Also known as Life During Wartime, The Alarmist is wacky fun mired in sheer oddity. For starters, why is the video title different than the theatrical title? Why do these characters act so strangely? Probably because the story -- about a burglar alarm salesman who breaks into houses to drum up business -- doesn't carry the picture on its own. Only by stretching the characters into ridiculousness does the film get more interesting.

But that's what didn't happen. The Alarmist would have been better without the distractions. Still, it's okay, though if I have to see McCormack squint and purse her lips through one more film I think I'm going to freak out.