Laughs and nostalgia take center stage in roller skating, crime fighting HONEY & CLOVER
Directed by Andrea Maxwell
Written by Matthew Gallagher, Theresa Burkhart Gallagher and Jackie Monahan
Starring Theresa Burkhart Gallagher and Jackie Monahan
Runtime: 14 minutes
Available soon - played at Bentonville Film Festival
by Stacey Osbeck, Staff Writer
If Honey & Clover were a TV show, I’d tune in. Although currently a short directed by Andrea Maxwell and written by Matthew Gallagher, Theresa Burkhart Gallagher and Jackie Monahan, screening at the Bentonville Film Festival, this flick has a built-in series concept that hopefully will get it picked up.
Honey (Theresa Burkhart Gallagher) and Clover (Jackie Monahan) grew to fame as teens in the 90s show Rink Inc. where they’d fight crime in their roller skates and matching fringed leotards. Bad guys didn’t stand a chance against these champions for good or their roller dance moves.
But when the show ended, so did their careers. They never were as great alone as they were together. Alcoholism, a falling out, the party was over.
Now as adults, Honey still lives in the past with a bottle in hand. Clover pushed forward to sobriety and authored a phony memoir on forgiveness. Even though the book is about moving on, it appears the public has not. After a reading, a fan politely thanks Clover for her message and then lets loose her undying excitement for her favorite teen detectives. No new accomplishments can ever seem to compete with the fun of that show. All roads lead to Rink Inc.
With some child stars it feels like they keep milking past successes out of laziness. Without it they’d probably wind up data processing in a cubicle. But with Honey and Clover, it subtly becomes clear that a nine to five may not even be an option. They don’t display many other skillsets. Do they know how Excel works?
With both in career ruts and hitting their own walls financially, these two come together again at the Starcon Convention to put on one last show. Clover says it’s just to boost her book, but Honey hopes this is the beginning of a new chapter. Many crime fighting teams have great chemistry—and outfits: Starsky & Hutch, CHiPs, Batman and Robin. But this duo explores female friendship while slipping back into their red spandex onesies.
In a short amount of time characters’ distinct personalities come through, even side characters like Clover’s AA sponsor, Bryce (David Barrera). He acts as a strong mentor in her life, who privately calls her out on this new sham self-help persona. He also seems to have developed into a genuine friend.
With roller skating's popularity continuing to rise since Lockdown, maybe the whole country is looking to dip into the best of nostalgia. And who doesn’t love a film that has a finger on the pulse of our times? Honey & Clover won Best Comedy Short at the Manhattan Film Festival and Best Narrative Short at the Franklin International Film Festival, as well as screening at Diversity in Cannes and Dances With Films. It continues its festivals run, many of which offer streaming options.