Plot: What’s it about?
Waylon (Corin Nemec) and Buzz (David Faustino) have just lost their jobs, which leaves them as two unemployed losers. Buzz was close to his special pin for five-hundred hours worked, but Waylon’s fist fight with an old man caused them to be dismissed. So the two venture to their local dive to drink away their troubles, but then they hear about a killer party and after they’ve weaseled an invite, they saunter in to find some ladies. As usual, Waylon has to take the reins and he finds them dates, but in order to get laid by these chicks, they’ll need to score some weed and quick. So after a trek to the copy place to run off some extra bills, the two purchase some Peruvian butt weed and head off to seduce the ladies (Caroline Keenan & Danielle Harris). After the kids smoke some weed and start to have some laughs however, the girls want feedbags and the guys are off once again. But with a closed store, insane drug dealer, killer Pomeranian, and that old man that beat up Waylon out there, can these two losers finally get things to roll in their favor?
This was one of the most idiotic, retarded, and moronic films I’ve ever seen and in the end, I found it to be hilarious. The acting is bad, the writing is cheese laden, and the budget shows the limits, but Killer Bud never tries to be more than a dumb comedy, so it all works out. You have to have a taste for low brow, downright stupid humor, but if you do, then you’re in luck here. The dialogue is so bad here, but it is worked so well by the actors, who have a good grasp on the characters. I wouldn’t call the acting good by any means, but the performers seem to be having fun and manage to deliver the lines in fine form. The cast is headed by Corin Nemec and David Faustino, but also includes Robert Stack, Caroline Keenan, and Danielle Harris. In case you can’t tell from the title, Killer Bud is infused with drug related humor and as such, you should avoid this if that kind of subject matter throws you off course. This film, also known as Totally Irresponsible, is a terrific buddy movie that is well worth a look, but only if you’re into low brow comedy pictures.
I remember him best from the television series Parker Lewis Can’t Lose, but Corin Nemec has been in a lot of feature films as well. Nemec has some potential and can perform at times, but he has never been given much chance to shine, although he has a nice size role here. I was pleased with Nemec’s turn here, as he handles the nature of the film well and plays off his costars to perfection. Of course, this isn’t deep stuff and Nemec doesn’t show much range, but he does elevate the character, which is what counts. Although I have doubts in Nemec’s dramatic skills, I do think he tackles the humor here well, so I would like to see him take on more roles like this one soon. I know some folks will pass off his work as dumb, but given the nature of this material, I think Nemec’s turn is terrific and adds a lot to the movie. Other films with Nemec include The Stand, Solar Crisis, Operation Dumbo Drop, Mojave Moon, and Drop Zone. The rest of the cast includes David Faustino (Tv’s Married With Children), Danielle Harris (Marked For Death, Urban Legend), Maurice Chasse (Rapid Fire, Steel), Caroline Keenan (Nothing To Lose, The Replacements), and Robert Stack (1941, Airplane).
Video: How does it look?
Killer Bud is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. The lack of added resolution causes some problems, but in the end, this is still a more than decent presentation. The main issue here is edge enhancement, which is frequent and distracting at times, although not as bad as some titles I’ve seen. The colors look vivid and bold however, with minimal errors there and flesh tones come off in natural form also. The contrast is also in order, with deep black levels and a very strong detail presence. I do wish this was anamorphic, as the frequent edge enhancement and shimmering really lessens the experience, but in the end, this is more than watchable.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included Dolby stereo track is solid, but not as immersive as I would have liked. But since the elements come across in fine form, I can’t knock the score too much and I don’t think this track will let down anyone. The soundtrack is pretty cool and sounds good in this mix, but again, isn’t able to use all the channels and as such, seems a little limited at times. But the sound effects are terrific here, no balance issues in the least to complain about. All the vocals are well presented here too, with no clarity or volume problems to speak of. Not the most active or memorable mix, but it gets the job done and that’s enough. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
There’s not much here, but this disc does include five deleted scenes, which are worth a look. I would have loved a commentary of some kind here, whether from the director or some of the cast members, but no such luck in this case.
