Although it is sponsored by a hotel and a laptop company, this short film at least lets that be known fairly clearly up front in the opening credits. In the plot a man books into a lavish hotel (bing!) and finds himself upgraded to a much better room. Later that evening he has a knock on the door and receives an ornate box which contains a laptop computer (bing!) which seems to have greater capabilities than the regular models.
Although the laptop could mean pretty much anything could happen, there is a sweetness and lightness to this film that stops it getting out of hand and keeps it reasonably down to earth. The updating of the genie to be an 8-bit character on a laptop is nice, and from here the plot plays out in a way which is true to the character of the title. See Eugene seems quite shy and unassuming – almost a bit of a child perhaps but certainly someone who will do you no harm whatsoever. In the same way his wishes are almost childish in nature – hence the room is soon filled with basically junk, a lot of which hearkens back to childhood; given a lot of these things are thought of in the spur of the moment, it says a lot about him.
Of course in the time-honored tradition, the wishes do not totally go the way one would have wanted and it does go wrong in the end, but even here it does so in a well-meaning way that leaves us feeling a bit sorry for him where we would not for a less gentle character. All of this is gently amusing but the downside of it all is that it is really no more than that. The lead actor makes it work with how convincing his character is, while the film itself looks and sounds very professionally made (and of course benefits from a great suite to shoot in. In the end though, the film is no more than amusing, and is a very slight affair which, though fun to watch, is unlikely to stick with you or having you coming back for repeat viewings.
Although the laptop could mean pretty much anything could happen, there is a sweetness and lightness to this film that stops it getting out of hand and keeps it reasonably down to earth. The updating of the genie to be an 8-bit character on a laptop is nice, and from here the plot plays out in a way which is true to the character of the title. See Eugene seems quite shy and unassuming – almost a bit of a child perhaps but certainly someone who will do you no harm whatsoever. In the same way his wishes are almost childish in nature – hence the room is soon filled with basically junk, a lot of which hearkens back to childhood; given a lot of these things are thought of in the spur of the moment, it says a lot about him.
Of course in the time-honored tradition, the wishes do not totally go the way one would have wanted and it does go wrong in the end, but even here it does so in a well-meaning way that leaves us feeling a bit sorry for him where we would not for a less gentle character. All of this is gently amusing but the downside of it all is that it is really no more than that. The lead actor makes it work with how convincing his character is, while the film itself looks and sounds very professionally made (and of course benefits from a great suite to shoot in. In the end though, the film is no more than amusing, and is a very slight affair which, though fun to watch, is unlikely to stick with you or having you coming back for repeat viewings.
