- CRUST
- Starring: Seah Whaslen, Daniel Roebuck and Rebekah Kennedy
- Directed by: Sean Whalen
- Rated: Not rated
- Running time: 1 hr 42 mins
- Meztek Studios
Our score: 3 out of 5
Vegas (Whalen) is having a bad time. Once a popular child star, he now runs a quiet laundromat in obscurity. With no romantic prospects on the horizon, Vegas finds himself goig through a lot of socks, tossing them on a plie when finished. When that pile comes to life, fortunes change for Vegas, both romantically and professionally.
I’ve always been a Sean whalen fan. Most people remember him from his now classic “Got Milk?” commercials and his work in such films as “The People Under the Stairs,” “Twister” and “That Thing You Do.” An award winning producer/writer – I urge you to check out his 2024 film “Finding Nichole” – Whalen makes his feature film directing debut here and shows himself as comfortable behind the camera as he is in front of it.
You would think a pile of old socks couldn’t be very frightening but when they become protective of their owner all bets are off! When we first meet Vegas we learn that a reboot is planned of his old television series…a series with a tragic story. Nearly everyone in the original cast has either died or had a serious misfortune. Vegas is on that path until “Crust” begins to look out for him. He finds love (Kennedy) as well as a new appreciation for his long-time friend (Roebuck), who works as the laundromat’s maintenance man. Yes, the iron is that these dirty socks are operating in a laundromat, but that also adds to the film’s charm.
The script, co-written by Whalen with Jim Ward, is fun and Whalen wisely keeps most of the action inside the laundromat, allowing the audience to spend a solid 90 minutes in the same environment Vegas does, seeing and hearing what he does. With this freshman feature Whalen proves himself more than capable behind the camera. Can’t wait for his next one!
On a scale of zero to five, “Crust” receives ★★★