A once ridiculed and downtrodden clown elevates to celebrity status when he saves a child from a hostage situation but being a household name soon brings his skeletons out of the closet. Studio: Lions Gate Home Ent. Rele... more »ase Date: 05/23/2006 Starring: Brian Christopher Ohalloran Ethan Suplee Run time: 87 minutes Rating: Ur Director: Kevin Smith« less
"what an unusual movie. this is one of those movies that you cannot unerase in your mind. uneasy and uncomfortable. i have to give props to the producers for putting this one out, but i know not many people will watch this or recommend this. i watched it once and that is enough for me.
what to say about this, a clown doesn't make enough money so he creates a gig to go to bachelor parties a gag but ends up getting raped by rednecks reminescent of the ones from deliverance. there is a very sick rape scene in this. i don't want to give much away for the plot, so i will leave it at that. the tension in vulgar is thick enough to cut with a knife. it also isn't for the light hearted. the sound is crappy, but it is low budget so what was i expecting.
overall, this isn't a comedy. there a few parts that might be slightly funny from an extremely morbid point of view, but not what i expected "from the producers of clerks and dogma" as stamped on the package. that should have been left off. it is totally misleading. check this out only if you want to watch something different and unexpected and you are pretty much ready for anything."
This film isn't vulgar
S. Stopper | New Joisey | 12/16/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It seems that a lot of people are missing the point of this film. It isn't exploiting rape and violence. It's giving the viewer a close look at the horror and shame of being the victim. The film doesn't dwell on the attack, but looks at what happens next. There is a bit of fun and silly stuff in it too, just like life.....but then we are caught off-guard.
Maybe the problem is that everyone expected the Kevin Smith "formula", which is great fun, and probably the reason we all watched this to begin with. But this is very different.
I think it was a very brave human study and I hope Bryan Johnson has more for us.
Just remember...Nobody said it was a comedy!
And Kevin....thanks for helping with this!"
Whoa...
D. Lawson | IL, United States | 03/14/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Firstly, there's something I must make clear. Vulgar is NOT a Kevin Smith movie, despite it being a View Askew movie. Kevin Smith co-executive produced it and played a bit role, but he did NOT write or direct it - Bryan Johnson did.That said, I was quite impressed. I rented it not really knowing what to expect; I mean, the only View Askew works I'd seen thus far were Kevin Smith's, but I could tell this would not be the same comedy fare just by looking at the cover. I think it's important that you do not expect to laugh while watching this movie; there are a handful of funny scenes, but that's not really what Vulgar is about.Brian O'Halloran gives an amazing performance in this movie; I don't think many actors would be brave enough to take on the role of Flappy/Vulgar. For the most part, all the actors are very believable, which is necessary in a film portraying a reality this stark. The cinematography was superb, and the script was well-thought out and solid. Some of the sets were a little drab and lackluster, but I won't hold that against it... hey, it's an indie film.All that said, Vulgar is a twistedly brilliant film, but it's not for the faint of heart. The final 10 minutes of the film really had my blood pumping - kept me guessing. I recommend you rent it first and test the waters before you buy it."
Hard to watch, but REALLY worth it.
Lori Mevaa | Olympia Fields, Illinois United States | 08/29/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I feel Vulgar is a MASTERPIECE, even though it made me sick. I have never thought about a movie as much as I thought about Vulgar. In Vulgar, I never knew what to expect, it was very unpredictable.I originally got the movie because it had Kevin Smith's name on it (I love his movies), however, be warned this movie is nothing like Kevin Smith's movies, it is in a class all by itself. I have to say Vulgar is my FAVORITE movie. It made me think a lot about society, crime, our justice system, and revenge. This movie changed me in a way I can't describe and I recommend it to anyone over the age of 18."
Not a Kevin Smith Film and Not as Bad as People Say...
Joshua Miller | Coeur d'Alene,ID | 09/22/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Vulgar" came to me word-of-mouth. I'd seen this movie sitting on a video store shelf when it first came out and I had no urge to see it. It wasn't until a couple months ago when a guy I know told me that I "have to see it." Reviews on Amazon didn't look good, the cover looks like it was straight-to-video (it, technically, wasn't. It was shown in a few theatres)...But I was intrigued. The film has Kevin Smith has the Executive Producer and stars Brian O'Halloran, better known as Dante in the "Clerks" films, as the main character Will Carlson. Will lives in a crappy apartment (and frequently finds people sleeping in the backseat of his car) and works as a birthday party clown called Flappy. One day Will has an epiphany. He'll still do kids birthday parties, but he'll also hit up some bachelor parties as well. The plan goes like this; He'll come to the party dressed like a clown and wearing lingerie. Everyone'll be in on the joke, except the groom. He'll freak the groom out, collect his money, and then the babes will show up. On his first night, Will (who has chosen the moniker Vulgar when doing this particular job) runs into a demented trio of father and sons who brutally rape Will. Will, embarrassed and ashamed, goes home and tries to forget about everything despite complaints from his friend Syd (Bryan Johnson, the writer/director). Then, the unthinkable happens. Will saves a child from a hostage situation and finds himself plastered on TV, being proclaimed a hero. A TV show deal follows and pretty soon, he's being blackmailed by his rapists for $50,000 dollars. If you've seen the cover of the film, you can probably guess what comes next. Jason Mewes (Jay) and Kevin Smith (Silent Bob) both make cameo appearances in the film, although not under their famed monikers. The movie has a straight-to-video feel to it and most viewers won't watch it twice. The acting has it's moments of being pretty good, but is usually laughable due to bad dialogue. O'Halloran does manage to get you to feel sorry for the character, although he looks embarrassed. Ethan Suplee (who appears in Mallrats and is now on the hit show "My Name is Earl") plays one/third of the demented trio, as well. The movie is frequently billed as a "Comedy." The film has it's subtle moments, but "comedy" is stretching it. One bit of subtle humor involves a phone call Flappy makes to a parent to cancel an appearance. He's talking to a woman named Mrs. Affleck who puts her son "Benny" on the phone. This is not a great movie, but it is original. Not just the clown thing, but you rarely see male rape (unless the person getting raped is a gay hustler anyway, like in "Mysterious Skin") portrayed in film. Johnson could've made this a campy comedy, while making a deeply disturbing portrait of that subject. I think he wanted to, but he just wasn't sure how to film it. Vulgar succeeds in less ways than it doesn't, but if you're into films that fall into the category of this films name or like something a little different you might enjoy this.