Bye Mr Ex, Your Commander Is Calling
starring: MEG BUSH & JORDAN FRANK
Fed up of ungrateful boyfriend Ethan, Hazel walks out to reclaim her career as Lieutenant in the military, and sets out to prove to Ethan she can surpass him in every way. Throw in handsome Captain Sebastian Cole, who seems to remember Hazel from the past… and sparks are sure to fly.
REVIEW
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
More comedy and better writing. I have been begging for this. So sing Hallelujah because this delivers both in spades.
In lesser hands this would be a typical toxic ex and his family etc hitting and slapping the female lead. NOT HERE.
Ethan is the rubbish ex, and it is all in his ego, blindness and idiocy. Making Hazel do all the laundry, and demanding things are hand washed is just as impactful. And because we lean into the humour it is fun to watch rather than uncomfortable.
I adore Ben Taylor and he has been waiting for this kind of a role. He is phenomenal, funny and heartbreaking all at once, he can deliver killer lines with a straight face, do the physical comedy (wheelchair), and also rather broke my heart at the end when he realizes what he has lost. I need to do a separate post about just how good he is
I am so happy to see Meg Bush in a kick ass role where she is not getting slapped. If you follow Meg on Instagram you will know she is very athletic and she gets to do all that here with the pull ups. She does controlled anger brilliantly, we can basically see the steam coming out of her ears as Hazel gets more and more annoyed with Ethan. And then that song at the end... please tell me that was Meg singing because wow.
We all know when Jordan Frank turns up he will get the girl, but he gets so much more to work with here, iconic entrance, banter with Hazel, the realization she doesn't remember him. Best thing I have seen him in.
Everyone is freaking brilliant:
Elyse Mirto killing it with the reveal she can walk
Jessica Ruth Bell’s face when she eats the candle
Mark Valeriano as the character I feel most connected with
Sean McHugh with a superstar cameo
Zelda Kimble who makes me giggle all the way through with her reactions
Dorothy Mannine is pitch perfect with her 'Viper Pit' - worth watching just for her episodes and the look of alarm in Sebastian's face when she runs that foot up his leg
The whole thing is brilliant. It is fresh, original, funny and I am beyond thrilled it has been made. All the cast so deserve roles like this to work with. And boy do we win as viewers.
💖 Top swoonworthy moment:
Captain Cole (Jordan Frank) has one of the best ever on screen entrances in a vert. Just iconic. Add in the trope that Hazel was his ‘north star’ when he was feeling lost. Then the whole thing with the grenade. And finally the biggest gesture ever at the end. This is top tier romance and very swoonworthy.
🦹🏼♂️ Top villain award:
This is so well written you end up loving the villains - Ethan (Ben Taylor) is simultaneously awful and hilarious and heartbreaking at the end. And just when you think it can’t get any better, Beatrice Viper (Dorothy Mannine) turns up, and pitches the character perfectly, demanding and diva like, but never OTT.
😂 Comedy gold:
So many things:
Roxy (Jessica Ruth Bell) biting into that candle. Mrs Grant (Elyse Mirto) revealing she can walk. But all the awards have to go to Ben Taylor who is flipping hysterical from the moment he stands there with a face mask on trying to assert his authority “I am in the United States Special Forces”.
🎺 Unsung hero:
I have a lot of love for Jerry (Mark Valeriano) and his obsession with food, and Vivi (Zelda Kimble) for being adorably cute, and then running a mile from Beatrice Viper.
✍🏼 DETAILS
Director Yanping Diao | 2025
Available on DreameShort
