Plot: What’s it about?
Pestario Vargas (John Leguizamo) is what most people would call a worthless scumbag. He annoys people, he steals from people, he lies to people, and people even call him “the pest,” so you know the folks don’t have much love for him. Always looking to pick up a quick buck, even if it means cheating at the church bazaar, Pest jumps at the chance to make fifty-thousand big ones from a German man, with an unusual story. After Pest signs some papers for what he thinks is a scholarship, he finds himself on a tropical island, being hunted by a crazed German neo-Nazi. While on the island, Pest battles Germans with guns, nature itself, and a bad case of the runs, but he manages to escape from the insane hunt and make it home again. But the crazed hunter follows him, bound and determined to track down Pest, and set him down for good, all in the name of the ultimate big game hunt. Well, that and he really wants to kill Pest, since he’s so damn annoying and all. Can Pest avoid being killed by the hunter, keep his girlfriend happy, and manage his other affairs, or is he doomed to suffer the fate of having his head mounted in someone’s den?
This is the type of movie you either love or hate, depending on your tastes in comedy and comedic style. This movie is filled with toilet humor, ethic jokes, and all other manner of politically incorrect comedy, which is a double edged sword to be sure. Even fans of nonsense humor, such as Dumb and Dumber or Kingpin will find new lows here, and believe me, that’s saying something. The whole concept of a film exploiting racial stereotypes for comedic purposes is going to make a lot of people mad, but if you have an open mind, the jokes are seriously funny. The costumes and voices Leguizamo utilizes are hilarious and well delivered. Sure, this is a stupid movie, but gosh darn it, I can’t help but laugh my ass off as I watch it. Once again, I want to illustrate that this film is packed with fart jokes, racial based humor, and other things bound to offend some of you. If you can’t handle this type of humor, then keep away from this title. But if you like outrageous and disgusting comedy, this is your flick, for sure. I recommend a rental if it’s your first time, but a purchase is warranted, as Columbia has issued a terrific disc for this niche title.
This film was directed by Paul Miller, who made this movie his own and only cinematic effort to date, with his career focused on directing the small screen, or in layperson’s terms, television. Miller served as director on television shows such as Alf, The Nanny, Saturday Night Live, and Dream On. Miller returned to television after this film, directing Veronica’s Closet, but I hope he can make a return to the big screen soon. The story for this film was written by John Leguizamo and David Bar Katz, with Katz working on the screenplay by himself. In addition to helping with the film’s story, Leguizamo (Summer of Sam) also serves as lead actor in this movie, as the title character. While the breakneck pace and ethic/toilet nature of the humor wouldn’t work for every actor, Leguizamo handles it without any problems. Jeffrey Jones (The Devil’s Advocate, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and Edoardo Ballerini (The Last Days Of Disco, Romeo Must Die) also provide very humorous performances. The supporting cast also includes Tammy Townsend (The Brady Bunch Movie), Joe Morton (Lone Star, The Astronaut’s Wife), Freddy Rodriguez (Can’t Hardly Wait, Dead Presidents), and Aries Spears (Why Do Fools Fall In Love).
Video: How does it look?
The Pest is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame version included on the disc’s flip side. The colors are vivid and full, with no signs of problems at all, and flesh tones appear natural and distortion free. The contrast levels are strong and distinct also, with no visible detail loss and well defined shadows. The source material looks clean and free from all but minor wear signs, and I noticed no compression errors here, either.
Audio: How does it sound?
This release contains both 5.1 and 2.0 Dolby surround tracks, this audio portion of the review is based on the 5.1 version. This isn’t an audio driven movie, but there is plenty of surround activity, usually when the soundtrack kicks in. There is some nice subtle use as well though, enough to create a nice audio environment for the film. The main focus is on the dialogue though, and every joke comes through loud and clear. No volume issues arise either, so you can leave the remote on the coffee table through this one.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release contains talent files, as well as theatrical trailers for The Pest, The Cable Guy, and Big Daddy. Sadly, the only talent files present are for John Leguizamo and Paul Miller, no other cast or crew are included. A five and a half minute behind the scenes featurette is found here also, which consists of cast interviews, for the most part. The main supplement with this release is an audio commentary with director Paul Miller, which is very interesting. I didn’t expect a commentary with a film like this, but I am pleased to find one included. Miller delivers his commentary well, with few silent spots to be found. A much more informative track than I expected also, a fine commentary well worth a spin.
