Review: Coming-of-age comedy ‘Hickey’ is stuck in a ‘90s time warp

A generic coming-of-age comedy that feels inextricably stuck in the ’90s, “Hickey” serves as the feature debut of TV commercial director Alex Grossman and plays like a never aired UPN series pilot.

Troy Doherty, an actor who possesses goofy charisma, plays the title role of Ryan “Hickey” Chess, a technical whiz kid who’s been accepted to MIT on a full scholarship.

But his short-term goal concerns winning the heart of the fair Carly (Flavia Watson), his co-worker at the grungy Cy’s Auto Sound & Stereo outpost in Venice, Calif., where he landed a summer job.

Complicating matters is the fact that the shop is slated for closure unless Ryan and crew, including his hyper buddy Jeremy (Zedrick Restauro), can hit their monthly sales quota in a mere 24 hours.

Although the film, also written by Grossman, hints at greater promise with its playful retro opening title sequence, it quickly settles into a John Hughes-meets-the Farrelly brothers type rut riddled with extended would-be comic bits (a medicinal marijuana doctor who dispenses Jews for Jesus literature along with pot matzo, for example) delivered with a self-satisfied smirk.

Ultimately the film, like Ryan, who earned his lasting nickname for having once administered a self-inflicted hickey in order to make it look like he had a girlfriend, fails to leave a lasting mark.

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‘Hickey’

Not rated

Running time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Playing: Arena Cinelounge, Hollywood

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