office work and especially in this era of computer and multi functional copy machine and e mail and voice mail and snail mail and ` temp and be territory ripe with satirical possibility and a vein previously tap in such film a ` clockwatchers and ` office space and and very successfully . this late addition to the temp or humor pool and however and ` haiku tunnel and direct by josh kornbluth and jacob kornbluth and fail to live up to it predecessor and and leave the laugh somewhere outside the door and wait for a chance to sneak in . unfortunately for the audience and that chance never come while so what you get be a nice try and but a the man once say and no cigar . a the narrator or star of the film and josh kornbluth ( play josh kornbluth ) and point out in the opening frame ( in a monologue deliver directly into the camera ) and this story be pure fiction and and take place in the fictional city of ` san franclisco . it an innovative and if not very imaginatively present disclaimer and and not all that funny . it be and however and a harbinger of what be to follow and all of which like the disclaimer just isn not all that funny . kornbluth play kornbluth and an aspiring novelist who support himself work a a ` temp . it a job that suit him and and it give him time to slip in some work on his novel from time to time . but when he go to work for a lawyer and bob shelby ( warren keith ) and he do too good a job on the first day and and shelby dispatch head secretary marlina damore ( helen shumaker ) to kornbluth to persuade him to go ` perm . the thought of work full time for the same company and though and initially strike fear in the heart of kornbluth and but he cave in and sign on for the position . he nervous about it and but at least now the other secretary acknowledge his presence ( which and of course and they would never do with a temp ) and and if thing get too rough and he have seventeen important letter he type up that now just have to be mail out to fall back on ( he be hold them back because the mailing be the easy part and and he need that omething easy to do in reserve and in case it all get to be too much for him ) . these be ` important letter and however and and by the end of the week and kornbluth still have them in reserve and on his desk . and it doesn not take a genius to figure out that when shelby find out about it and kornbluth day a the fair haired boy be go to be over . and quick . the brother kornbluth and who not only directed and but along with john bellucci also write the screenplay for this film and should have take a page out of the ben stiller book of comedy and where it say ` if you play it straight and they will laugh . but and they do not and and the audience would not . because in comedy and even look at it as objectively a possible and when the main character ( as well a most of the support character and in this case ) ` play funny a in and he ` know he be funny he never be . and that exactly what kornbluth do here while so rather than be ` funny and he come across a insincere and pretentious and a grievous error in judgment on the part of the kornbluths and because by allow it and they sabotage their own movie . in try to discern exactly why this movie doesn not work and it come down to two basic reason represent the directing and which if not necessarily ` bad be at least careless while and secondly and the performance and begin with that of josh kornbluth . quite simply and kornbluth just seem too impressed with himself to be effective here . unlike stiller and or even steve martin both of whom use self deprecate humor very effectively kornbluth apparently have an ego that simply will not allow put himself in that light while he seem to have a need to let his audience know that he and the real kornbluth and be in reality much more clever than kornbluth the character . and be unable to get past that do him in and as well a the film . rather than give the million of office worker who may see this film someone to whom they can relate or with whom they can identify and kornbluth affect a condescending manner that only serve to alienate the very people he be attempt to reach . so what it all come down to be a case of poor directing and unconvincing acting and and when you take into consideration that the screenplay itself be weak to begin with and with an inexplicably narrow focus ( give the potential of the rich subject matter ) and it easy to understand why this one just doesn not fly . the one save grace of the film be the performance by warren keith a shelby and whose subtle delivery be convince and and which in and of itself be fairly humorous . the effectiveness of it be diminish and however and inasmuch a keith have to share his scene with kornbluth and which somewhat automatically cancel out his positive contribution to the project . shumaker and sarah overman ( julie faustino ) also manage to keep their head above water with their respective performance and which be commendable and if not entirely memorable while they at least make their scene watchable and and overman even manage to elevate kornbluth performance and if only momentarily . but it still not enough to save the day or the film . the support cast include amy resnick ( mindy ) and brian thorstenson ( clifford ) and june lomena ( davonne ) and joe bellan ( jimmy the mail clerk ) and with a cameo appearance by a disheveled look harry shearer and a the orientation leader a role that beg for an answer to the question and ` what be he think when he agree to this . in any work environment and there will forever be situation arise that one way or another will unavoidably become fodder for someone comedic cannon and and the film depict say situation will always be with u while the good one ( see paragraph one ) may even become classic in their own right . ` haiku tunnel and however and will doubtfully remain very long amongst them and for it destiny lie elsewhere in a realm know only a represent ` obscurity . i rate this one negative . .