Monster in a Box (1992)

When I put this on my queue, I must have looked closer at the reception than at the description. After realizing that I didn't have to look up "monologist," I worried that it would be no more engaging than My Dinner with Andre. But at least it promised a subject of interest to me, and it runs only 89 minutes. Besides, I've watched monologists other than stand-up comedians on stage that long; how hard could a screen version be?

The only person we see is middle-aged Spalding Gray. The title refers to his work in progress, the first draft of the novel Impossible Vacation, having more than 1,900 pages at the time. (Lest you envision a Wonder Boys fate, it would later be published with 240.) He has only so much to say about the story itself, talking more about what's been happening in his life during the writing. Or in between bouts of writing. Some accounts get pretty tangential, but they never feel irrelevant.

I said he's the only person we see, but we occasionally hear chuckles from what I take to be a live audience. The strange part is that they never applaud, even at the end. Guess the mic cut out too soon.

I had expected to do something else while listening. Instead, I rarely took my eyes off the screen, and when I had to do something else, I paused the DVD. This is especially surprising when you consider that all there is to see is a not-so-handsome guy sitting at a desk, making few major gestures (drinking water doesn't count). The tech crew helps a little with changes in lighting, camera angles and distances, and music/sound effects as appropriate, but still. I can attribute my captivation only to Gray's effective writing and delivery.

The novel excerpts or summaries thereof didn't interest me much. The only literary details I can recall offhand are from a moment that I initially mistook for a real-life account. I don't mean to scoff at Gray's unedited first novel attempt. It's just that (1) I feel more obligation to pay attention to truths; (2) the fictional parts, being fewer and farther between, don't hang together quite so well; and (3) the true elements tend to be more relatable yet harder to devise.

So what has Gray had going on besides the usual rigors of writing? Well, without giving too much away, he travels quite a bit, both within and outside of the U.S. He gets a lot of attention in the entertainment realm, particularly after the success of his similar movie, Swimming to Cambodia. Sometimes he finds people acting strangely, and sometimes he acts more strangely than any of them. (He did have some health issues, alas.)

StC was already on my queue. Now I know to keep it on. Gray had a gift, and I only wish I could equal it.