'Hunting' mired in technique, tedious comic attempts

Mini-review: 'Hunting Elephants'

Israeli director and comedian Reshef Levi's caper comedy “Hunting Elephants” adopts the pseudo-documentary approach exploited nicely by TV shows “Modern Family” and “The Office” — we witness an event, then the people in that event address the camera to explain what happened or how they feel about it.

You don't see this device used much beyond “The Bachelor” or “The Bachelorette” because, as “Hunting Elephants” illustrates, it can be a pretentious distraction that yanks us out of the theatrical moment for no apparent gain.

Lackadaisically paced, lacking in earnest emotions, predictable and surprisingly sexist, “Hunting Elephants” flirts with being a black comedy about a 12-year-old, highly intelligent, socially inept nerd named Jonathan (Gil Blank) who witnesses his bank guard father die when an elaborate security system that he himself installed prevents Jonathan from getting heart medicine to him.

His death leaves nothing for Jonathan or his hardworking mother Dorit (Yael Abecassis). Her husband's sleazy boss (Moshe Ivgy) finds contractual fine print to deny her benefits. So, Dorit sexies herself up and “goes out” with him.

After a painfully lengthy setup, “Hunting Elephants” finally announces its plot: Jonathan's cantankerous, gun-toting grandpa Eliyahu (Sasson Gabai) leads a group of old guys to rob the bank that cheated Dorit of her husband and benefits.

Among them are his senile best pal Nick (Moni Moshonov) and boorish actor Lord Simpson (Patrick Stewart in a role originally intended for John Cleese). He's the brother of Eliyahu's British wife, who lies comatose in a hospital room for the entire film.

Decorated with whippy one-liners, “Hunting Elephants” gets mired in old-fashioned vaudevillian leering. The guys stand in fixed rapture while ogling the gelatinous jiggling of Sigi (Rotem Sussman), a busty nurse who bathes coma patients while slinking across the room to iPod tunes.

That's about all the comic bounce this production can muster.

“Hunting Elephants” opens at the Northbrook Court 14. In Hebrew and English. Not rated; sexual references and minimal violence. 88 minutes. ★ ★