By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2 cats
Director: Ash Christian
Starring: Charles Solomon Jr. | Heather Matarazzo | Jennifer Coolidge | Ryan Boggus
Country: united_states
Year: 2011
Running time: 88
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1571406/
Chris says: “Ash Christian’s debut feature FAT GIRLS wasn’t a great film, but it wasn’t bad for being written, directed and produced by a 21-year-old (he starred in it, too). A tad slapdash but often hilarious, it positioned him as someone to watch. It also featured Ashley Fink, who now plays a fat girl with delightful aplomb on ‘Glee.’ Sadly, Christian’s long-awaited follow-up is far more slapdash than anything else. The titular character, a musical theatre-obsessed teen (Ryan Boggus) is dead set on playing Jesus in his high school’s annual production of Jesus Christ, Spectacular!, a bargain-bin version of the similarly titled Andrew Lloyd Webber chestnut. When a crippling accident boots him off the production, he seeks his trailer trash
family’s help in reclaiming his dream role.
“Since WAITING FOR GUFFMAN already gave small town musical theater a definitive skewering (as did, to a lesser extent, HAMLET 2, whose similarly themed ‘Rock Me, Sexy Jesus’ puts the musical numbers here to shame), there’s already a feeling of the well having run dry regarding the premise. I can overlook that, but not shoddy production values (where the story requires much more), lame jokes or one-note characters–even the John Waters cameo doesn’t deliver. Heather Matarazzo (who co-produced) has fun wearing a blonde wig and skimpy outfits and the always dependable Jennifer Coolidge is effortlessly amusing as Mangus’ low-rent psychic mother. I still think Christian has loads of potential, but if he wants to emulate a trash connoisseiur
like Waters, he either needs to be even more outrageous or exhibit a little more discipline. 2 cats”