An aspiring actress finds herself on the adventure of a lifetime in this witty sharp that marks the directorial debut of actress Mika Boorem.

All Mika Harms wants is to become a successful actress. Her father was a former TV adventurer who had let himself go over a year ago. When Mika heads to an audition for a zombie film, she finds herself betrayed by her best friend but her wallowing in self-pity is short-lived when she meets top producer Veronica Lake. After some great advice from Veronica, Mika finds her folder and in a case of mistaken identity, Mika is chosen to produce a new project where she must find a rare jade in Guatemala.

With the help of her father, who has gotten back in shape and back in his prime, Mika heads to Guatemala. In the meantime, the Worleys’ assistant director Josh wants to sabotage them to further his own career and hopes to join a rival company. In Guatemala, Mika and her father find themselves on a series of wacky misadventures and things only get complicated when the jade itself gets stolen. For Mika, this is set to become an adventure that is destined to change her life forever.

You have to hand it to Mika Boorem. The former child star, known for her work in films like Along Came a Spider, Sleepover, and Blue Crush, meshes her two passions of acting and adventure in her feature film directorial debut. While the film is a fictional tale that blends the 80’s style adventure films with the dark side of seeking fame in Hollywood, Boorem successfully used real-life experiences from her long career and her family life to come up with the idea for the film.

And yet, Mika is not the only Boorem involved in this quirky adventure film. Her father Benjamin co-wrote the script with her and co-stars as her on-screen dad, former TV adventurer Ben Harms, who is reminiscent of a Steve Irwin and Bear Grylls type who had long talked about the jade that becomes our Macguffin here. Benjamin and Mika based the search on their real-life experiences as Benjamin is a gemologist who has traveled to Guatemala for jade.

The wacky misadventures that father and daughter endure are quite a hoot because when it comes to these films, most A-list companies would expect Mika to have a love interest. But that is not the case here and in reality, it is great and more fun to bring something fresh to this subgenre. What’s even more funny is what we see Mika go through when she is unexpectedly kidnapped and then almost forced to marry the Goth-wearing son of cartel leader, El Jade, played by Tom Arnold. His overacting is what was needed for this comedy, especially when he gets interrupted by the son during his interrogation of Mika.

The film’s other focus besides Mika’s adventure is about how to, or better yet, how not to, get yourself further in Hollywood. It does begin with a “betrayal” by Mika’s BFF Jocelyn, played by Brittany Underwood, as she auditions for the same zombie film Mika attempts to nab. The, over the course of the film, we see Herbert Russell’s Josh attempting to sabotage the very people he works for in order to further his career. Playing the smarmy rival producer who will help Josh if he succeeds in the sabotage is Devin Ratray, best known as Buzz McAllister in the first two Home Alone films and he even provides some laughs in the film especially while on the phone with Josh. And look out for a cameo by Billy Bob Thornton and his band, The Boxmasters.

Hollywood.CON is a wild and crazy look at how to (or how not to) further your career in Hollywood. Mika Boorem made a funny and quirky directorial debut as we embark on an adventure set to change lives forever.

WFG RATING: A

Reverie One presents a Hollywood Hustle production. Director: Mika Boorem. Producers: Mika Boorem and Benjamin Boorem. Writers: Mika Boorem and Benjamin Boorem. Cinematography: Robert Murphy. Editing: Anna Crane.

Cast: Mika Boorem, Benjamin Boorem, Herbert Russell, Devin Ratray, Nino De Marco, Saxon Trainor, Robert Amico, Brian Krause, Tom Arnold, Paige Howard, Preston Acuff, Chad Roberts.