Review of Dirty Duck

Dirty Duck (1974)
Wonderful movie!
15 November 2000
Exciting movie made with Flo & Eddie after their edition of the Mothers of Invention's splitting up in the wake of Frank Zappa's being injured by a deranged fan onstage in London in 1971. This included Mark Volman, Howard Kaylan, Jim Pons, Aynsley Dunbar, and more surprisingly, Tim Weissberg. This movie fits well into Zappa's Conceptual Continuity, and even provides links not common in Zappa's oeuvre. People who find 200 Motels entertaining and funny will find this movie uproarious.

Many people seem to think this movie is a Fritz the Cat knockoff, but it is lightyears from that movie; all the two really share in common is an X rating and that they're animated. The biggest difference is that Dirty Duck, like most of Zappa's work, does provide social commentary, although it might not be exactly what you want to hear.

Plotwise, it may be confusing to today's viewers given that many references have passed out of mainstream popular culture, especially those who were born in the early 70's. For those who were there, it'll bring back things you thought you forgot about. Many old movie cliches are bandied about mercilessly.

Some of the sexual humor is a bit juvenile, like the Flo & Eddie era Mothers, but at no point is it gratuitous. This movie has everything in its place for a reason even if it's not readily apparent, much like Zappa's music. Zappa fans (especially Flo & Eddie era Mothers) will flip. The rest of you may scratch your heads and find it funny in spots. I just rewind my copy and watch it again and pick something new up from the plot (it's *that* layered, folks).
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