Boredom at Work (Rifftrax Shorts)

Rifftrax Year:  2017
Riffers:  Bridget Nelson, Mary Jo Pehl

Boredom at Work is actually part 1 of a series of films about how boredom causes one to get into the hobby of throwing turtles.  Part 2 will teach you how to get good distance.

Actually the turtle chucking is just a subplot.  The real story is about a man's boredom at work leaking into his home life, leading to an unsatisfied wife, an angry son, and just dissatisfaction with thife in general.  At the end we come to the conclusion that the secret to a happy life is sex, booze, tool sheds, and, of course, turtle throwing.

"Mary Jo, here's a knife.  Do you want to just kill yourself?"
"He's got a whole closet of turtles he just throws."

Halfway through the short Bridget and Mary Jo question the short's use of the word "boredom," claiming the word it's actually looking for is "depression."  Technically this is true, however one's depression can stem from the feeling that you're stuck in a rut, which is a result of boredom.  This is pretty much the short's point, that boredom begats depression and one should seek help before it becomes serious.  It's just very somber and melodramatic about it.  And boooooooy does it go on forever.

"Now they can put on Schindler's List as a pick-me-up!"

Bridget and Mary Jo seem to be a little taken aback by the short.  The at times they just find it funny (they seem most amused when the short tackles sex), and in others they're left a little speechless (they're horrified by the turtle throwing incidents).  They seem to be trying to figure it out as it goes along and making amusing anecdotes on the side.

Boredom at Work is a bit of a departure for the duo, as they tend to riff on educational shorts directed at women or children more often than not.  I think they chose this short based on the "relations" scenes between the husband and wife, and during those scenes they knock the riffing out of the park.  The rest of the short they take on rather calmly, though still funny.  It's not their greatest work, but you won't be bored.

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