We just watched this small gem

What a pleasant and welcome surprise this was. I just watched it on Showtime on-demand. I had some serious doubts, given the title, but fantasy is my favorite genre, so I was going to give it a provisional 10 minutes. Then I was hooked. When I first saw the protagonist, Camilan (who I later learned co-wrote and co-directed the flick), I was not impresssed. Not quite handsome, and many of the women in my gym could beat him up. Then I quickly grasped the spoof energy of this film. He was supposed to be ALMOST good enough, but not. This is a REALLY funny, charming and engaging movie with what I think is an exceptionally deft touch for balancing wit, adventure, outright fun and heart—on a low budget, again showing that the fundamental STUFF matters more than having only money up on the screen—and that’s hard to do. The script and casting are both surprisingly impressive. This is a little gem, and I applaud everyone who was involved in making it. It may be a spoof, but the story is nonetheless involving, every character is flawed and loveable (except for the evil wizard), and I laughed out loud and applauded more than a few times. In short, it engaged and involved me. I have read rather a lot of glowing comments, here and elsewhere, that praise Dudes & Dragons for not taking itself seriously. In the sense that the movie knows what it is and what it is not, I agree. But what I feel is more important is that Dudes & Dragons takes its audience VERY seriously, and we, the audience, are the beneficiaries thereof. Bravo.