Monday, October 23, 2017

'Assholes' DVD: It's Always Sunny in New York



[EDITOR'S NOTE The copious potty language in the following PG-13 review of this R-rated film is included to be true to the nature of the movie.]

Although well-known for edgy (often gay-themed) fare, Breaking Glass Pictures leap frogs over the boundary of good taste regarding the October 24 2017 DVD release of the 2017 gross-out comedy "Assholes."

Writer/director/star Peter Vack clearly shows his knowledge of the classic films of the highly perverse John Waters. The pure shamelessness of the titular odious couple further evokes thoughts of the FXX sitcom "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" about friends who do not even pretend to care about anyone other than themselves. Vack digs even deeper in adding a disgusting Kafkaesque element into the film.

The following YouTube clip of the Breaking trailer for "Assholes" provides an excellent sense of the progression of the film.


The extreme elements of "Assholes" will result in you either loving or hating it. Folks who worship Waters and delight in self-indulgent fare that makes Adam Sandler and James Franco and their respective entourages look like Tom Hanks will have a new favorite. Folks whose tastes run to subdued storytelling likely will want to pass on this one.

Vack plays typical New Yorker Adam Shapiro, whose antics include waving his naughty bits in the face of  Seth Rogenesque urbanite buddy Aaron Mark. Meanwhile, Adam sister Adah (real life Vanck sister and daughter of star/producer Ron Brown Betsey Brown) is pouring her heart out to the therapist whom she and playwright Aaron share.

A general sense of why the fuck not leads to Adah and Aaron engaging in that actual activity. The resulting graphically depicted STDs are an early indication that Vack gleefully crosses the aforementioned boundaries.

Adaron soon discovering the joys of poppers propel much of the action of the film as they go on on a drug-fueled orgy that includes copious anal-focused sex play and rampaging through Times Square. This binge additionally inadvertently summons a butt-related demon who literally would bite the head off Mr. Hanky and spit it in the face of whatever unlucky soul happens to be within range.

All of this escalates to a point of stalking new psychology student Adam, who is attending a hilarious therapy group for therapists. Suffice it to say that things do not end well for him.

The comeuppance for our deviants comes in the form of their outward appearances disgustingly reflecting their inner selves. The additional spoiler is that this development leaves little doubt that they are talking out of their asses.

In true therapy style, Vack provides closure that shows both that he is a true independent filmmaker and knows that "Assholes" never will grace the screen of a multiplex. The moral that he provides is that one either can shit or get off the pot.

Breaking shows its love for "Assholes" in providing even more DVD extras than is typical for this best friend of independent filmmakers. These begin with a filmed commentary with Vack, Brown, and Mark portrayor Jack Dunphy. We also get a festival Q & A and two short films.

The Vack film "Send" portrays young in the cyber age. The film "Child Psychology" by Ron Brown is a very cute tale that begins with four tweens going to a psychiatrist and returning 15 years later; Vack and Betsey Brown play two of the kids as adults.

A personal favorite among the kids is a hilariously arrogant prep school student who spends his youthful sessions bragging about his accomplishments and displaying his intelligence and his adult visits discussing relationship issues.

A certainty is that Breaking will release a feature-length version of "Psychology" if Ron ever films one.

Anyone with questions or comments regarding anything discussed above is encouraged to email me. You alternatively can connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.





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