Tales From the Desk You’ll Never Forget

Read Time:5 Minute, 23 Second

MOVIE REVIEW
The Jungle of Accounting
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Genre: Comedy, Short
Year Released: 2020
Runtime: 11m
Director(s): Chase Pearson
Writer(s): Chase Pearson
Cast: Ray Bergen, Kathy McCort, Timothy J. Cox, Colleen Sproull, Kate McGarrigle, Erin Patrick Miller, Joan Shangold, Coco Conroy, Greer Barnes, Michael Drew, Elis Xhafa
Where to Watch: available now on Vimeo

RAVING REVIEW: When a short film makes you laugh, smirk, and nod in recognition—all within a few minutes—you know it’s working with something special. A specific tone here feels unmistakably familiar, blending structured absurdity with the dry humor that only works when the creators fully commit. THE JUNGLE OF ACCOUNTING doesn’t aim to overwhelm its audience with punchlines or antics. Instead, it walks a careful line, crafting its comedy through nuanced character work, design choices that feel lovingly retro, and a narrative style that captures how we often mythologize our professional pasts.

This mockumentary short, written and directed by Chase Pearson, follows Charles and Maryanne Bailey, the kind of business owners who have seen a lot and remember every last detail. Their accounting firm has endured decades of assistants, each stranger than the previous, and the present-day Baileys recall their past as if they were recounting epic battles. But this isn’t a glorified highlight reel. The film treats each memory with a surprising blend of sincerity and sarcasm, relying on Charles and Maryanne’s unshakable belief in their version of events to sell the humor.

What’s especially striking is how the entire short feels like a subtle, playful homage to the aesthetic sensibilities of Wes Anderson. From the meticulously balanced compositions to the color palette that leans into pastels and earthy tones, the visual presentation evokes a carefully curated yet slightly off-kilter world. It’s not just about symmetry or vintage costuming—it’s in how the dialogue is delivered with quiet seriousness amid escalating absurdity, how the camera lingers just a second longer than expected, or how the narration deadpans through increasingly surreal developments. Even the characters, with their exaggerated quirks and gentle earnestness, feel like they could have wandered in from one of Anderson’s meticulously crafted worlds. The influence is baked into the DNA of the piece, resulting in a tone that’s both nostalgic and dryly eccentric in a way that feels intentional rather than imitative.

The film finds its voice in the bizarre cast of assistants who once passed through the Baileys' office doors. Each of the three assistants profiled represents a different kind of workplace disaster. There’s the one whose personal hygiene created office-wide panic, another who tried to steal the emotional spotlight from clients, and a third whose secret past would make any HR department sweat bullets. Each scenario might sound ridiculous, but there’s just enough reality baked in to make them feel oddly plausible.

Erin Patrick Miller, Kate McGarrigle, and Maryann Lonergan deliver perfect, dialed-in performances. McGarrigle especially carries weight with her role, portraying a character whose need to escalate every conversation transforms her into an accidental comedy hurricane. Meanwhile, Lonergan leans into stillness, letting the audience slowly absorb the disconnect between her composed demeanor and her character’s secret. Each performance is attuned to the film’s tone—odd but never cartoonish, grounded but never flat.

Timothy J. Cox and Colleen Sproull, who portray the younger versions of the Baileys, handle much of the film’s visual and situational comedy. Cox brings a quiet intensity to his performance, marked by an inscrutable precision that lets the absurdity around him land without ever feeling forced. His scenes, particularly those involving an unexpected visit, balance understated humor and awkward tension, creating bizarre and oddly believable moments. Sproull complements him well, offering a more assertive energy that plays naturally against his quieter frustration.

Shannon Lyons’ production design deserves praise. Everything in the frame, from the shaggy office furniture to the meticulously styled costumes, supports the period without feeling like a parody. The aesthetic never shouts for attention but adds texture and believability to each scene. It's the kind of attention to detail that lets you lose yourself in the world without questioning the illusion.

While THE JUNGLE OF ACCOUNTING wraps up neatly in a tight runtime, it hints at larger possibilities. There’s enough depth in the characters and structure to imagine a longer project, perhaps a feature-length satire or a limited series where each episode explores a new hire. But part of what makes this short work so well is how little it tries to do. It knows what it is and plays within those boundaries with confidence and precision.

By the time the credits roll, THE JUNGLE OF ACCOUNTING has done more than just deliver a few quirky laughs. It offers a surprisingly layered look at memory, optimism, and the absurdities that define office life. The writing is self-aware without being smug, the performances are tightly calibrated to match the story’s tone, and the design work adds just enough style to make everything pop. It’s a small project with a sharp perspective and a generous sense of humor that lingers in your mind long after you’ve closed the books.

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