Why bad timing? Well let's get the plot discussed first and
move on to that. Frank (Joel Murray) is having the worst time ever. His
neighbors are the worst ever, constantly fighting until the wee hours of the night
with a baby that won't stop crying. Frank watches TV to deaden the sound but
the things he sees there are so terrible it doesn't help, everything from being
able to buy farting pig ring tones to reality shows where terrible women toss
used tampons at one another in anger. When he sees a singing competition show
(only someone living in a cave won't recognize the jab here), he sees everyone
on the show making fun of a contestant who has no idea just how terrible he
sounds. But it gets worse.
Frank goes to work where co-workers seem like the rest of
the world, eager to make fun of people and talk trash thinking that's
entertainment, discussing the loser on the singing program non-stop. When he
tries to tell a co-worker how terrible it is that people seem to have nothing
better to do than be uncivil to one another he's called to the office to
discover he's being fired. His transgression was that he sent flowers to the
receptionist because she told him she was having a bad day. In today's world
this constitutes sexual harassment. To cap off his day, Frank goes to his
doctor to find out he has an inoperable brain tumor.
Going home with the intent of killing himself, Frank once
more turns on TV only to witness a reality show where a rich spoiled brat
complains about everything going so far as to curse out her parents for buying
her the wrong car for her birthday. Frank has had enough. He goes to the town
where the girl lives and watches her until he has the chance and then kills
her. A young girl witnesses the killing and tells him he's fantastic for doing
so. A twist leads the girl to join Frank and off they go on a road trip where
they discuss and sometimes kill those who are uncivil to everyone else.
I know, it sounds twisted and a bit rough. But then again
keep in mind this is a dark comedy from director/writer Bobcat Goldthwait who
has made some seriously dark comedies in the past as well. At least one moment
will place this movie in the category of pitch black dark comedy. Amazingly
enough for the violence in the film the truth is the concept behind it IS that
the world has become uncivil and he's trying to point that out. The shows on TV
celebrate how nasty we can be to one another. Pop-tart stars seem to be the
focus of everyone's life these days, who they slept with, where they go, what
they wear and more. I mean can anyone honestly tell me why we have more than
one series on TV talking about a Kardashian? What did they accomplish or do
that deserved a TV series?
If you can get past the violence (and especially something
that even I think was over the top in the first 10 minutes of the movie) then
you'll find some seriously funny stuff here. The movie hits the mark in the
idea of what it is trying to discuss and satirize. Popular culture has taken a
turn for the worse in the past decade or so. Discussions on serious topics have
gone to the wayside leaving us talking about nonsensical things. We now praise
that which we used to scorn. And this movie shows us that.
So why is it bad timing? The first reason is the violence,
the choice of the main characters to use guns to solve their problems. More and
more every day people are actually doing this in real life. Within weeks prior
to this film coming out on DVD there have been several shootings where individuals
have gone off the deep end killing groups of people. But rather than blame that
person, we still look to find something to blame it on.
Secondly is a sequence in the film that seems as if Bobcat
saw it coming. While watching a documentary in a theater, Frank and Roxy deal
with punk kids who toss popcorn at them and continue to use their cell phone
and talk while the movie is on. Eventually (and this isn't a spoiler since it
was in the trailer), Frank turns around and shoots each offender. While many of
us have had to deal with inconsiderate patrons at theaters often, the recent
shooting in Aurora make this sequence seem a little eerie. While it might have
been something to laugh at over a month ago, now it just seems too real.
The often say that art imitates life and in this case it
does indeed. The movie is actually quite good and says a lot of things that
many people feel is true. The violence will turn off some, especially since
there is humor tied to it. But that's always been the case with dark comedy. Thirty
seven years ago (has it really been that long?) it was Monty Python lopping off
the arms and legs of the Black Knight. Times change and things get increasingly
more intense. If you can overlook that and realize that this is a comedy then
you're in for a treat. If you're too sensitive then look for another film. This
movie is one of the better films I've seen this past year. I would say it's too
bad about the timing of the release but instead I'll say it's too bad that
someone would actually take things to this extreme in real life.
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