It’s mid-afternoon on a summer’s day and rather than barbequing, Scott Prendergast is standing unassumingly in the lobby of a small, independent theater in New York City nodding and thanking the audience for attending his first theatrical release, Kabluey. A glowing review in The New York Times has brought quite a crowd, and he seems delighted.
For Kabluey, his tender feature-length dramedy, Prendergast filled the roles of writer, director and lead actor. The film combines personal experience, a highly imaginative blue-foam mascot, a suburban Austin, Texas, setting, and a remarkably understated performance from former “Friends” star Lisa Kudrow. The result is a sincere, hilarious portrait of modern alienation and interpersonal chaos.
The story centers on the tumultuous family life of Leslie (Kudrow), the wife of a National Guardsman shipped off to war, and her awkward, jobless brother-in-law, Salman (Prendergast), who comes to help care for her two wildly out-of-control children. Unimpressed with Salman’s ability to handle the bratty young boys, Leslie finds him a part-time job wearing the blue foam rubber costume of “Kabluey,” the corporate mascot of Blue Nexion, a failing Internet company. Salman is soon handing out flyers along the highway for $6 an hour.
Watch an animated short based on the Kabluey character, titled “Apache UFO,” by Dave Ciaccio.
The gritty, domestic aspect of the film is based on Prendergast’s own personal life, while the faceless blue suit highlights the character’s isolation.
“My brother was in Iraq, and I was staying with my sister-in-law, taking care of my nephews,” Prendergast recalls. “And that’s when I started writing the script.”
Going to a local public library in Portland, Ore., everyday, he finished the first half of the script in only a month. The rest was written and workshopped in Los Angeles over the following year. “For me, the movie was all about the mascot character, which had just popped into my head…And then I thought, ‘Oh, I should include what’s happening in my real life.’”
The result is a sophisticated balance of absurd humor and a touching level of humanity—a rare combination for a first movie.
Watch an animated short based on the Kabluey character, titled “Paper Caper,” by Dave Ciaccio.
But Prendergast is not a novice when it comes to creating weird, awkward and smart comedies. A Columbia University grad, Prendergast trained at Los Angeles’ renowned Groundlings Theater before creating and starring in UNman, a one man comedy improv show. He also produced a series of highly original shorts, including Anna is being Stalked.
At the Sundance Film Festival, Anna caught the attention of a fellow filmmaker, who eventually asked Prendergast to reprise his stalker role for the Paris Hilton-vehicle and box office bomb, The Hottie and the Nottie.
Taking a cue: Prendergast reveals, in his own words, his five favorite movies of all time in our interactive feature.
According to Prendergast, “I get asked about that movie more than anything else I’ve done. I did three days of work, which paid me a lot of money and got me health insurance for a year. And I got to hang out with Paris Hilton, which was totally surreal.”
While Hottie helped pay the bills, Prendergast continued to focus on his own work, in which he inevitably ends up on both sides of the camera. “The writer, director and actor all show up together, and they’re all in agreement, because they’re the same person,” he jokes. “There’s not a lot of discussion.”
The juggling act seems to be paying off. Kabluey’s original release was set for a short run in only a few theaters. But after receiving overwhelmingly positive critical response, the film continues to add cities and extend its run.
Meanwhile, Prendergast is back at work. “Next, I’m making a movie called Frank, about a mother and son trying to solve a mystery. And I’ll be playing myself again.” He adds that “someday I won’t be in my own movies. But for now, I’m sticking to it.”
Watch the entire short, Anna is Being Stalked.