Raunchy comedy isn’t just for Americans

Foreign films are sometimes hard to jump into with both feet. There’s a stigma with the masses fearing subtitles. I find that a great many people don’t want to read a movie and the only other option is dubbed dialogue. If done right, dubbing can be nearly flawless. Far too often it’s abysmal. Another hurdle is the perceived overly artsy content of some of the more popular foreign films. Fans of “Transformers” and “The 40 Year Old Virgin” are probably not going to want to sink their teeth into Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “Three Colors” trilogy.

2010’s Danish language “Klown” challenges these notions with furious and reckless abandon. It’s an unintentional fight against the misperceived idea of the stuffy foreign film. Nonetheless as I watched this raunchy and thoroughly ridiculous comedy the these thoughts were at the forefront of my mind.

“Klown” is the story of dimwitted Frank, his misogynistic friend Casper, and 12-year old nephew, Bo. The trio gather together under less than ideal circumstances and embark on a canoe vacation down a picturesque Danish river. 

At it’s core, “Klown” follows the well-travelled tradition of road trip comedies. Frank is a bumbling buffoon. He accepts everything at a sort of bizarre face-value. Casper, conversely is a shark of a man. He’s slick and knows all the tricks to get what he wants out of life. Casper seems to keep Frank around as a friend simply for amusement. When Frank’s girlfriend reveals she’s pregnant he figures he’s got to step up and prove he can be a great father. His course of action is to kidnap his nephew and drag him along with Casper on their already planned weekend of debauchery camping trip. I don’t want to give any more details away about why things happen in the film the way they do. Revealing virtually anything about the story and the almost implausible reasons things happen in this intentional comedic travesty would just ruin the jaw-dropping surprises.

As the film progresses we don’t get the feeling that Frank learns anything really. Casper certainly does not grow as a person. We do see that Frank is an earnest and caring fellow, however. His intentions seem to eventually fall into the right place. It’s his way of getting there that is so hilariously questionable if not endeering.

That being said, the film treads on ridiculously crude subject matter. Though it’s a road trip movie with a 12-year old as a major character it’s certainly not acceptable for younger audiences.

In the states we’ve been treated to an ever increasing onslaught of gross-out-humor that’s in your face and crudely hysterical. But “Klown” reveals it’s childish heart subtly under the American viewer’s radar. What sets this Danish film apart is its almost reality TV like cinematography and the casual yet super believable actions of Frank and Casper. Many times during the film I felt I was watching a documentary about some really, horribly misbehaved and hilariously stupid people.

It’s difficult to judge the performance of the actors. Frank (Frank Hvam) and Casper (Casper Christensen) are unknown to me. I’m not sure what kind of career or reputation they have in Denmark. They do seem utterly believable though. Perhaps some comic timing isn’t quite as easily perceived as the subtitles kind of unavoidably create a separation. Ultimately their anonymity works in the film’s favor as we don’t expect the levels of depravity they’ll stoop to. If this were an American film, I could picture Vince Vaughn as Casper and maybe John C. Riley as Frank. But the casting alone of an American version would just give a little too much away. “Klown” really shines in the unexpected breaking of conventions and shatters the foreign film mistyque. The film is available on Netflix instant streaming and though “Klown” is not for the faint of heart, it’s a worthwhile comedy that just might change your mind about foreign films.

Klown (2010)

Director: Mikkel Nørgaard

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Three out of five collectable bottle caps.

Starring: Frank Hvam, Casper Christensen and Marcuz Jess Petersen.

Runtime: 89 minutes

Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, language and some drug use.

A dark comedy with a buttery finish

If you’re anything like me, you’ve likely wondered what goes through the mind of butter sculptors. You know the artistic idols of dairy goodness I’m referring to. Though the butter sculptures are largely a staple of state fairs to the east, you’ve all seen or heard of these strange creations, these creamy salutes to the nation’s dairy-land. But who are the creators of these cholesterol crammed creations?

The 2011 film “Butter” doesn’t try to answer these questions in a realistic manner. The film uses the butter carving competitions as a backdrop for a tale of orphans, adulterers, prostitutes and political hopefuls.

Laura (Jennifer Garner) and Bob Pickler (Ty Burrell) are the reigning king and queen of the butter sculpting world. Laura sees her husband’s carving talents as her foot in the door for bigger and better things. Somehow she sees the success from Bob’s butter art as a possible road to the Whitehouse. So when Bob is asked to step down from the annual competition after 14 years of straight victories to “Give someone else a shot” Laura sees her dreams dashed.

Destiny (Yara Shahidi) is an orphan who’s spent her life hopping from one foster home to the next. When she lands in the caring hands of Ethan (Rob Corddry) and Jill (Alicia Silverstone) Julie she realizes she’s never been anywhere long enough to know much about herself. She finds joy in butter sculpting and, with the encouragement of her foster parents, enters the local competition for the state fair.

Meanwhile Laura has decided just because her husband cannot enter the competition doesn’t mean she can’t. And thus the butter-carving dynasty remains in the Pickler name. This of course this puts her at odds with the young and disadvantaged Destiny. Laura plays for keeps and doesn’t back down from the title when she realizes her competition is only 10-years old.

