History Film / GreatChoice

The short film made its debut in the festival circuit in 2017, becoming nominated for and winning several awards. As of 2022, the film continues to make appearances in various live film festivals, and according to Comisar, it's unlikely for the film to see a widespread release, [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes though bootleg recordings have made their way across the internet from time to time]].

* DeliberateVHSQuality: The film is presented mostly like an old, grainy VHS recording of a commercial from the 80s or 90s, including system screens with blocky fonts, overly-saturated colors, and visible tracking lines. [[ZigZaggingTrope These effects fluctuate in and out]] the more Jen begins to go against the script, falling apart almost entirely once she escapes.

* {{Retreaux}}: Before any of the horror elements kick in, the initial Red Lobster commercial is a pitch-perfect recreation of a typical ad from the 90s you'd find for any big family restaurant, including the overly-chipper acting and cheesy taglines.

* WordSaladHumor: As the commercial begins to deteriorate with [[GroundhogDayLoop each loop]], so does the commercial's narrator, straying from the simple lighthearted advertising copy to [[{{Malaproper}} mangling a few of the words]] to [[MoodWhiplash swerving into disturbing comments related to Jen's plight]] to nonsensical babbling. Unlike the waiter or other "actors" in the short, [[ThePollyanna the narrator almost never breaks his chipper, upbeat one of voice]].

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Wow! That's a lot of shrimp!"'']]

->'''Waiter''': What sounds good to you tonight?\\

* BrokenRecord: The waiter seems only capable of asking Jen "What sounds good to you?" and responding to her with [[TitleDrop "Great choice"]]. His tone becomes increasingly hostile the more Jen realizes something is wrong and stops saying her line, and by the end of the short, he's left screaming "GREAT CHOICE!" in pure rage.

* ViolenceIsDisturbing: The usual Red Lobster commercial is kitschy and perfectly wholesome, making the fact that ''any'' violence is happening even more disturbing. When Jen points out to the waiter that [[OntologicalMystery she doesn't remember how she got there or who he is]], he [[DisproportionateRetribution punches her to the floor]] and pours scalding water on her face, leaving her screaming in pain as he screams to her "What sounds good to you?!". Eventually, Jen finds herself forced to retaliate by shoving a knife into the waiter's throat and slicing his tongue off -- throughout the whole process, she's screaming in horror from the sheer blood and barbarism of what she's doing.

* ViolenceIsDisturbing: The usual Red Lobster commercial is kitschy and perfectly wholesome, making the fact that ''any'' violence is happening even more disturbing. When Jen points out to the waiter that [[OntologicalMystery she doesn't remember how she got there or who he is]], he [[DisproportionateRetribution punches her to the floor]] and pours scalding water on her face, leaving her screaming in pain as he demands her to say her lines. Eventually, Jen finds herself forced to retaliate by shoving a knife into the waiter's throat and slicing his tongue off -- throughout the whole process, she's screaming in horror from the sheer blood and barbarism of what she's doing.

* OrWasItADream: TheReveal of Jen stumbling in tears into a modern [[TropaholicsAnonymous support group meeting]] suggests that the whole looping commercial she was stuck in was some terrible nightmare (or at least some metaphorical representation of whatever addiction she's trying to recover from). However, while her mentor and fellow members are there to congratulate her for her 30 days of sobriety, Jen still spots the ([[UnexplainedRecovery inexplicably still-alive]]) waiter banging on the window, breaking the glass as he screams at her. The final shot of the film -- right after we see Jen being individually hugged by several group members and a close-up of the furious waiter -- shows Jen standing in a completely empty gym, [[GainaxEnding making it even less clear as to what the heck just happened]].

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: It's not immediately obvious on a first watch, but [[TheEndingChangesEverything the twist ending recontextualizes]] the increasingly horrifying GroundhogDayLoop as being a metaphor for addiction: Jen starts off in what looks like a pleasant, perfectly innocuous scenario until it starts to repeat, and the more she questions her script, [[TheAggressiveDrugDealer the more aggressive the waiter becomes in getting her to say her lines]] and the more the loop begins to deteriorate and fall apart. The process in which she's able to escape is a violent, horrifying experience, and even when she manages to find herself in [[TropaholicsAnonymous the security and comfort of a support group]], [[OrWasItADream the waiter is still out there begging for her to play her part]].

* OrWasItADream: TheReveal of Jen stumbling in tears into a modern [[TropaholicsAnonymous support group meeting]] suggests that the whole looping commercial she was stuck in was some terrible nightmare (or at least some metaphorical representation of whatever addiction she's trying to recover from). However, while her mentor and fellow members are there to congratulate her for her 30 days of sobriety, Jen still spots the ([[UnexplainedRecovery inexplicably still-alive]] waiter) banging on the window, breaking the glass as he screams at her. The final shot of the film -- right after we see Jen being individually hugged by several group members and a close-up of the furious waiter -- shows Jen standing in a completely empty gym, [[GainaxEnding making it even less clear as to what the heck just happened]].

The short film made its debut in the festival circuit in 2017, becoming nominated for and winning several awards. As of 2022, the film continues to make appearances in various live film festivals, and to Comisar, it's unlikely for the film to see a widespread release, [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes though bootleg recordings have made their way across the internet from time to time]].

* TropaholicsAnonymous: Upon Jen escaping the commercial, she suddenly finds herself in a dingy gymnasium with a support group for recovering addicts. As she stumbles into the room in tears, the host comes up to comfort her and asks her if she made her "30 days". She silently nods, to which he proudly hands her a sobriety token (a red one, suggesting it is in fact Alcoholics Anonymous as that's their color for 30 days of sobriety).

* SurrealHorror: The entire scenario of the film involves finding yourself trapped in a looping Red Lobster commercial, [[OntologicalMystery not knowing how you got there]], and [[AndIMustScream not knowing how to escape]].

''Great Choice'' is a 2017 HorrorComedy short film written and directed by Robin Comisar. This 7-minute short follows a cheesy, thirty-second commercial for Red Lobster that gets played on a loop... with one of the women in it becoming increasingly aware that [[GroundhogDayLoop she's in a looping commercial]]. When [[AndIMustScream she starts to realize the gravity of her situation]] and begins to act out, things go off the rails ''fast''.

The short film made its debut in the festival circuit in 2017, becoming nominated for and winning several awards. As of 2022, the film continues to make appearances in various live film festivals, and to Comisar, it's unlikely for the film to see a widespread release ([[KeepCirculatingTheTapes though bootleg recordings have made their way across the internet from time to time]].

----