Flopsee and Buttercup

I must admit that I started watching "Flopsee and Buttercup" with a bit of a "Been There, Done That" attitude when it came to, um, clown-related entertainment, but I was thrilled to be wrong! Without giving anything away, I loved the characters and story, and I felt like it was over before I knew it. Guess I'll just have to watch it again. :)

I loved this film! In just 17 short minutes we are taken on an entire journey from the ridiculous to the sublime in a tale of poignant personal crisis shot through with dark humour and slapstick to a lighthearted happy ending. The honest portrayal of the protagonist, a professional clown who 'loses his gift' of making children laugh, strikes an immediacy and compassion in the viewer, while his devastating experiences of depression, relationship crisis, unemployment, violence, bullying, rejection, self - mastery and ultimate personal victory are treated with a lightness and endearing humour.

My attention was immediately captured by Jane Mowder's opening scene as Buttercup the wife, with echoes of Frances McDormand. Ralph Scott's unfortunate clown Flopsee has an appealing freshness and honesty while Freddie Connor's mafia-style boss as a ludicrously - placed clown agency director had me chuckling and reminded me of Connor's earlier feature film successes with gangland movies The Grind and Baseline, together with Todd Covert's darker portrayal of sadistic and violent clown Buffo.

Altogether a humorous, enjoyable and ultimately uplifting film well deserving of its Top Shorts Independent Films Award as Best Dark Comedy. Good to see FineLight Films excel again!

Initially I was not sympathetic to Flopsee's personal crisis, perhaps because I have had a fear of clowns since I was a child. However, once I got past that I was able to empathize with his problems and realize that anyone in almost any occupation can have these same experiences. All of the things that he encounters along his journey to overcome the obstacles in his life can apply to all of us.

I really did enjoy the actors portrayal of Flopsee and really loved the performance by his wife - so realistically portrayed!

Great job by Finelight Films