An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn

Bizarre comedy from writer-director Jim Hosking has Lulu (Aubrey Plaza) stuck in a loveless marriage with beverage-store manager Shane Danger (Emile Hirsch). When Shane steals some money from a vegan health food store, troubleshooter Colin (Jemaine Clement) is hired to get the money back. This leads to Lulu going on the run with Colin, and the two ending up in a hotel where a one-night-only performance by Beverly Luff Linn (Craig Robinson) is scheduled to take place soon. As Colin grows to love Lulu, he discovers that she has a past with the mysterious Luff Lynn.

Filmmaker Jim Hosking was responsible for the extremely strange 2016 offering The Greasy Strangler. This follow-up ditches most of the sickening gross-out gags, but it retains the "intentionally-bad" aesthetic. The acting is purposefully amateurish, and the dialogue is stilted and absurd. The audience is kept in the dark about what kind of performance the enigmatic Luff Linn will display, and the revelation is as off-center as the rest of the film. This is the kind of out-there comedy that very few people will click with, but if you do, you'll like this one quite a bit. Not everything works, but enough did for me to keep me chuckling throughout, with a handful of laugh-out-loud moments.

//Revelation Film Festival Review//

An absurdist comedy from the mind behind The Greasy Strangler, Jim Hoskings' sophomore effort is the cinematic equivalent of a joke without a punchline. It sits on the screen awkwardly and bereft of purpose, moving from one stilted scene to the next. While it would be easy to dismiss the film early on, Hosking proves himself in complete control over his style as he revels in the awkwardness to increasingly effective result.

The story follows a woman (played by Aubrey Plaza) stuck in a disagreeable marriage. After a botched murder attempt on her husband she decides to run away with a hitman to an old motel where an old flame of hers, Beverley Luff Linn, is performing for "one magical night only". So ensues a number of bizarre occurrences, many of which defy explanation, leading up to the special night.

Craig Robinson is the standout as the titular Luff Linn, a mysterious performer who communicates in a series of grunts to comical effect. The film is certainly one of the stranger films showing at the Revelation Film Festival and it won't be for everyone but attune to its wavelength and there are laughs to be found in the inanity.

This movie is meant for a very niche audience. It was not created to make money or win awards. However, there is a lot of love put into this movie full of awful people mostly being awful to each other. I adored the minimalist electronic soundtrack. The over the top performances. The 70's/early 80's inspired retro decor, costumes, makeup and hair. Just everything with the style of the movie. It's almost like taking a step back in time for me.

Most people will not get this movie, but for those that do it's a real treat IMO.

Not a lot to say really... Probably one the strangest films I've ever seen but that's by no means a bad thing! A great cast, locations and music. Little lacking in the story department but don't let that put you off - just give it a watch for Jemaine Clement and Matt Berry!

Like a David Lynch version of Napoleon Dynamite. Cool score and wardrobe is interesting to say the least.