Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie

Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie is a 1995 American science-fiction/adventure/comedy short film written and directed by Bob Gale.[1]

Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie
Directed byBob Gale
Produced byMark Franco II,
Jeremiah Samuels,
Holly Keenan II [1]
Written byBob Gale
StarringBilly Warlock,
Leslie Easterbrook,
Christopher Lloyd,
Bruce McGill,
Holly Fields II [1]
Music byMichael Tavera
Distributed byInterfilm Technologies
Sony New Technologies
Release date
1995
Running time
approximately 20 to 30 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$241,000[2]

Designed as an interactive movie, it comprises slightly over two hours of footage, approximately 20 minutes of which is seen in each viewing.[3] It requires the audience to vote for various directions the story will take, using a joystick attached to the armrests of their seats.[4] A special LaserDisc-based machine in the projection booth was designed to make instantaneous edits as the story unfolded.;[5] The film took up four CAV LaserDiscs

The film stars an android (Billy Warlock) who, in a number of possible storylines, takes action by humiliating or attacking people who have committed crimes or have done wrong in the past. Gale and Christopher Lloyd, who had previously worked on the Back to the Future trilogy, worked on this film as well, and the music was scored by Michael Tavera, who had composed the music for the animated Back to the Future series.

The movie billed itself as "the world's first interactive movie," but it was predated by 1992's I'm Your Man.[6]

Plot

Mr Payback is a vigilante android who takes action against multiple criminals, troublemakers, and general nuisances; all of whom are the focus of their respective scenes. Whenever Mr. Payback encounters a criminal, the film's audience votes on three different ways that he can humiliate or punish them. Some of these ways include:

  • Upsetting a selfish "Car Jerk" by slowly disassembling his car (for taking a handicapped parking space).[5]
  • Setting a bike thief's clothes on fire (for removing and stealing parts from another person's bike)[5]
  • Eating a gang member's knife (for threatening/daring the protagonist)[7]

There is one sequence in the film where the audience can choose to subject Mr. Payback himself to their choices.[8]

The film culminates in a game show sequence[8] called Payback Time,[9] where three previous antagonists, such as the Car Jerk, are brought back and humiliated in various challenges that are selected by the audience. At the beginning of the segment, the audience chooses whether Paul Anka or Ice-T make a special guest appearance.[8]

Cast

Critical reception

Mr. Payback received negative reviews from critics. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film a half-star out of a possible four, and called it "the kind of film where horrified parents might encourage the kids to shout at the screen, hoping the noise might drown out the flood of garbage."[10] He and Gene Siskel both commented that while the concept of combining film with interactivity has possibilities, they are not explored by Mr. Payback, which centers on bathroom humor and appeals to the audience's most sadistic urges.[11] Ty Burr of Entertainment Weekly tagged the film with an "F" grade.[4]

References
  1. "Mr. Payback (1995)". Yahoo! Movies. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  2. http://fmvworld.com/mrpayback.html
  3. "The Real Interactive Movie". Next Generation. Imagine Media (4): 26. April 1995.
  4. Burr, Ty (March 10, 1995). "Vengeance Is Yours". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  5. "The Brady Bunch Movie, Just Cause, Billy Madison, Mr. Payback, 1995". Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  6. Grimes, William. "When the Film Audience Controls the Plot". The New York Times. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  7. "Mr Payback (1995)". YouTube. Retrieved November 9, 2019. Event occurs at 1:05-1:24.
  8. ""Mr. Payback - Roger Ebert"". rogerebert.com. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  9. ""Trailer"". Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  10. Ebert, Roger. "Mr. Payback". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
  11. "The Brady Bunch Movie, Just Cause, Billy Madison, Mr. Payback, 1995". Siskel and Ebert Movie Reviews. Retrieved July 28, 2019. Event occurs at 9:43-13:35.
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