Vulgar (2000)

Director:

Bryan Johnson

Writer:

Bryan Johnson (written by)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Everybody loves a clown... some more than others.

Plot:

A man who performs as a children's birthday party clown tries to piece his life back together after being gang-raped.

Plot Keywords:

Clown | Blackmail | Bum | Clown Face | Clown Makeup

Cast

Brian O'Halloran	...	Will Carlson / Flappy / Vulgar (as Brian Christopher O'Halloran)
Bryan Johnson	...	Syd Gilbert
Jerry Lewkowitz	...	Ed Fanelli
Ethan Suplee	...	Frankie Fanelli
Matthew Maher	...	Gino Fanelli (as Matt Maher)
Don Gentile	...	Sleepy Bum
Thomas W. Leidner	...	Large Bum (as Thom Leidner)
Michael Tierney	...	Skinny Bum
David Gilbert	...	Delinquent #1
Erik Johnson	...	Delinquent #2
Scott Schiaffo	...	Travis Lee
Darin Johnson	...	Boy #1
Brian Hartsgrove	...	Boy #2
Aaron Hakeem	...	Cop #1
Jamie Schutz	...	Cop #2

MPAA:

Rated R for disturbing sexual violence, some shootings and strong language.

Runtime:

87 min | Canada:91 min | USA:85 min (edited version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Red Bank, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Chango Productions

Trivia:

The film was in production for so long that almost all the locations either no longer exist or have moved.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Near the end, when Ed Fanelli dies of heart failure, we can see him moving and breathing even as Will/Flappy kicks him.

Quotes:

Will Carlson: Oh, I'm sorry. I must have the wrong place.
Ed Fanelli: Not if you're ready to get down.
[Will is knocked to the floor]
Ed Fanelli: Looks like you are.

Movie Connections:

References "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Asshole

good but hard to watch

There's no really clever message here, it's just full of questions the viewers also answer along with the main character. It was a very well done film, and I attribute its low IMDB user rating to the average viewer's extreme discomfort with the subject of male on male rape, with which this film deals. American Me also received a similarly low rating from IMDB users, likely for the same reason, and that film is definitely one of the best films ever made, certainly the best and most realistic and, more importantly, relevant, gang/prison film I've ever seen.

Though it was neither written nor directed by him, Vulgar is played off much of the time as a Kevin Smith film (e.g. Dogma, Clerks, Mallrats, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back), and also stars the main character from Clerks (O'Halloran), as well as Kevin Smith himself and one or two others. It's not a comedy, though, and the sex in the movie is most definitely not meant to be funny or entertaining, nor are the sarcastic comments from the main character's cynical but supportive friend.

It's mainly a good look at how someone deals with a horrible set of life circumstances and events and how it changes them. How much can a truly good person take before they snap? What do you do if you think there's no way to simply avoid doing the (traditionally) wrong thing? There's also a comment on karma, but that doesn't tie-in unless you watch one of the deleted scenes on the DVD. With such a small cast of characters and a believable premise (men are gang raped in real life all the time, outside of prison), it has the added relevance of many independent films in that it makes one imagine themself in a similar situation and how they might react.

The acting is good, the dialogue is, I'm guessing, realistic, no drag and drop lines ("Let's get outta here!" "Are you scared? You should be." "I'm going in! No, you're not!"), and the ending is extremely nerve wracking. If you watch movies to be entertained, skip it, but if you watch them to make yourself think, don't miss it.