7 Days in Hell (2015)

Genre: Comedy / Documentary

Directed by: Jake Szymanski

Cast: Andy Samberg, Kit Harington, Mary Steenburgen

Time: 45 minutes

Aaron Williams and Charles Poole are pro tennis players with very different personalities. Williams, while quite talented, is a wild man on and off the court, which leads to a very public meltdown where he swears off his sport and disappears. Charles Poole is a dim-witted tennis prodigy who was pushed into the sport by his controlling mother. Prior to the 2001 Wimbledon tournament, Poole makes comments in the press about Williams, which pushes the retired player to make a comeback. They face each other in the first round, and their match will last 7 days, due to various funny circumstances.

This short comedic film, which was shot in mockumentary style, is hilarious. Many Saturday Night Live alums, such as Andy Samberg, Will Forte and Fred Armisen, took part in the project. I also loved seeing Serena Williams, Chris Evert, John McEnroe and David Copperfield doing cameos. The latter two were especially effective and convincing. With Mary Steenburgen, Lena Dunham, Howie Mandel and Jon Hamm also involved, there was a loaded cast on hand.

A lot of the humor in 7 Days in Hell was silly, but it is clear that the filmmakers were not taking themselves seriously. The end result is a fun and entertaining mockumentary film that is well worth your time.

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