Freeman's restlessly endearing performance stirs a buzzing sensation on one's consciousness.

Martin Freeman, well known at the time this short film was made for his work in The Office U.K. as Tim Canterbury, sort of a foil to David Brent's (Ricky Gervais) delightfully gauche boss, was given here a chance to flex his acting chops in a story revolves around the technological advance in modern comms called caller-ID/call-register, a thing now taken for granted almost two decades on. Freeman plays Kevin, a bit of a charming slacker-type, who seen with his buddy Julian, played by James Lance, who gets to be the film's designated straight-laced no-nonsense character where the interaction between the two actors was a joy to watch, and then when Neve McIntosh's character Amanda was dragged into in the fray, the result, a short film that's crawling with cringe-comedy components.

The perils of overthinking simple situations devolving into such a huge mess that comes back to haunt someone, in this case, that would be Kevin, and such has always been a successful trope in comedies, and Freeman's superbly brilliant subtle characterization was what kind of compelled me to just "drop by" and express my appreciation for this one.

My rating: B-plus.

The comedy genre refers to a category of entertainment that aims to amuse and entertain audiences by using humor, wit, and comedic situations. Comedies are created with the primary intention of eliciting laughter and providing lighthearted enjoyment. They encompass a wide range of styles, tones, and themes, appealing to various tastes and audiences.

Will Ferrell, Angela Grillo, and Lap-Gei Cheung in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)

The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (2023)

A guy borrows his best friend's mobile phone in order to call a girl he recently met, but the phone recognizes the number being dialed, leading to a number of awkward and funny complications.

The Biggest Movies and TV Coming in September

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, and Robin Wright in Breaking and Entering (2006)

Warren Clarke, Martin Freeman, Nina Sosanya, and Hugo Speer in The Debt (2003)

Danny Dyer and Martin Freeman in The All Together (2007)

Jack Davenport, Amita Dhiri, Jason Hughes, Andrew Lincoln, and Daniela Nardini in This Life (1996)

Nick Frost and Simon Pegg in Hot Fuzz (2007)

Call Register

Photos

Top Cast3

User reviews4

More like this

Related interests

Storyline

Did you know

Top picks

Details

Tech specs

Contribute to this page

More to explore

Recently viewed