User Reviews

When I first come along this film about six months ago, I was pleasantly surprised by the great production value of this little film made for under $2,000. Clocking at around 90 minutes, it's 90 minutes well spent. This film is slowly developing a cult following, and it sure as hell deserves it. It really shows the filmmaker's talent, and I can see him going places in time. The high points of the film are shown through the five main flashbacks of Erik's friends. The strongest and funniest being Dave's (Followed VERY closely by Chris's), the film really holds together well. It's a very structured piece of work, and it's clear from the start that there's something here that you wouldn't expect from a film this small. Heart.

You can almost feel the energy flowing through the film...How much fun they had, and how hard they worked, to bring everyone this film. It's not perfect, and has some rough edges, but that's a given. But these are very small problems in comparison to how great it is in the end.

See it.

I've gotta say, this is a movie that's very well done considering the equipment and money that was available. It's funny, it's something you can just play and just watch it and enjoy it; it won't give you a headache trying to figure out multiple inter-connecting story lines, and it won't offend you, unless you're a pansy. :) I've talked to Jesse a few times myself, and he's a great guy. What's the best thing about this movie? It wasn't done for money the way every single Hollywood movie is. :D I liked the camera-work a lot more than some movies, and I loved how natural the movie feels. I never felt as if I was watching people act, but more like I was watching people in their natural environments. If you haven't seen this movie, you really need to. Like I said before, don't expect huge explosions and stunt men, so just sit back and enjoy it. It's got plenty of immature humor to satisfy anyone's taste. ;)

Shades of Gray is a great comedy at an unbeatable value(doesn't get better than free). The main character is forced to face his past and the hilarious occurrences that caused his friends to lose faith in him and blackmail him. Now he has to sit down with each of his friends and listen to why they are blackmailing him and what he can do to make them forgive him.

A great blend of comedy with just a hint of romance, Shades of Gray is an official 76 minutes well spent (more when you take the time for streaming. Careful, you'll want broadband). It can be found at the website of the producer, jeskid.com. Along with this, the producer and star also has his own "reality series." Jesse Cowell has a brilliant future in film-making and I look forward to seeing his next works.

Shades of Gray is an amazing, hilarious movie that's a constant supply of laughs. I think that everyone should see this movie, and should thank Jesse (Jeskid) for making such a great movie. Definitely the best no-budget film i have EVER seen. Jesse is an incredibly talented filmmaker who devotes his life to making his fans happy. Which only makes you feel a closer connection with his work, and makes it that much more entertaining. A one of a kind guy, and an inspiration to many, Jeskid's heart, soul, and devotion is apparent in all his work. A truly unique and just flat out hilarious movie, Shades of Gray is a movie that should be known to all.

-Adam

Ding my days on the internet, I constantly heard of this film and the hype generated from its cult following, and seriously doubted such a low-budget film could be that good. By the time I saw it however, I realized that I was dead wrong. The production values, camera shots, and editing are all amazingly well done,and the acting is surprisingly well performed. As for the plot, it's one of the most original ideas I've ever heard, and it only increased that thought s the movie went on. Shades of Gray is a film that is not suited for the whole family, but t is still a brilliant piece of work. Not to mention better than half of what Hollywood has put out lately, and 2x as original.

When I first heard about Shades of Gray I was a bit skeptic. I can honestly say it went above and beyond my expectations. From the story (which is one I think we all can relate to) to the production you can tell that the group behind Shades of Gay put their blood and sweat into this movie.

I watched this movie for the first time around 6 months ago. I've since seen it quite a few times each being as good/funny as the last (if not more). If you ever get the chance or dare I say the privilege to check this film out you will be doing yourself a favor.

Find this movie and watch it! You will not regret it.

Friendship is never black and white. There are always Shades of Gray. Most of us have one, that friend you hate for who he is but still love him for who he is.

SoG takes us to a place where 5 friends set out to teach a "former friend" a lesson in friendship and hardship. Each character tells their own story in a humorous flashback segment explaining why they have decided to come together to exact their revenge on their former friend. Beyond the humor is the bigger story of how one event, from a single person can change the life of another person, for better or worse. The flashback segments are a riot as well as realistic. I found myself laughing but also relating to some of the stories told by the actors. Erik, the main character, is the center of attention for each story but the limelight isn't so bright that the plot is misdirected. The story/action kept a very good pace throughout the entire film. The ending left no gaps and no loose ends and even had a pleasant twist. It was amazingly tied together to complete the tale of 5 people with one common goal.

