Grow the Fuck Up! - Dark Comedy/Fantasy Short Film

Margret is a wreck. At age thirty five, she's going nowhere. The misguided artist finds herself trapped in a prison of her own creation, as the cocaine and years of debauchery wear her down. Her poor old teddy bear Mr. Gregory is her only true comfort. Play time ends abruptly one night as Mr. Gregory pounces to life in a fit of rage. Margret questions her own sanity as her teddy lectures her on her misdeeds. It's time for Margret to grow up!

A slightly condensed version of the short film shot back in 2009. Shot on the Red One digital camera.

You can learn more about "Grow the Fuck Up!" at https://angrybearfilms.com/grow-the-fuck-up/

How "Grow the Fuck Up!" came to be, https://angrybearfilms.com/it-came-to-me-in-a-dream/

GTFU also inspired me to write a feature length screenplay version of the story titled "Stuffed!".

Director's Notes:

The original cut of "Grow the Fuck Up!" included opening credits, and a post credit flashback scene where a drunk Mr. Gregory has a run-in with a police officer. The scene was connected to a throw away line of Mr. Gregory's "Hey, nobody's perfect. I killed a cop once."

In hindsight, more should have been cut from short film. The night club flashback, although impressive in its own right, slows down the film. It could have been cut. The flashback scene of a 15-year-old Margret could have been cut as well. Mr. Gregory's recitation of Margret's poem, would have sufficed.

If I could go back - and maybe one day I will - I would throw in a new score with more "rock and roll". I would clean up the dialog, and include some visual effects. We originally shot some vfx plates for a couple of animated teddy bear shots, and an exploding fairy. The fairy wasn't really necessary, but some animation enhancements to the puppet could have added more surreal life to the film. Painting out the puppet's rods would have made things more believable. I was happy with our puppeteer's work, but little details and gestures in facial expression beyond the eyebrows could have added so much.

"Grow the Fuck Up!" was an ambitious project. Some things fell through. Other things didn't get addressed due my inexperience at the time, and burnout that followed once production was complete.