No More Excuses

No More Excuses (1968)

*** (out of 4)

If you're familiar with the work of underground filmmaker Robert Downey, Sr. then you know that plots really aren't a major part of any of his films. This one here is the same as we've got all sorts of things going on. On one hand, this is a documentary that takes a look at singles in New York City. Also happening is a Civil War soldier is in the middle of a battle, walks off and finds himself in current day NYC. We've also got a re-enactment of a Presidential assassination.

NO MORE EXCUSES is a film that I really enjoyed because everything going on just seemed to gel together and in the end I thought the film was very much entertaining and fun. As I said, the plot is all over the place and there's nothing really holding the various stories together yet Downey makes them flow together perfectly and we end up with a fun picture.

The highlight for me had to be the scenes dealing with the Civil War soldier in New York City. Not only do we get some terrific footage of the city from this era but it's rather funny seeing people react to him. This includes a sequence on a subway train. Just check out the elderly woman who is looking at the soldier like he's nuts. You've also got a scene where the soldier gets on the field during a Yankees game!

If you're a fan of Downey's work then I think you'll find this to be entertaining. It clocks in under a hour so it never overstays its welcome and for the most part it is a fascinating look at singles as well as other items that can't be explained.

Where do I even begin?

I've always thought that the weirdest film I have ever seen was either "The Holy Mountain" or "Eraserhead", but now I am afraid that I must change my opinion. "No More Excuses" is easily the most bizarre film I have ever seen, which is not an easy feat, for some of my favorite filmmakers of all time include many who are notorious for their strangeness, such as David Lynch, Jan Svankmajer, and Werner Herzog.

However, it is important to note that "weird" does NOT equal "bad", because, while "No More Excuses" may be the weirdest film I have ever seen, it is also one of the funniest and all time greatest! It is practically impossible for me to describe the plot, because their really isn't any- it's just a mish mash of zany and satirical segments that collide and combine to create something truly hilarious and bizarre. The somewhat infamous finale of this film had me laughing like few others can because it was just so wild and shocking. Robert Downey Sr. injects this film with outrageous and offensive content-he has no barriers. Anything can happen in his world, which is the why it's so fascinating and fun to watch.

It's amazing how one of the most enjoyable and funny films I have ever seen contains rape, bestiality, and war-but that's just Robert Downey Sr. for you! He can make ANYTHING entertaining, which is why I think he deserves much more recognition. Only about 200 accounts so far have given this an IMDb rating, which is absolutely preposterous! If only everybody knew about these movies, then the world would be a better place.

Switches between a reenactment of the assassination of Garfield, a documentary about a singles bar, a public service message about clothing your animals, scenes of a Revolutionary War soldier wandering through '60s New York City, and a story involving the a rape of a plump woman. And it's all fairly amusing, though rather pointless, basically the YouTube experience of its day. But it probably holds up better with time: though the production is primitive, grainy black and white footage with mostly no audio except a pleasantly ironic soundtrack, it's competently made and doesn't waste time, and there are even some twists at the end.