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| Gregg Turkington |
Welcome to the weekly column Trailing Off in which I take a look at a trailer from the past week and analyze its potential. This will be done using an obnoxious amount of analyzing and personal thoughts on the cast and crew as well as expectations. Coming every Sunday (it's called Trailing Off for a reason), I will attempt to highlight films ranging from new blockbusters to lesser known indies and give them their due. Partially to spread awareness, I do believe that there is an art to the sell and will do my best to highlight why these trailers matter or don't with approval (trove) or disapproval (trash). So please stop by, recommend some trailers, and I will see you next time.
Trailer in Discussion
Directed By: Rick Alverson
Written By: Rick Alverson, Tim Heidecker, Gregg Turkington
Starring: Michael Cera, Tye Sheridan, John C. Reilly
- Preamble -
For people who enjoy the subgenre of comedy known as anti-comedy, it feels like a great time to embrace it. With a whole generation of figures doing their own riff on Andy Kaufman-esque humor, I have found that there's an interesting thing going on with Rick Alverson. He isn't a name that you'd necessarily recognize. He is someone who seems more like a prankster than anyone of major note. With the help of Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim of Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! fame, he lead them to one of the most divisive films of recent years with The Comedy. Is it funny? Is it sad? It is annoying? Yes, yes, and that last one is up to you.
In a way, Alverson's style is a response to those that find the navel gazing style of drama to be too obnoxious. The Comedy isn't a film that sought to change the world, but took aimless characters and exploited their poor behaviors. It was comedy akin to the anti-heroes of drama. The one thing that likely separated it all is that the whole thing is played in some capacity for drama as well as comedy. It is a complicated mixture that isn't easy to digest and will only appeal to a very small market. It is the perfect satire for the navel gazing movement that seems to be cropping up everywhere.
Which makes Entertainment a particularly promising new feature. Anti-comedian Gregg Turkington (often known as Neil Hamburger) stars as an anti-comedian in a film about failing as a comedian. If you are familiar with Turkington's humor and can stomach his whiny voice, then you're already likely aware that this film exists. It is another title likely meant for the cult bin. Seeing as he leads himself through the adventures and stars a wide array of familiar faces, one can only hope that there's something more to this. If anything, I want it to be weird and exciting in ways that The Comedy hinted at.
I will say up front that while I am giving anti-comedy a fairly positive review this time, I am not in general the biggest endorsement. I think it works only some of the time and while I like The Comedy, I do with caveats. Turkington is also an acquired taste that I barely understand. As a whole, I am excited to see if this is weird and surreal enough to make me like Alverson more than his previous film already did. So, here's hoping that the man with the obnoxious voice can win me over.
- Dissection -
As you can guess based on the Preamble, this is very much a trailer that blends the anti-comedy style of Turkington with the dramatic sensibilities of Alverson. That isn't to say that it is the most perfect match made in heaven. It is a very uneven trailer and doesn't immediately work if you already dislike Turkington's style. However, I must admit that it does draw a rather interesting line that separates itself from being an awful comedy and an actually compelling story of a man who is failing to do anything that is somewhat interesting.
For the most part, what works is that it somehow crosses a middle ground of being both a look into a complicated artist and just a bunch of awful jokes. Will the juxtaposition work? For me, the trailer is perfectly doing the line to a degree that its final portion works solely on editing. It introduces the cast while also throwing in random images that grab my attention. How did we get into this situation? For the most part, I liked what I saw, even if this isn't one that I am necessarily very excited to see. At most, it is a compelling potential watch.
- One Sentence Sell -
Anti-comedy meets drama for a story about why not being funny is funny and sad.
- Trove or Trash -
TROVE
As stated, I am more compelled on how they are going to draw the line between obnoxious humor and something more profound. I am confident that this won't entirely work out and that maybe my interest will be insulted. However, it still has something going for it, and that's enough to get me on board.
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