Paul Duran's shaggy'dog comedy follows a down-and-out panhandler and weekend-warrior-junkie who lives in his car (Will Stewart, a Matt Keesler look-alike), who (literally) falls into the relative lap of luxury as a dog walker for an elderly matron, her sex-starved daughter, and her sex-bomb granddaughter.  As in his debut feature, the immaculately named "Flesh Suitcase," a two-handed drama about heroin smugglers who cruise through customs with a stomach full of balloons and a ticking clock behind them, Duran exhibits an easy feel for the downscale drug milieu, exposing its unwitting comedy and incidental charms.  Among these are the crosss polination of an interracial cast (including indie vet Tony Todd, star of the "Candyman" franchise, and John Randolph, of "Serpico" fame), and the fish-out-of-water joys of exploring the common bonds between homeless vets and retired pensioners.  Despite a downbeat ending and several wide swings into drama that jeopardize the tone, this exactly the kind of gently meandering story the indie boom was built for.

Paul Cullum