Any fan of the films of Wes Anderson should be no stranger to Kumar Pallana. Made famous for his non-actor acting in such films as Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal, Kumar is the go-to-guy for the role that calls for an 88 year old gardener (or safe-cracker) with a dead-pan, broken english delivery. Well as it turns out, Kumar’s show biz experiences began years before he was discovered by Wes Anderson. Apparently Kumar originally made his living as a world famous plate spinner, opening for The Rat Pack and appearing on The Ed Sullivan show, among many others. Now Kumar is set to star in his own documentary, Kumar: My 88 Year Old Best Friend. The film is directed by indie label owner Dave Brown and follows Kumar on a tour opening for rock bands, resurecting his plate spinning act after a fourty year hiatus. I’ve just watched the ‘trailer’, but it seems to be more of a short film explaining the idea of the feature, lasting about five minutes with end credits and all. We get to see some interview/performance clips of Kumar on the road, spread among what seem to be scripted segments of Dave Brown explaining the film and his unlikely relationship with his 88 year old friend. I have to say the obviously pre-planned banter with an off-camera interviewer didn’t work for me. The film could be an interesting look into Kumar’s life, but could also easily turn into Dave Brown’s personal show and tell, displaying his unusual friendship with his so called 88 year old best friend. Head over to the Holiday Matinee website and check out the clip for yourself.