A Better You: Matt Walsh’s Improv Comedy stars a Who’s Who

Matt Walsh as Patrick and Brian Huskey as Dr. Ron in A Better You.

A Better You assembles an amazing ensemble cast of some very funny comedians that are known for their improvisational skills.

Upright Citizen Brigade founder Matt Walsh directs the film, which he co-wrote with Brian Huskey, Running just under 90 minutes, the improvised comedy stars Huskey, Morgan Walsh, Horatio Sanz, Erinn Hayes, Andy Daly, with Joe Lo Truglio, Walsh, Rob Huebel, Adam Pally, Mo Gaffney, and Natasha Leggero. There are minor cameos of Riki Lindhome, Reid Scott, Seth Morris, and Parvesh Cheenah.

Huskey stars as Dr. Ron, who is described as a revolutionary hypnotherapist. While he may be good with his job by helping others, the only person he was unable to help through his work was himself. He lost his marriage, not close with his children, and we see flashbacks of counseling sessions throughout the film.

The only person that seems capable of putting Ron on the right track seems to be his friend Hugo (Sanz), who works at the hardware store. Hugo isn’t the be-all, end-all for Ron’s problems.

Because it’s an improvised comedy along the veins of Best in Show and Spinal Tap, nobody really knows just how much of the shooting script actually made the final product other than Walsh, Huskey, and the talent in the film. With the film featuring a talent heavy in improv backgrounds, Walsh could afford to get some improvised lines out of the cast much in the same way that you’d expect on the set of a film directed by Judd Apatow, Adam McKay, and Paul Feig. Regardless, the improvised lines worked as the indie comedy flowed well from start to finish.

Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes come from an outline. This film is no different. Walsh and Huskey worked for over a year to develop this film’s story, which consisted of an outline of some 55 scenes or so and those scenes were shot over the course of ten days! Interestingly enough, Walsh was a psych major in college so this choice shows that he hasn’t lost interest in his collegiate background.

Released this past October with a very limited theatrical release, the indie comedy was launched on demand platforms everywhere–more information can be found on the website with the details on how to view the film. If you have yet to rent the film, please give it the chance. It’s funny and despite a low budget, they give it their best effort for a funny comedy.

Danielle Solzman

Danielle Solzman is native of Louisville, KY, and holds a BA in Public Relations from Northern Kentucky University and a MA in Media Communications from Webster University. She roots for her beloved Kentucky Wildcats, St. Louis Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Boston Celtics. Living less than a mile away from Wrigley Field in Chicago, she is an active reader (sports/entertainment/history/biographies/select fiction) and involved with the Chicago improv scene. She also sees many movies and reviews them. She has previously written for Redbird Rants, Wildcat Blue Nation, and Hidden Remote/Flicksided. From April 2016 through May 2017, her film reviews can be found on Creators.

Leave a Reply