The FP

Haters are gonna hate, and based on the low rating this film has received, they wanna hate on this movie. They are misguided.

Reviewer Matt Hawkins calls this film "the first legit goofball comedy that speaks to gamers without flat-out insulting them." That is high praise, and only the tip of the iceberg. This film is a work of genius, plain and simple.

Every costume choice, every bad line of dialogue, everything... it was all chosen for a reason, and anyone who takes this film seriously just does not get that. Watching the "making of" opened my eyes, and although I already loved the film, it made me love it even more -- the Trost Family has a bright future ahead of them.

Yes, even the "Rocky" and "Karate Kid" knockoffs are intended...

"What's a town with no ducks, JTRO?"

"'Dance Dance Revolution,' but make it deadly?" Sure, why not, it's a concept just ridiculous enough to catch my attention. Thankfully, it's made clear right from the very start that the idea is played entirely for laughs - played very straight, mind you, but so absolutely, outrageously over the top that one will either be having a fantastic time within minutes, or turning off the movie just as quickly. Sibling filmmakers Brandon and Jason Trost have whipped up a fabulously farcical flight of fancy that comes right out of the gate with sheer bombast, indifferent to the slightest notion of restraint. The costume design,the hair and makeup work, the characters and dialogue, the scene writing, the narrative: from top to bottom 'The FP' is a pure lark, down to the overcooked acting of a cast that fully embraces the tomfoolery. From top to bottom it's a pure lark that plainly imitates and reshapes more sincere sports films, or stories about archetypal "old dogs" who are called back into action, or other preexisting material. Whether you love it or hate it, I don't think there's any disputing that everyone involved just wholly, unreservedly threw themselves into this nonsense, and it's hard not to appreciate that gusto.

The Trosts' direction and screenplay are both just as cheekily overdone, and cast and crew alike let their imaginations run wild to bring to life every most ludicrous inclusion. There's very little here that isn't a trope, twisted and exaggerated into the weirdest of shapes - including, yes, the obligatory training sequence. From the looks of the characters, to the production design and art direction cobbling together the locales they inhabit, to the music that's filled with videogame-ready tunes, this is a kaleidoscope of color and chicanery. Yet for as absurd as it is across the board, none of it is sloppy, or accidental. No contribution is given less than utmost care. The worst I think I could say is that sometimes the end result is too blustery for its own good; Lee Valmassy, for example, is so exuberant in his deliberately outlandish portrayal of L Dubba E that I'm not sure whether the aggravation I feel is owing to the character being set up as the antagonist, or the consciously far-fetched acting being overbearing. Yet Sarah Trost's costume design is nothing if not imaginative; George Holdcroft's soundtrack is wonderfully flavorful. Far-out as the writing is, there are no specific faults in the screenplay, and the Trosts' direction is solid. Brandon Trost's cinematography is actually kind of... beautiful? Abe Levy's editing is deft. And to accentuate: all actors on hand unremittingly give of themselves, whatever the ballyhoo requires at any given time.

Tremendous hard work went into 'The FP' in every last regard, and no matter how garish, it really does look and sound great. Of course, I could do without the absolutely unnecessary casual use of homophobic slurs, without the underhanded transphobia, and with more diversity in the cast - under no circumstances could this be called perfect. Yet by and large the chief question is how much one can get on board with the intentionally extreme, ham-handed, heavy-handed, pompous swagger of the feature. This is a comedy that's much more wryly satirical than outright funny, a romp for those who love B-movies, hate sports movies, and are fully receptive to all the wide, wacky, whimsical possibilities that cinema has to offer. The nice thing about this picture is that within only the first minutes we can immediately glean an understanding of whether it's something that will entertain, or irritate, on a case by case basis, and the premise alone speaks volumes. For those open to what 'The FP' represents - just sit back, relax, and enjoy the cheesy baloney.

This movie was killer, over the top gangster slang...cheesy logic and lines that made you laugh despite the sheer ridiculous nature of it all...

Its a low budget film, but it makes me wish The Trosts could just get pushed by a big studio..

Its a little slow, but still entertaining. Brilliantly goofy while still maintaining tone. It creates the right atmosphere of dark ambiance, mixed in with the trailer trash vibe that creates a bad ass version of dance dance revolution... There is a strong absurd ideology perpetrated..

Watch this stuff. Its OG.

A ton of early 2000s humor that gets old 30minutes into the film. It would have been better had it come out during the DDR fancraze phase. The movie however looks amazing and the acting isn't bad. There just isn't enough substance to drag the movie out for 1.30hrs. It would have been better as a 30-45minute short. You'll chuckle at the absurdity of it and enjoy the costume designs, but it is a novelty film that quickly wears down your patience and attention span. This is a great movie to push the nostalgia button of any veteran DDR player. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else who doesn't understand the game and community. It really is an "inside joke" kind of movie.

Every so often a movie comes along that seems so out there you just have to check it out. Usually it ends up also being so horrible that you wish you never bothered. The FP is one of those films that when you see the trailer you can't believe someone actually got money to make this film, let alone anyone would want to see it. Can a movie basically about gangs that fight using their own version of Dance, Dance Revolution work on any level? The FP follows rival gangs in the future who use a game known as Beat Beat Revelation to establish dominance and take control of the area known as Frazier Park. This is easily one of the most ridiculous films to come out in a long time and somehow still manages to work. This film is not intended to be as serious as it appears which is the beauty of it. These guys knew exactly what they wanted to do and went for it. All the characters are way over the top and deliver some of the most annoyingly obnoxious ghetto slang you can imagine, but it adds to the silly nature of the experience. The fact that they manage to take the video game dance battles as serious as a cage match adds to the absurd brilliance of this film. You have to understand going into this movie that is exactly what it is meant to be and that is a joke. They have crafted a film around the most absurd subject matter and made it work creating a grindhouse type film and kidnapping story ideas from everything from Rocky to The Karate Kid to the Warriors. The acting isn't always the greatest, but it somehow just enhances a film that should never in a million years work, but does and in a not soon to forget fun way that must be shown to as many people as you can.

If you tell someone the plot of this film, you will get eye rolls and groans about how that sounds just stupid, but until you witness this you cannot believe it. This is one of those films that is sure to garner a cult following and is well deserved. You probably think this was made by some non-experienced filmmakers trying to break out, but these guys already have careers working on films such as the Crank series, Rob Zombie's Halloween, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and many more. These guys know how to craft a movie with next to no budget, but still give it that big budget feel. Be on the lookout for the Trost brothers in the future, especially since they seem to be planning more additions to this series.

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