Marina Antunes [DVD News 06.18.12] action comedy cult



There are bad movies and then there are bad movies that manage to eek out an ounce of entertainment and then occasionally a movie comes along that looks like it fits the definition of entertaining schlock but then proves to be a little more than that: it proves that it has heart. Watching the Trost Bros.' The FP I certainly got the feeling that there was a bit of movie magic floating around the set of the The FP and some of it seems to have been captured on film, resulting in a little gem of a movie that begs to be seen more than once.

Dragging in bits and pieces of all your 80s action movie nostalgia, video game memories and bad fashion, The FP takes place in real life Frazier Park but in a completely unreal universe that feels both futuristic and retro at once. More accurately, it's an alternative sort of world with familiar bits that also feel new. The FP is a battleground for two feuding gangs, each vying for control over the alcohol in the region which, as KCDC, one of the gang members incomprehensibly "explains," also controls the hobos and the feeding of the ducks at the local pond. I'm not sure why this is important and we never find out and quite frankly, it doesn't really matter because in the road to control lies the entertainment and that requires very little explanation. The preferred mode of battle in this world which is inhabited by gang bangers talking shit at a rate that is mostly indiscernible, is Beat-Beat Revolution (a rip-off of Dance Dance Revolution) and opponents face off, occasionally to the death.


In a pre-credits match, BTro does a 187 while facing off against rival L Dubba E, losing control of the region to the rival gang. His little brother JTro, upset by the loss of his brother, disappears from the area until he's brought back into the fold by KCDC and trained by local legend BLT, groomed to defeat L Dubba E and reclaim both his girl, his turf and avenging his brother. That's all pretty obvious from the trailer as is the fact that if you try to make sense of everything these guys are saying, you're going to fail. Miserably. Most of the time the slang is so out of left field it's impossible to tell what the characters are saying but it doesn't matter because the intention comes through and occasionally, the language even takes on a life of its own.

One could argue that the filmmakers are saying something about the ridiculousness of 80s movies, fashion and music but quite honestly, I was so involved with what Brandon and Jason Trost presented that I never once thought about some deeper meaning behind the references. The FP doesn't feel like it's trying to say anything substantial instead hitting for laughs, occasionally at the expense of nostalgia, and it works. I laughed throughout, more often than not at the ludicrousness of the thing, and even when the laughs died down in the second half, I was still completely entertained. It certainly helps that everyone is completely invested in their crazy characters and that Brandon Trost, a working cinematographer with quite a bit of experience including a couple of titles with the Neveldine/Taylor duo, seems to know exactly how far he can push the little he's got to make it look great.

It's not for everyone. The FP pushes a lot of buttons, uses a lot of language which, beyond not making sense, is inappropriate and some of the situations and characters themselves are caricatures of things I wouldn't laugh at under any other circumstances but here, they're funny. Very, very funny. The easily offended need to step away but if you watch the trailer and laugh, you'll likely find quite a bit to like in The FP. For realz yo.

The FP is out on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, June 19th.

Blue-ray Extras: Feature commentary with the Trost Bros., a thirty minute making-of featurette which includes interviews with costume designer Sarah Trost and composer George Holdcroft and a beautifully designed booklet which includes introductions by Rob Zombie and Neveldine & Taylor. This is my first peek at a Drafthouse Films release and I'm very impressed. Not only is the transfer excellent but the packaging is very attractive.

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Lenny (10 months ago) Reply

Can't wait to see it again. Loved it in the theatre and could tell it was only going to get better with more views.