By William Wolf

LOVE & TAXES  Send This Review to a Friend

It hurts to pay taxes. I get especially angry at the thought that when I pay taxes there are rich manipulators who get away with evasions while I have no way of doing so and must part with hard-earned money, as is the case with millions of others.

“Love & Taxes,” directed by Jacob Kornbluth and starring his brother, Josh Kornbluth, expands upon the latter’s one-man theater show to tap into the subject with humor. The film, written by the star, retains the format of Kornbluth before an audience, but expands with added scenes and cast members to flesh out the comedy and the central thesis.

For seven years, Kornbluth confides, he hasn’t paid taxes. How can he rectify that? There are complications galore, and I especially enjoyed his encounter with a former I.R.S. officer, nicely played by none other than Robert Reich, who, you will recall, was in the cabinet of former President Bill Clinton.

Yes, there’s the love interest reflected in the title, but the ultimate message of the film is that paying taxes is necessary to fund what the society needs. Kornbluth firmly articulates that in an encounter with a woman employee in a bank who suggests that he can do better with a check he is depositing by recommending a method of evading taxes. Kornbluth gives her hell with a lecture.

The film is mildly amusing throughout without being a comic gold mine. But there are plenty of chuckles, thanks to the spirited acting by the star parlaying his stage performance. But the film seems over-extended and would benefit by shortening. An Abramorama release. Reviewed March 3, 2017.

  

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