slumlordian

I am a movie addict and recently hit a wall with my massive DVD collection. It seemed that I had purchased every film worth owning. I realized this fact as I shopped Tower Records "going out of business" sale. Then I happened upon the Documentary section and realized that was a category I was lacking in. I bought every documentary that sounded interesting and "Mule Skinner Blues" was the best of the bunch. It's greatness lies in its ability to mix humor with genuine feeling. The movie shows compassion for it's low rent, trailer park dwelling characters instead of contempt. There is plenty of comedy in their drunken and eccentric behavior, but I'm sure the cast of real people are laughing along with the audience.

The film is highly stylized in the Errol Morris tradition of documentaries. It blends scenes of the film's subjects dancing on a surreal set, as well as scenes from other movies (Evil Dead 2, etc.)with actual interviews. The main "plot" is a man named Beanie and a guy named Larry Parrot writing and directing a movie about a vengeful ape-man creature and a guitar showdown between the devil and a man. It's all basically just a showcase to display some truly interesting people who live outside society's fringe. The lead guy could be Mark Borchardt from "American Movie" in 25 years. If you liked that movie, you'll most likely enjoy this one as well. The DUI video during the end credits is worth the rental price alone.

Easy Money is the most underrated comedy out there. Everyone loves Caddyshack and that movie has many hilarious scenes, but it also has too much unnecessary drama involving the caddy and his Irish girlfriend. Michael O' Keefe's the caddy, a boring character with no trace of comedy to add to the film, and he's got the most screen time! Come on. Back to School is only funny when Rodney Dangerfield is on screen and too much time is devoted to his lame son. In Easy Money you get plenty of Rodney. You also get Joe Pesci in his funniest role ever. The best part of the film is it's realistic characters and situations. This film captures urban Italian Americans better than any film since Saturday Night Fever. The dialog is top notch and Geraldine Fitzgerald as Rodney's mother-in-law is pitch-perfect in her role. The direction is especially tight for a comedy as well. There is a wonderful crane shot of Rodney's daughter's backyard wedding party that captures urban living perfectly. There is also a nice balance of dialog humor and sight gags. A scene where two men try to break into Rodney's house is visually hilarious and Rodney riding an exercise bike into his Christmas tree is as good as sight gags get.

The plot deals with Rodney's mother-in-law dying and leaving him her vast fortune. The catch is that he has to give up drugs, booze and gluttony for a whole year. The movie follows his struggle through that tough year. The plot works fine, but is immaterial for the most part. The film is about older men who may have married and reproduced, but still cruise around with the guys, smoking joints and drinking beers. It's about their easy camaraderie and the ball busting that is actually perpetrated as an endearment. Movies rarely showcase such characters, but there are plenty out there. Rodney Dangerfield and Joe Pesci represent them realistically and of course comedically as well. Look for an especially inspired scene where Rodney and Pesci check out the department store that Rodney will inherit if he makes good. It's one of those scenes that merits at least one rewind on video, believe me. A nearly flawless comedy and I highly recommend it!