MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

WILLIAM BUTLER
Bang Noir

The Casserole Club by Steve Balderson is one dish you can't stop eating. You will savor each bite as if it were your last. What leads from a quaint get together of friends and neighbors, turns into an exploration of dark inner feelings and desires. Steve Balderson brings you into the lives of five couples: Sugar (Susan Traylor) and Conrad (Kevin Richardson), Kitty (Starina Johnson) and Sterling (Garrett Swann), Jerome (Daniela Sea) and Leslie (Mark Booker), Marybelle (Jennifer Grace) and Max (Michael Maize), and finally Florene (Pleasant Gehman) and Burt (Hunter Bodine). Sugar (Traylor) suggests that the women make a casserole dish and bring it to a little get together and let their husbands judge who made the best dish. The winner gets a T-shirt that says "Queen Casserole". This is only the beginning of what lies beneath the happy exterior of these home makers. The Casserole Club starts off as a comedy but quickly changes directions into a drama from this point on. After the first party turns into a wife swap, the women feel awkward and the men seem to move on. It was interesting to see how the two sexes deal with the situation of that night. You also start to discover the issues lying underneath each character. Everything from cutting, self-loathing and sadness, homosexuality to questioning ones own desires in love and marriage. The way people tend to deceive themselves to make their lives better.

Set to the backdrop of the 1969 moon landing, as well as some major moments in history, which I might add are placed well within the film to set the mood of the scenes. The music goes very well with the current mood of the scenes as well. Another theme in the movie are the colors. I have to say that Steve Balderson knows how to weave visuals and sound together like a master chef. His direction is on point with what he is trying to portray to the audience. The actors bring each character to life and make you feel sympathy for them. You become connected with the characters and their issues. You can actually say to yourself that you know someone like this. Overall, The Casserole Club is an excellent film that serves up a tasty dish that will tantalize ones taste buds. I highly recommend this movie to join anyone's DVD library. It's one movie you can watch over and over again, only to discover something you missed the first time around.

Shannon Melvin's Recipe:

Ingredients:
-1 bag orida shredded hashbrown potatoes (frozen foods section)
-1 small tub of sour cream
-1 can cream of celery soup
-2 sticks of butter
-Rice Krispies
-2 table spoons loose chicken boulon
-2 1/2 cups shreaded cheddar cheese

Directions:
-Take hashbrown potatoes bag and (while still unopen) beat the crap 
out of it on the counter to break up the frozen pieces.
-spread hashbrown potatoes into casserole pan
-melt 1 stick of butter and pour over potatoes
-in a bowl mix sour cream, can of celery soup, cheddar cheese, and 
chicken boulon
-spread mixture over potatoes
-put rice krispies over the top of the mixture (about 1 inch think on 
top)
-melt 1 stick of butter and pour on top of the rice krispies.
-bake 360• for 45 minutes to 1 hour
-take a spoon and check the middle of the casserole to make sure 
potatoes are completely cooked. If not put in for a little longer.