AUSTIN, Texas – The beauty of “Skills Like This” is it’s a comedy that’s actually funny, which was hard to find among the many documentaries and minimally funny films at SXSW.

The film, for which Monty Miranda won the Audience Award for best narrative feature director, is about a crappy playwright, Max (Spencer Berger), who after a conversation with his doubting friends, Tommy (Brian Phelan) and Dave (Gabriel Tigerman), decides to rob a neighboring bank.

After pulling off the successful crime and walking off with a bag full of money, Max finds his only talent is crime.

If this isn’t ridiculous enough, he falls in love with the bank teller, Lucy (Kerry Knuppe), who gave him the money during the heist, and the film turns into a romance. It’s the off-kilter plot of “Skills Like This” that make it light-hearted, fun and a standout of the festival.

Max’s friends, except for the prim and proper David, are proud of his accomplishment. David wants him to give the money back, while Max wants to feed his newfound appetite for larceny.

The film made a smart move by not having Max spend the $50,000 he got from the bank, which would’ve been the easy way out of the script. Instead, Max can’t get enough of the rush he gets from stealing, which leads to more conflict.

Miranda said he identified with the film as a writer who didn’t think he was good enough and was stuck on what to do next.

Luckily Miranda didn’t turn to a life of crime because unlike in the film, most girls aren’t turned on by a guy who steals his way through life – well, maybe a few – not to mention the police heavily frowns upon armed robbery.

Miranda directed a comical film audiences will enjoy. “Skills Like This” is unpredictable and raw – qualities a comedy needs to engage its audience.

Berger, who wrote the film, carries the cast as the self-destructive Max who essentially just needs to find his purpose (other than being a stick-up guy).

Miranda said the film hasn’t found a distributor yet, but if its win at SXSW is any indication of the audience’s reaction, the film should have no problem.

Gerrick Lewis can be reached at [email protected].