A comedic dud. It's very unfortunate, because it stars and was written by two of my favorite comic actresses, Casey Wilson (Happy Endings) and June Diane Raphael (NTSF:SD:SUV::). It was a labor of love for the two of them. They ran out of money at one point, halfway through filming, and had to delay the rest of the film for a year or more before finding another backer. Unfortunately, the film is just never funny. The two actresses themselves can be kind of amusing, but few laughs result from their antics. The two play former child beauty pageant participants, now in their early 30s living in New York. They get an invitation to a beauty pageant reunion, and decide to take a road trip to participate once again. The problem: they're total idiots who were terrible when they were kids and who are just as terrible as adults. There are many adventures along the way, almost none of them funny. The film wants to be an absurd comedy, but it also wants a bit of an emotional response. The two protagonists are too silly (and, frankly, unlikable) to ever be taken seriously, so all of the emotional moments fall flat. I have to admit, as much as this doesn't work, I'm too in love with the two actresses to ever not enjoy their presence. It's also too short to have really provoked anger in me. The supporting cast is generally good, too, including Vincent D'Onofrio, Bob Odenkirk, Alicia Silverstone, Paul Scheer and Sandy Martin. And Jon Cryer, who's awful, as usual.
Review of Ass Backwards
Ass Backwards
(2013)
I love Casey Wilson and June Diane Raphael, but this movie is no good
17 November 2013