Financially this film may have been low budget but the quality of the acting and directing are anything but. If someone had created a follow-up film for "Stand By Me", this could very well be it.

this movie is by far one of the best movies i have seen that was not made be a big film company. it is better then some big pictures that people spend millions on.

my hat is off to the maker. this film is somewhat true in todays society, people can relate to it in the smallest way. that is what is so great about the movie.

i personally liked the movie for numerous reasons, the music was good, the actions in the movie we hilarious. an Eric has a little black book!

the ending of this movie is one of the funniest endings i have seen and it gives a sense that the movie could have a sequel later in life

meow!

go Jes

I first heard about this movie the good old fashioned way - word of mouth on the internet. : ) Knowing how small the budget was, and how "home grown" the production, I watched it with very few expectations. After recovering from the fits of laughter, I immediately called my husband at work and said, "You have to see this when you get home!". I then sat and watched it for the second time that day with him, and laughed even harder.

The basic premise - boy meets girl, boy loses black book, boy gets blackmailed - is believable because all the characters are performed with such sincerity. We've all known a "Manuel" or a "Guy" or even an "Eric". I now find myself using catch phrases from the movie on a regular basis (I'll let you discover them for yourself), and wondering when we'll get word of "Shades of Grey 2".

This "little production that could" far beats out anything I've shelled out megabucks at the box office to see - I hope this is just the first of many movies from Jeskid and crew!

If you frequent Red vs. Blue, chances are you've heard of Jesse Cowell, aka Jeskid. He got together some money and his friends to make Shades of Gray. In this story, we have Eric, a man in a relationship with life going well for him. However, that will all change when his friends steal his black book as revenge for the humorous torture he inflicted upon each of them.

This film was well thought out. I've met Erics in my life. Heck I became an Eric for a few years. His friends are also quite the characters. Dave, the smoking friend, is HILARIOUS. He looks like he's going to pop a blood vessel even when he's relaxed. The music, with everything from the Safety Dance to Prodigy, fits the situation.

It's available online at his site so there's no reason that anyone should miss this.

***SPOILER-FREE REVIEW***

If you're a member of ed Vs. Blue and you've heard of Jeskid, you must of seen this movie at least once. And at the same time, you must of loved it. From Jesse Cowell, the creator of the cult favourite Internet-only series, Jeskid TV, Shades of Gray was always one of his biggest projects. In fact, it was so big it took countless years, dedication from himself and his friends and even a couple of thousand dollars to make it happen. And for a movie that has practically no budget to speak of, how can it be so good, not to mention successful? It all lies in the movies humour.

Every minute of this movie always seems to try and throw something at the fans and always seems to work. It could be a really funny line of dialogue (And believe me, there are many), a random act of immaturity or just something really, really cool in general. Even the characters themselves, while simple, are instantly likable because of their different attitudes towards the main character, Eric. Even many of the sub-characters are very likable, mainly thanks to some hilarious dialogue, some of which is even more memorable then any big-budget Hollywood flick.

But the fun doesn't stop there. Along with some pretty decent acting from the cast (Who seem to have put a lot of effort into their roles), the entire movie just screams the most simplistic form of professionalism, and that's what makes this movie so unique and so fun to watch. Even the editing is really good, once again showing tireless days and weeks of pure dedication.

Even the soundtrack is pure music to my ears. A lot of the music fits in very well and (admittingly) shows that Jesse Cowell does have great taste in what he listens to. Even the opening three minutes of the movie is made into one of the catchiest openings I've ever seen in a movie, just simply because of the awesome directing and music.

In the end, Shades of Gray does not disappoint. It definitely has a bright future with it's current fans, but if this movie ever does reach out to bigger audiences, this movie (Along with Jesse's film-making career) could become brighter then the Sun itself. And while Jesse has yet to confirm any details about his next project, it's still going to be a long time before this movie wears thin.

MARTZ SCORE - 9.2/10

I was lucky enough to see this film on a big screen, with the director Jesse Cowell present. I was reluctant to watch the movie, but Jesse Cowell charmed me with his good looks and New York accent and I stayed to watch.

I'm very glad I did.

Shades of Gray was a well filmed, and well acted movie. It gave me a lot of laughs with a few that made me giggle and scream "Ewww!" (In a good way). Jesse Cowell has a way of charming the audience, and can be seen in his character, Eric.

I highly recommend watching Shades of Gray, especially with your best buddies.

I'd like to say anyone who blasts this film must have no humor in they're entire body and no artistic style in their lives. Because this move is just plain awesome. Jess you will one day make it big just keep to the grind and you'll make it. Love your work and see you on RvB. For the People that don't like this movie please watch it again and again and again because sooner or later you'll realize you were either too judgmental the first time around or you just really don't like films in general and need to have a major brain examination. As for you Jess congratulations on the award. "NEXT STOP GRAMMYS or what ever we can support you enough to win."

I'm probably the first one from Serbia (the land of Free and of opportunity) to watch this movie. When I was downloading it, I didn't know that it already has some kind of cult status in the USA. Actually, I didn't know what I'm downloading at all, because at that time there was no information about it at IMDb. I just had some free 400 MB and I picked this one to download from some site about short movies. And I'm very glad I've done so..

Like the last comment says - this movie is done with heart. But there's a brain too. Original idea very intelligently filmed. And I also liked the selection of music.