A Legacy of Whining, A Couple of Schmucks and Cuban Revolutionaries

Back in 1981 an art-house film, "My Dinner With Andre" hit the screen. Boring and artsy-fartsy in nature, it told the story of two men reuniting for dinner after a long separation to gab about old times. Realizations about the meanings of their lives and their significance are discovered. Yawn! Take that film, and instead of two sophisticate-wannabe protagonists, add in a schmuck like us, a deviant-wannabe, three Cuban whores, and a bottle of absinthe. Hence the madcap, and perhaps very convicting "A Legacy of Whining." This 2016 film is written and directed by Vancouver film maker Ross Munro...who also stars in it.

Hitting 50, Mitch (Munro) is at the airport waiting on his high school chum, Dunc (Robert David Duncan). Before Dunc arrives we get to know Mitch...he still harbors dreams of making it as an actor. As much as we like him, we pity him as everyone at the airport seems to have more ability than he. His interactions at the airport reinforce his pathetic existence as porn stars and wheel-chair bound hookers are thrown at us by Ross Munro. Dunc arrives and it is obvious the two have grown apart over the past three decades.  Dunc wants to hit bars and screw hookers. Mitch wants to get home and get some rest for an early morning audition for a part he won't get.

Alas an enigmatic flier left on Mitch's car sets the rest of the film in motion. This flier suggests an evening of wild eroticism, but Mitch is content on going to a coffee house to catch up. Catching up won't be a good idea as Dunc, motivated by a failed marriage, wants whores and alcohol. Mitch still clings to dreams that will never be realized. The awkward coffee hour will meld into a visit to the address on the flier, a house of ill repute, staffed by sultry Cuban revolutionaries (Angie Descalzi, Kellani Elizabeth Rose, and Dayana Hernandez) desiring freedom for the oppressed, and also to loosen up the tight Mitch. However hesitant and uncomfortable Mitch is, he'll have opportunities for epiphanies and self reflection...but will he take them?

Perhaps this film is a chronicle of a reunion that should never have taken place, or perhaps it poses an opportunity of salvation for Mitch. The final five minutes will hammer us with a convicting moral and those who empathize with Mitch may want to listen up. The dialog is witty and at times hilarious, and the performances are first rate. "A Legacy of Whining" will have you laughing often and ultimately get you to take a good look in the mirror. Whether a "Paramilitary Hooters" (you'll see) is necessary for your self-realization, is debatable, nonetheless, a prod to let go of your past may be necessary. Incidentally, not mentioned in this review (to avoid spoilers) is the great performance by the sultry Abby de Forest.
To see "A Legacy of Whining" on Amazon Prime click this link  A LEGACY OF WHINING