When studying any subculture, specifically those which involve collecting, it’s easy to fall prey to reductive thinking. When studying a subculture about people who collect pez dispensers in particular, the reductive thinking might ring out as, “This is ridiculous.” However, director Chris Marshall’s PEZheads-The Movie is anything but that. Weaving together multiple interviews with longtime collectors and dealers, among them Robby Takac of The Goo Goo Dolls and Joe Vittoria, president of PEZ USA, the documentary speaks more about community than collecting, making a statement on a fun-loving level about how important human connection remains in a society predominantly linked through online sources.

The story follows Chris Skeene, one of the film’s producers along with wife Kendra, as he sets out from convention to convention, making stops at the Easton, PA PEZ musuem and the Orange, CT PEZ headquarters. Along the way he meets with influential voices in the community, connecting with others on the level of trade and trust. While there’s a bit of technical information in the film in reference to PEZ history, the bulk of the film pulls on interviews that explain why people collect and how the community supports each budding or die-hard PEZhead.

Fun and easy, PEZheads-The Movie has the charm of its toy counterpart and will also, with hope, develop all of its longevity.

For more information, visit www.pezheadsthemovie.com.

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