Throw into this mix Bob Pickler’s affair with a stripper named Brooke (Olivia Wilde), Laura’s extramarital dalliances with ex-beau Boyd (Hugh Jackman) and Destiny’s quest to find her real parents and the simple butter competition becomes an exercise in darkly comedic disaster.

At least that’s the goal of “Butter,” but it never quite hits the mark, nor does it find a solid identity. At times it’s the sweet tale of Destiny trying to fit in as an African American orphan in a very white world. At other times it attempts to satirize Middle-America and state fairs and the butter carving competition. There’s an undertone of dark humor to the whole film, but despite its buttery subject matter, not a whole lot to sink your teeth into.

 Jennifer Garner’s Laura is a despicable shrew of a woman. Her step-daughter looks to stripper Brooke as more of a role model. Brooke, in turn, doesn’t want much to do with the Pickler family unless money is involved. It’s clear Bob Pickler doesn’t really care for his wife and she doesn’t care for him. We know Laura is sticking by her man because she plans to use his status as political clout, but why is Bob staying with her?

Conversely, Rob Corddry as Ethan actually gets to prove there’s more to him than is usually portrayed in Judd Aptow films. He’s a knight in white-bread armor to Destiny as she struggles to make her home. Alicia Silverstone does little else but chew on her bottom lip in that pouty clueless way that made her famous. Still, Ethan and Julie don’t have to do much to look great when compared with the Picklers.

The questions aren’t really addressed and no bold statement is made when the film comes to a close. The laughs are subtle and far between. As a whole “Butter” is an awkward situation that’s doesn’t really cover any distinct subject matter with any clarity. It doesn’t pack the laughs in and doesn’t resonate as even a cult classic. It’s mildly amusing and both sweet and salty, kind of like butter itself.

 

Butter (2011)

Director: Jim Field Smith

2 and a half out of 5 cubes of sculpting material

Starring: Jennifer Garner, Yara Shahidi, Rob Corddry, 

Alicia Silverstone, Olivia Wilde and Ty Burrell

Rated Rated R for language and sexual content

Runtime: 90 Minutes

Armchair philosopher brings the family together

I’m not a very goal oriented guy. That being said one goal I’m happy to say I’ve achieved is moving out of my parents’ house.

I know that’s not exactly aiming high, but it seems more and more folks are “living at home.” I’m closer to 40 now than I ever thought possible — I was sure aging would slow down — and when I say living at home I mean my own home. Yet to many, for whatever reason, home is the basement of their parents’ house.

That’s the situation of Jeff (Jason Segel) in 2012’s “Jeff, Who Lives at Home.” As the film opens we see 30-year old Jeff alone in his mother’s Baton Rouge basement. He records insightful philosophy from the privacy of his bathroom on an out-of-date tape recorder. He watches infomercials and partially believes they might just actually be directed at him. Jeff believes there’s a pattern to life and an interconnectedness to all things. His one goal is not to leave home but to figure out what this interconnected universe wants from him. It’s a daunting task that has him essentially saddled to his couch.

A miss-dialed number awakes him from his near catatonia. The caller is looking for someone named Kevin. Jeff assumes there are no wrong numbers and begins his search for his own destiny, or that of Kevin’s. When Jeff’s mother,  Sharon (Susan Sarandon) tasks Jeff with actually leaving the house to acquire something from the Home Depot Jeff’s investigation into the mystery of Kevin becomes an expedition.

Along the way we are introduced to Jeff’s older brother, Pat (Ed Helms) who is in the middle of a rocky relationship with his wife Linda (Judy Greer). Pat’s solution to reignite the fire in his dwindling relationship is to buy a Porsche. Aside from this seemingly impulsive move on Pat’s part he’s the responsible one. He’s got a job, and an apartment and now keys to a brand new Porsche. Oddly enough he’s perhaps more directionless and lost than his stay-at-home brother.

The two brothers meet up accidentally. Jeff’s philosophy of interconnectedness bashes into Pat’s passive aggressive nihilism. The two have unresolved issues that we learn overlap into even their mother’s life. Their lives, though previously separate become deeply entwined in a sequence of serendipitous events that will shape the lives of the family forever.

Jason Segel’s Jeff is the kind of guy you wouldn’t loan money to. You’d know you’d never get a return on your investment. However he exudes a genuine naivety and sweetness that would almost make you fork over some cash anyway. Pat, conversely will most likely pay you back but he’s such an insufferable fool you’d hide your wallet when he comes to visit.

The two play off each other in a surprisingly warm manner. We can believe they are brothers and we can see something has driven a wedge into the family and that wedge might just be the thing that holds Jeff hostage in his mother’s basement.

“Jeff, Who Lives at Home” is billed as a comedy, but there are few laugh out loud moments. It does have a certain charm though that kept a smile on my face throughout Jeff and Pat’s awkward adventure together. More importantly the story of the fractured family is delicately and artfully assembled into a quite touching whole. Strange coincidences move the plot forward and leave us wondering is Jeff really as out of touch as he seems or is there really something to his Zen-like philosophy of life. I’m not moving in with my dad to devote all my energy into discovering if Jeff is right, but in quiet moments to myself I might just believe we’re all connected in some dazzling and unsuspecting way.

3-and-a-half out of 5 bottles of wood glue

Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2012)
Starring: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon and Judy Greer
Directors: Jay and Mark Duplass
Runtime: 83 minutes
Rated R for language including sexual references and some drug use.