"Austinwood", as the local movie buffs call it, has seen its share of filmmakers rise from virtual obscurity to the ranks of "Hollywood player". In the late eighties, Richard Linklater hit the scene first with his very independent SLACKERS. The nineties came with robert Rodriguez and his seven thousand dollar movie EL MARIACHI that turned Hollywood up side down, and Mike Judge, who's sick and twisted cartoon BEAVIS AND BUTTHEAD well, you know what happened from there. Now, with the millennium breathing down our necks, I am proud to say that we have one more group to add to our list of young will-be giants. The movie, or should I say movie event, is entitled Rhinos. It is being hailed as "the comedy for anyone who has ever hated their job." Is there anyone who hasn't? Rhinos contains all the ingredients of a cult classic. It stars locals Adam Warren and Chad Nell, who also wrote and co-produced the film. It brags a supporting cast of Kelly Coffield (In Living Color), Tangi Miller (Felicity), and Austin's own Dandi Hamann. Another Austin local who helped bring this dream to reality is former Waco district attorney turned actor and executive producer Vic Feazell. Rhinos was directed and co-written by Randy Olsen, a graduate of U.S.C. film school and the recipient of numerous awards for his short film You Ruined My Career.

Recently I met with Chad, Adam, and Vic at their office in Vic's hilltop hideaway on North Cat Mountain. The following is an excerpt from our conversation at ONE HORN PRODUCTIONS.

Chad is sitting on then couch, looking relaxed and devilish. Adam walks back and forth, sometimes leaning on the desk, as though he were posing for a commercial. These guys have a cool and confident air about them, like they've been hanging out with a bud (take that however you want). These men are easygoing and somehow comfortable to talk with, as though they were old friends. Occasionally, Vic pops in, without saying much. As he looks on calmly, one is reminded of Howard Hughes.

A²M: How did you guys come up with the idea of writing Rhinos?

(AW): Well, Chad and I have been friends for a long time now and we've always dealt with our misery through laughter. Affair San Diego (where Adam and Chad met in '91 by responding to an ad in the classifieds for a big job- perfume sales), I moved to Austin and enrolled in the theater program at South West Texas. Chad did the same at UCLA. Two months after graduation, I was in a massive state of depression over the breakup with an ex-girlfriend. Chad agreed to come out from L.A. for a couple weeks and visit to snap me out of it. Three months later, we had a screenplay.

A²M: Had you guys ever written anything before?

(CN): Never. We had no idea what we were doing in terms of structure or technique, we just knew it was funny. Our director, Randy, helped us with the rest.

A²M: Rhinos has shown in a couple of venues now, including World Premiering at the Austin Film Festival in October. What sort of response are you getting?

(AW): It has been insane. People are eating it up. All of our screenings so far have sold out. We get the party audience, from thirteen to thirty. They just want to laugh and be entertained for 88 minutes and forget about the real world (including their jobs). That is exactly what we give them.

(CN): Some of the most surprising praise we have received have been from the forty+ crowd. That certainly wasn't our target audience, but it's all good, right? People should come ready to party when they come to our movie. We tell everyone to see it with a bud and tell their friends. We chose Thursday nights at 9:45 at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema because there is no better atmosphere in town to check out our flick and pre-party for the weekend all at the same time.

A²M: How did you ever convince someone like Vic to finance the whole movie himself?

(AW): I was working as a personal trainer when Chad and I were writing Rhinos. I approached Vic with the idea of wanting to make a movie. He had mentioned that he was interested in breaking into the business, but hadn't found a screenplay yet that he liked. He said he wouldn't make a movie unless it made him "laugh or cry out loud". No easy task, considering as DA of Waco, he sent six people to death row.

Suddenly, appearing from no where as if he were listening to our conversation, in comes Vic.

(VF): Waco is a crazy place. Rhinos made me laugh, it made me cry, it became a part of me. It will be a cult classic, mark my word. That's why I did it. (Vic then exits as quickly as he entered.)

A²M: Does he always do that?

(CN): He only appears when he needs to, and he seems to know when that is.

A²M: Did you think, as you wrote it, that Rhinos would get this far?

(CN): That's kind of what being a Rhino is all about. You don't do anything without the assumption that it will work. If we listened to early criticism, I would still be an assistant in Hollywood and Adam would be personal training. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just not our dreams.

A²M: So what's next?

(AW): We recently completed our follow-up screenplay Rhinos II: Sharks.

(CN): It's about two moral pygmies who, through the practice of law, become spiritual giants. Kind of a "My Cousin Vinny" meets "The Rainmaker".

A²M: First, you create Rhinos. Now, with Sharks you have Brick and Maceo becoming lawyers. I've got to see this. Are you guys going to take a break?

(CN): That's what rehab is for. We don't mind working hard for our dreams. I want to have fun no matter what I do, as long as nobody gets hurt. Unless they want to, but that's another interview.

(AW): Bad Chad. Bad Chad.

Bottom Line: Rhinos is a must see. For more information about the movie, visit www.rhinosthemovie.com. I'll see you at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema on Thursdays at 9:45. Be sure to get there early before the show is sold out.