Plot: What’s it about?
This is not a traditional picture, as there is no central premise, just a selection of short skits and the like. So I can’t do much as far as a synopsis, since there is no real conflict to resolve nor any kind of theme or tone. But I want to give you some kind of idea on what to expect, so I will discuss a few of the subjects covered in The Underground Comedy Movie. The cast is better than you might expect, with such names as Slash, Gena Lee Nolin, and Michael Clarke Duncan, and yes, even the lovable Joey Buttafuoco involved. The film starts off with a clash between a man who always rhymes and an insane baseball player, who go back and forth torturing an old woman, for no reason whatsoever, I at least not that I could determine. We then watch as supermodels take a dump, then return to more of the old woman bashing, then through a couple of other skits. Soon we land in the portion that features Michael Clarke Duncan as a gay virgin, then we are tossed into a humorous spoof on the song I Love L.A., which is one of the movie’s highlights. The remainder of the picture offers us a spoof called The Godmother, which stars Buttafuoco, as well as skits about a lesbian fighting superhero called Dickman, an urban talk show known as Watts Up?, and several other outlandish pieces before the end credits.
I saw this movie advertised on-line, but until Image picked it for distribution, I never took the plunge to check it out. Vince Offer served as writer, director, editor, and star here, none of which he handles too well. This is kind of a bitter letter to Hollywood, from someone who wants inside the gates, but lacks the pure talent to make it happen. Offer had some cash however, so he got some cameras, some decent stars, and made his own movie. The Underground Comedy Movie was made in the same vein as The Naked Gun, with endless jokes fired off at a rapid clip, but this one has more misses than hits. And when a scene does work, it tends to drag on too long and without fail, lose what little entertainment was involved. I did love the supermodels on the toilet and the Dickman segment, but most of the skits were forced and not that humorous. Offer tries too hard to shock, which results in desperation at times, as if he locked up and wasn’t sure how to push the material further. There is some potential here, but I had a hard time finding many laughs in The Underground Comedy Movie. Image has released this movie in two editions, an R rated version and an unrated version, so make sure to nab the unrated one. This is by no means a great, or even that good of a movie, but if you’re curious, it is worth a rental.
Video: How does it look?
The Underground Comedy Movie is presented in 1.85:1 widescreen, which is not enhanced for widescreen televisions. This looks a lot better than I expected, thanks to the use of real film and some solid cinematography. The source print looks very clean, which allows the brightness and detail present to shine, which you have to like. The colors are in fine form, very rich tones and no signs of flaws in the least. I also saw no signs of trouble with the flesh tones, which come off as natural and distortion free. The contrast is well covered too, no visible detail loss here and the black level balance is dead on. This is pretty damn good, given the nature of the material and I doubt anyone will be let down here.
Audio: How does it sound?
A 2.0 surround option is utilized here and while not that memorable, the audio is well handled and never seems out of balance. I do wish the soundtrack was a little more dynamic, but the music sounds good and I suppose no real complaints should be placed there. Not much to discuss in terms of sound effects, but the ones present sound solid, which is all you can ask in this case. I heard no flaws with the dialogue, which comes across in fine form here, no clarity or volume issues to contend with. Not the best soundtrack out there, but for the dialogue driven material, this is a more than solid treatment.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes some outtakes, screen tests, a collection of deleted scenes, and the film’s trailer.
