The low budget comedy “Reel Hard” is absurd, packed with wild gags, and very reliant on flatulence-related humor. If you’re a teenage boy or a die-hard fan of movies like “The Greasy Strangler,” you’ll probably eat this up (and laugh the entire time).
Ridiculous but fun, the story centers on Cade Huntley (Lance Allen), a self-serious cinema sleuth who is on a mission to recover a magical horn from Greek mythology that was stolen from an old movie. This artifact gives its wielder the power of hypnosis, which power-hungry studio head Lucille Lincoln (Vancie Vega) is using to try and take over Hollywood.
Honestly, the setup alone is kind of brilliant in a late-night-stoner-movie way.
There’s a surprising amount of creative world building packed in here, with goofy callbacks to classic cinema, fake movie trailers, and nods to ‘90s comedies like “Ace Ventura,” “Naked Gun,” and “Hot Shots!.” It’s low-budget for sure, but writer / director Jon Mancinetti leans into that in a self-aware, meta way. Think cardboard props, green screen chaos, and actors who totally understand the absurdity of the assignment.
It has to be mentioned that your enjoyment of “Reel Hard” will totally depend on your tolerance for juvenile humor. Some of the jokes and gags are funny, and some of them aren’t. But buried underneath all the bathroom humor is a clever little satire about Hollywood, creative control, and how ridiculous the industry can be.
By: Louisa Moore
Screen Zealots 