In walks Winston Zeringue (Robb Conner), eyeing the shop and asking all sorts of questions. Lo and behold, after Neal tells him all about the business, Winston opens "The New Original Flakes" across the street later that week, a Starbucks version of their cereal bar! The locals are outraged at this blatant capitalist who has stolen their idea and infringed on their territory. They know he is doomed to failure because the loyalists will stay with the real Flakes. Or will they?
When Neal refuses to let Miss Katz work for Flakes and instead hires the sexy "Strawberry" (Izabella Miko, Coyote Ugly), so named for her strawberry backpack, he and Miss Katz have a blowout fight, and she goes to work for the competition to get Neal's goat. As she and Neal drift further apart and the real Flakes is driven out of business, Willie and Neal band together and hire Winston's father's (also a lawyer) arch enemy to sue the fake Flakes. As the legal battle plays out, you'll never guess the ending.
I like a good independant film now and again, but they have to really impress me. Now, Zooey Deschanel doesn't have to do much to impress me aside from appearing on screen. I think she's terrific and her role in this film in no exception. The film being set in New Orleans also appealed to me, it being my birthplace. The fact that Karey Kirkpatrick and Chris Poche of Over the Hedge and Spiderwick Chronicles fame wrote it only added to the allure. Let me say that I was not disappointed. While not uproariously funny like Drillbit Taylor, this movie is more what I would call "smart and artsy funny." I laughed a lot, loved the actors in their roles and would damn near eat at Flakes every morning if it existed. Cereal nerds - who'd have ever thought? If you like quirky comedies along the lines of Empire Records, give Flakes a try.
