purveyors of quality Deaf comedy

Text, Batteries & Earwax
Film Information
Why 'Text, Batteries & Earwax'?
Like the film itself, the title's a homage to a favourite movie of ours. No, not 'Sex, Lies & Videotape' but 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles'. You could also say (we do) that text, batteries and earwax are the three constants in the life of a deaf person today. We can't live without text messaging, everything grinds to a halt if you run out of batteries and earwax, well, we're stuck with it...


Yeuch. So, the plot?
It's essentially 12 hours in the life of an odd couple, Lenny and Steve, complete strangers who meet by chance at a railway station. They're opposites: Lenny is Deaf, ebullient, a BSL user; Steve partially hearing, smooth.


Sounds like there's a bit of stereotyping going on...
You may think that but watch the movie and see how many characteristics you recognise - in others, in your friends, in yourself. Are we really all so different?


Enough with the pop psychology. Be honest, now. Are the characters inspired by people YOU know?
Actually, the characters are more inspired by Neal Page & Del Griffith, the characters Steve Martin and John Candy play in 'Planes, Trains & Automobiles' (1987). When we mention this, everyone goes "oh, I like Steve Martin" but really TB&E is more of a tribute to John Candy - he was really, really underrated.

What we can say though is that all the incidents you see in TB&E actually happened, either to ourselves or people we know of. Naming no names, of course.

Another inspirations were 'Midnight Run' (1988), which is another 'anti-buddy' movie - you can see elements of the testiness Robert De Niro's character displayed in William's portrayal of Steve. Also, we're big fans of Laurel & Hardy which explains the touch of slapstick in TB&E - keep your eyes peeled for an 'Ollie moment'.


Will do. What about the actors, anyone we know?
Try our full cast biographies.


I've seen the movie and I'd like to tell you what I think.
Please, feel free: info@deafo.com
Showings Film Info Links Cast Trivia
William Mager as Steve and Matt Kirby as Lenny
William Mager (Steve) & Matt Kirby (Lenny) in a scene from Text, Batteries & Earwax