Locker 13 is an anthology starring Jon “Lazlo Hollyfeld/Uncle Rico” Gries and John Spisak as janitors at a theme park. As Archie (Gries) advises his new night janitor Skip (Spisak) on all of the aspects of the job, he throws in some tales of people making right and wrong choices in life. The stories vary from a boxing version of The Red Shoes starring Ricky Schroder to a jacked up Shriners club to a man who goes to great lengths to write the perfect story to a man contemplating suicide.

“Our choices make us who we are” is the overall running theme in Locker 13. While each story focuses on life choices, and most include a direct nod to a locker #13, the wrap around story is the most interesting aspect. Simply put, Archie has warned Skip to stay away from his locker. Of course, the locker is magical and is a portal to an alternate reality where it is the previous day. And, of course, when Skip opens the locker, he greets an initially identical version of himself. As the nights progress, the alternate Skip’s life becomes increasingly better while the other Skip’s gets worse. It leads him to make a drastic choice.

The film was originally released in 2009 and has just been released on DVD. Locker 13 suffers where most modern anthologies do, as there simply isn’t enough to hold each story and link it to the next. The idea that a choice is being made in each story doesn’t resonate strongly enough to makes connections. The acting, direction and writing varies from story to story – and Schroder’s segment is probably the strongest simply because the basis of the story is an homage to a classic tale. But, still, the title Locker 13, obviously taken from Archie’s locker number, doesn’t string together for each story. It could be there are too many other ideas floating in the multiple stories. Perhaps as shorts, each segment could stand a bit stronger, but overall, the wrap around is what shines brighter, even if just barely.