with over the years. "Haiku Tunnel" is similar to "office Space" in that they are both films. That's where the similarity ends. We sat through probably the first 50 minutes of HT, giving it the benefit of the doubt, hoping, nay, *praying* that it would get better. It didn't. We couldn't take it any more, and stopped the tape. Thank GOD it was a free rental. I'd have been p***ed if we'd actually paid for it. We should be reimbursed for having to sit through it. Now, since we didn't see the end, perhaps it miraculously comes together and redeems itself. I doubt it.

Haiku Tunnel is so bad it's hard to believe it ever got produced. The movie is SO unfunny it's painful. Just mail the friggin letters already!!! The premise is asinine. The jokes are awful. We got as far as the "printer doesn't work" scene and had to stop. We couldn't take it anymore. This film is an EMBARRASMENT for Josh Kornbluth.

If you are a fan of Office Space......don't waste your time with this turd. 0/10

Laugh out loud in times of despair amd follow Josh to freedom.

[deesartx · 9/10 · 21 August 2004]

Haiku Tunnel was scheduled for its premier screening the weekend just after 9/11, the disaster. What unfortunate timing for this creative existential joy. The San Francisco theatre was packed and the audience laughed out loud with release and pleasure in protagonist Kornbluth's efforts to get by in his temp work under the evil eye of The Lawyer boss.

With a little help - and distraction - from his friends, Josh succeeds in satisfying our urge to cheer for the underdog while we laugh and groan at his self-defeating tactics to be creative in spite of the temp's office routine. This is also one of the funniest representations of the stereotypical lawyer as evil, secretary pool people as party pals, and the artist must create or implode - which ultimately challenges every existential angst Kirkegaard et al could have

NOT like Office Space

[somnolence101 · 1/10 · 2 September 2002]

This movie is nothing like "Office Space" except in the premise. Office Space was hilarious. I would not recommend this movie to anyone, as I laughed not once during the entire film. Mr. Cornbluth's self-indulgent tirades quickly become more annoying than 15 Jason Alexanders in the same room. If you decide to see this movie, use a free rental or watch it at someone else's house so you can leave if necessary.

Do you wanna go 'perm'?

[Aussie Stud · 9/10 · 16 September 2001]

Josh Kornbluth wrote, directed and stars in this hilarious look at the world of corporate business and office politics.

He plays himself, a pathetic loser who lives a 'temporary' life, that involves both his relationships and his profession. When his temping company assigns him to a law firm titled "Schuyler & Mitchell" (a.k.a. "S & M" - geddit?), he is offered a permanent position of employment. As an incentive to get him to stay, one of the most hilarious lines in the film is offered right here - "We'll even cover your psychotherapy!"

When he becomes permanent, his first task is to mail out 17 important letters that he fails to do and as a result, turns his entire life upside down.

Warren Keith is hilarious as 'Bob Shelby', Josh's boss - who very much so resembles Satan himself. Harry Shearer is also hilarious as the guy who takes charge of the 'one-day' office orientation which includes troubleshooting the broken photo-copier. But the biggest laugh here is Josh Kornbluth himself.

Never have I seen a film set in the office place since Mike Judge's comedy 'OFFICE SPACE' that I found so strikingly hilarious.

9/10

This was quite possibly the least entertaining film ever.

[Erin-28 · 1/10 · 19 September 2001]

When I saw the trailer for Haiku Tunnel, I thought it looked like it would be pretty funny. So I took a friend of mine to go see it -- and had to buy him dinner afterwards to make up for my cinematic blunder. SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS NEXT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any film that starts off with a voice over narration (with the exception of the great Woody Allen) telling me what I am about to see, think and feel has already taken the fun out of it for me. I like to go to a movie and figure things out for myself, not be told what I am about to see and how I should feel about it. Let me experience it myself. A lovable loser is a wonderful character - however, this loser (Josh) is far from lovable. In fact, Josh has not one redeeming quality, NOT ONE! And his boss that is supposed to be "Satan" seems like a very nice guy! And then after almost an hour they toss the fact that he's writing a novel at us? What? Where did that come from? Then, he starts writing this novel on Post-It Notes and sticking them all over himself (which I guess was supposed to be funny) but later on he says he started the novel at his last temp job - which one is it? Oh, and another thing - IT IS NOT FUNNY! There is not one laugh out loud moment in this film! Several members of the audience got up and left mid way through! The rest of us stayed and moaned and groaned to one another about how truly terrible it was! The story was weak, the characters were underdeveloped and unlikeable and I don't know who backed this film, but they should be ashamed of themselves because it is quite possibly the worst excuse for a film that I have ever seen! Do yourself a favor and don't go see it. Don't rent it. Don't watch it on the Sundance Channel, if it happens to be on a plane, save yourself the headset rental. It is pure torture.