By Robert Scucci
| Published
There’s no worse feeling than when your life-long friend and bandmate gets a new girlfriend and starts to make himself scarce, and Saving Silverman is the perfect comedy of errors about this exact scenario. Sure, there are better ways to address the inevitable falling out that comes along with getting older and settling down, but what’s the fun in that if the alternative involves sabotage, kidnapping, and as much Neil Diamond as you’re willing to tolerate? Saving Silverman certainly isn’t top-tier cinema, but if you’re willing to watch bros be bros and chain their best bud’s soon-to-be wife to an engine block in their garage for the sake of saving their friendship, then you’re in for a wild ride full of slap-stick mastery and manipulation by the likes of which you’ve never seen before.
Bros Before Judith
At the center of Saving Silverman is its titular character, Darren Silverman (Jason Biggs), who plays synth and sings for the local Neil Diamond tribute band, Diamonds in the Rough, alongside his childhood friends, Wayne Leferssier (Steve Zahn) and J.D. McNugent (Jack Black). The trio of friends are inseparable until Darren meets Judith Fessbeggler (Amanda Peet) at a show, and quickly falls in love. Though Judith is the primary love interest in Saving Silverman, she’s also the primary antagonist, as she’s emotionally abusive, controlling, and doesn’t want Darren to hang out with Wayne or J.D. anymore.
Darren, who is a bit of a pushover, does whatever he can to placate Judith, including, but not limited to, undergoing plastic surgery, remaining abstinent until marriage, and worst of all, quitting Diamonds in the Rough.
Things Escalate Quickly
In their efforts to get Darren back in the band, and by extension, back in their lives, Wayne and J.D. come up with countless elaborate ways to sabotage the relationship and fail miserably in Saving Silverman. Resorting to kidnapping, Wayne and J.D. find themselves in a sticky situation when Judith, a manipulative psychologist, plays mind games with them while in captivity that make them doubt their ability to control the situation.
Meanwhile, Darren becomes reacquainted with his old flame and one true love, Sandy Perkus (Amanda Detmer), thanks to Wayne and J.D.’s previous efforts to talk some sense into their best friend by setting up a “chance” encounter. Having reason to believe that Judith disappeared without a trace, Darren becomes smitten with Sandy, but has to decide if he wants to hold out for Judith, or commit to Sandy, who’s days away from becoming a Nun and living a life of celibacy.
The Power Of Friendship
Normally, films in the same wheelhouse as Saving Silverman miss the mark because they come off as disproportionately mean-spirited. While Wayne and J.D. seem as controlling and territorial as Judith, they’re not actually in the wrong here because Judith is objectively a terrible person, which is by design. I’m not saying that kidnapping is the best way to handle this kind of situation, but their efforts to get their best friend out of an abusive relationship are commendable because they sacrifice their own well-being to make sure Darren doesn’t get hurt in the long run after Judith shows her true colors.
And trust me, Wayne and J.D. both take a beating while trying to get the old band back together. Saving Silverman is such a fun film because everybody is a caricature of the highest order, and it’s easy to suspend disbelief and enjoy the show because this is not the way that real people should act, but exactly how Jack Black should in this context.
As of this writing, you can stream Saving Silverman for free on Tubi before heading over to your music streaming service of choice and binging on some Neil Diamond.
