We’ve already seen Hudson Williams not just as Shane Hollander in Heated Rivalry, but also in a fair share of short films. And if you haven’t, there’s a handy list of which ones you can watch for free. But the latest, a short called The Dating Game, directed and written by Alex Vance, encapsulates something anyone who has followed Williams’ short but very diverse career so far can understand.
He’s much more than Shane Hollander.
Not to put down what he managed to do with that character. I don’t believe Shane Hollander is anywhere near as interesting in the hands of another actor. But The Dating Game gives Williams a chance to be funny in a way that’s not just about throwing some biting comments now and then.
Funnily enough, a lot of what makes The Dating Game good isn’t about Williams. That’s the beauty of shorts. You don’t have a lot of time to transmit an idea, so everything has to be precise, and you really have to choose the words and the visuals that will stick with people. For that, you typically need more than one actor. And as much as we love Williams, this short isn’t about him. He’s just… very nice eye candy?
The Dating Game focuses on a woman’s problems (or lack thereof) with, well… dating, and sets up the conflict in a very relatable way. Reality TV is also our comfort hyperfixation! And we also would probably make the same faces at basically all those bachelors. Sometimes we just want to trash, eat trash, and not think. Those are actually the perfect Friday night plans.
(No, actually, Number 2 is the winner. No contest. They all suck, but we’re very used to picking from the bottom of the barrel. Dating in the 2020s, what can I say?)
But the jokes land, even if some of them are a little absurd. Or, perhaps they land because they are so absurd, but by the time Leo is asking for these two women who just want to be left alone to watch reality TV to pay for the dance no one asked him for, well… we’ve all known a man like that. We’ve known men like all those 3 bachelors.
And we are (have been) those two women on the couch. We’re not actually ashamed. Girl power over everything and all.
So yes, if you came to The Dating Game because of Hudson Williams, that’s a good thing. More fun, innovative short films should get a chance at the spotlight, and if it comes because an actor like Williams has grown the kind of fandom that will follow him everywhere, so be it. He’s really great in this, particularly because the more you see of him, the more it’s obvious that he is a chameleon who can disappear into any role.
But me? I’m happy to have discovered Christina Marie Adams and Alison Chang because of this, too. Girl power indeed.
You can watch the short film below:
