24 Hours on Craigslist

Just when I thought I was a bit off-tilt for buying a bundle of old Sega Genesis games off Craigslist, in comes 24 Hours on Craigslist on DVD.

I feel relatively ordinary now.

Throughout the 80-minute film, the viewer is exposed to the hilariously unfortunate, true stories of a drag queen searching for a Led Zeppelin cover band, an ex-alcoholic Vietnam vet looking for 270-pound women and an ordinary guy who pulled off a one-night stand with a married woman, among other characters.

You probably already guessed it: these folks all have Craigslist to thank for the fulfillment of their strangest desires.

24 Hours on Craigslist is an outsider’s look at the everyday folks who use the immensely popular community board website, and an examination–within the span of just one day–of just how much you can get away with selling or buying on the internet. Set in the original home of Craigslist, San Francisco, the film explores peoples’ reasoning for buying, selling and doing the things they do.

One man is selling a bunch of wooden doors, just because he has some extras lying around in his garage. Another guy is looking for a band "akin to Aerosmith or Heart" to jam with, while yet another person is offering his services as a Rent-a-Husband to provide help with gardening, chores and even listening.

Though set in an interesting style, there’s not much documentary substance to the film. I hesitate to call it a "documentary" because there’s no real research or exploration as to what Craigslist is really about; it’s more of an 80-minute-long reality show.

With technical criticism aside, it’s an entertaining watch; not necessarily for credibility or for cinematic value, but just to see how strange and resourceful your fellow man, woman or transvestite can be.