The Naked Man

One half of the Coen Brothers has co-written one of the weirdest and most intelligent comedies I've ever had the pleasure of viewing. Underrated actor, Michael Rappaport excellently portrays the inscrutable chiropractor/wrestler of which the title refers. The Naked Man features wonderfully quirky performances, equally quirky dialogue and a storyline just strange enough to keep anyone interested. Fans of David Lynch or John Waters, don't miss this!

Was unaware of this, and believe me as much as I love movies, I feel no shame about that. However, this is a must-see for those of us who crave escape into silliness occasionally. The Naked Man is the wrestling moniker of a mild mannered chiropractor with a brutal, but golden touch played by Michael Rappaport, Brooklyn's answer to Gary Busey. All he seeks in life is reunion with his father, a stern pharmacist and believer in pills, and to be a provider to his "best girl" and soon-to-be-born son. However, chilling tragedy strikes in a hilarious Ethan Coen way which sends our back stretcher on a wild mission of revenge in his wrestling persona aided by Delores, a biker babe liberally pierced. Their targets are Sticks Verona, a drug kingpin played by an always funny Michael Jeter, and his driver of the huge semi that he lives in, an Elvis clone who lives on peanut butter sandwiches with bacon. Also, the jewel in the cast, a chain smoking detective wearing a six month shirt and a raincoat that even Columbo would Goodwill, is played by that unique actor Joe Grifasi. There is a long, dialogue-free, classic scene of the beginning of his day that is a gem. Half a load on will get you through the awful parts to the good stuff which is inspired. Shameless fun.

I admit it - the reference to Ethan Coen on the sleeve of this straight-to-video oddity secured a rental. I wasn't disappointed.

The Naked Man bears all the hallmarks of a Coen-penned script - albeit from the more fantasy oriented side of their cadre (see also The Hudsucker Proxy and the Sam Raimi directed Crimewave). Also, the very first sound you hear is a man screaming - another Coen favourite.

This is not to detract from J. Todd Anderson's direction. The whole production has a surreal air. He places events in a small town in middle America, but it doesn't seem out of place. You never forget this is supposed to be a fantasy.

Look out for it next time you're in Blockbuster. If you don't expect something as masterly as The Big Lebowski or The Hudsucker Proxy, you'll love it. A lo-fi Coens flick, if you will.

Quirky? You bet. This surreal tale of a man torn between two worlds is populated with supporting characters from both sides of the rainbow. The dialogue, the pacing, even the camera angles scream "Sit up straight for an evening of romance, revenge, and spinal integrity."

The director has, on a low budget, created a tight script, with beautiful timing. Rapaport plays a pro wrestler (whose persona is "The Naked Man")/chiropractor who is thrust into responding to an attempted gangland takeover of his small town. Wonderfully acted from the chain smoking cynical cops, to the paraplegic gangster, to his Elvis impersonating enforcer, and finally to the biker girlfriend follower. All the little bits were perfect and the movie was a hilarious comedy.