Vulgar (film)
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| Vulgar | |
|---|---|
| File:Vulgaar.jpg | |
| Directed by | Bryan Johnson |
| Written by | Bryan Johnson |
| Produced by | Monica Hampton Scott Mosier Kevin Smith |
| Starring | Brian O'Halloran Bryan Johnson Jerry Lewkowitz Ethan Suplee Matthew Maher |
| Distributed by | Lions Gate Films |
Release dates | April 26, 2000 |
Running time | 91 min. |
| Language | English |
Vulgar is a 2000 film, produced by View Askew Productions and featuring a few actors from the View Askewniverse of Kevin Smith. However, the film is apparently set outside of the View Askewniverse. It was released to absolutely no critical acclaim. [citation needed]
Plot
Template:Spoiler Will Carlson a.k.a Flappy the Clown a.a.k.a. Vulgar the Clown (played by Brian O'Halloran) is a clown that performs for children. Like many clowns, he gets no respect and even less work. Will loves clowning so much that he refuses to get a realistic sturdy 9-to-5 job with a steady paycheck. He wants to stick it out and make clowning work for him. Sounds nice, but it doesn't seem very likely or possible at all.
Almost everyone in town tortures and ridicules him for fun, winos loiter on his property and throw beer bottles at him, he's got no money and lives in a hovel. His mentally ill Mom (who's in a nursing home which he has to pay for) hates him, his car will break down any second and he lives in a bad part of town. Will is a good guy and has a friend named Syd (played by director/writer Bryan Johnson).
Desperate for jobs, Will decides to try doing a bachelor party: when the man of the night is expecting a girl to come in, he'll get--Flappy! (And then, of course, he leaves and the real show arrives.) Syd thinks he's nuts, asks him if he's on crack, and tells him that what he's proposing is vulgar. Will seizes on that and remonikers himself "Vulgar the Clown" for his older audiences.
But things go wrong when he gets scammed--his very first gig and it turns out that the "bachelor" is a dirty old (late forties?) drug-addict of a man with mentally retarded sons, and Will is tortured, drugged and anally raped on a video camera.
After Will is raped, he hits rock bottom and all but loses his will to live. He happens to be on his way to a children's party gig (he can't bear let a child down on his birthday--especially one who's so eager to see him) and wtih his lackluster will to live, he's willing to throw himself into a dangerous life-threatening situation. He manages to save the life of a young girl who's being held hostage by her psychotic father, and becomes famous--he gets his own show: "Flappy's Funhouse". However, after he wins his fame, Will's former "assaulters" call with a plot of blackmail, and Will decides to do something drastic...
Production
- After the success of such films as Clerks., Chasing Amy, and Dogma, Kevin Smith financed three films (Drawing Flies, A Better Place, and this one).
- The film was written and directed by Smith's long time friend Bryan Johnson. Vulgar the Clown was also the View Askew Productions logo at one time.
- The lead rapist, Ed Fanelli, was inspired by Dennis Hopper in "Blue Velvet."
- The Fanelli sons, Frankie and Gino, were inspired by the rapists of "Deliverence."
- The movie was written in 28 days, filmed in 26.
- The role of Will Carlson was written specifically for Brian Christopher O' Halloran.
- Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier executive produced this film and "Good Will Hunting" back-to-back.
- Many of the grips, assistants and film crew took bit parts in the movie (due to the incredibly tight budget).
- The film was edited at Skywalker Sound.
- Howard Stern got a copy of the film before it was released. His producer, Gary "Baba Booey" Dell'Abate is a big fan of Kevin Smith, so Scott Mosier sent a copy to him. After Gary saw (some of) it, he gave it to Howard, because he heard a clown is raped in it, he was expecting a silly campy comedy. When he got to it and he saw how serious it was, he was disgusted and repulsed by what he saw. He turned it off in revoltion and threw the tape in the garbage. He ranted on about it on the radio and had Kevin Smith on the show to ask him what he was thinking. He let out a paticularly scathing review about it, but this just inspired people (including his own radio cast) to see the movie.