Okay, so I might be back.
Today, I watched this movie. The premise is that Tae Kwon Do instructor, Mr. Simmons, played by Danny McBride (of "East Bound and Down" fame), basically is all macho and thinks he has his life by the horns. In reality, his life is boring, his wife is a whore, and even if any of it is worth hanging on to, he has none of it within his control. More things happen. I can't remember how much or how little you want me to spoil on these blog posts. Characters to watch are Suse, his sometimes sympathetic, sometimes just whorish wife (played by Mary Jane Bostic); Chuck "The Truck" Wallace, (Ben Best), a martial arts icon who is more of a burned out douchebag; Julio Chavez, (Spencer Moreno) a "little walls have big ears" kid who looks up to Mr. Simmons and will do anything for him; and, Carlos Lopez (played by Henry Harrison), a meek, skinny teenager - will he ever defeat the tough guy?
Am I glad I watched this movie: I mean, sure. I didn't not like this movie. I laughed a few times. I did not cry. I found characters interesting enough to want to see good things or bad things happen to them.
Weirdly: I had this sense from the start that it reminded me of Napoleon Dynamite. DO NOT GO IN THINKING THIS MOVIE WILL REMIND YOU OF NAPOLEON DYNAMITE. There's just something about the quality of the filming and the extremely understated acting that reminds me of the ND movie. I do understand that Napoleon Dynamite has reached cult status, and while I have seen it once, I did not then nor do I now appreciate the apparently genius comic writing and acting that is captured in that film. Forgive me or unfriend me now. I have seen genius comedy. I know genius comedy. That movie is, at best, I mean, I can't even comment on it. I found it barely funny. I guess different people find different things amusing, but literal comedic genius is objectively funny.
I was happier than I thought I'd be when I watched the movie, but I also thought it was going to be in Japanese. I had no idea what to expect.
Availability: DVD only
Released: 2006
Added to my queue: 3/19/2011
Reason added to my queue: Who knows.
