The Corndog Man

Aronofsky didn't make this film. However, it may be little more than the dialect that separates this uniquely disturbing bent of storytelling from his. As a third generation piece of poor white trash, I can vouch for the language. Dead on, trust me. And as a native Southerner, I must sadly confirm that in certain rural pockets, this brand of racist garbage still exists. But the ultimate fate, and apparent past, of the protagonist of this film proved strange enough to wreck my sleep for at least three nights. To say that I liked this film would be amiss. A-way-the-hell-miss, in fact. But the storytelling is taut and cerebral. And it's cinematic impact is pretty powerful. Next time you feel like you're going to scream at another Meg Ryan romantic comedy or another Bruce Willis explosion movie, try this one on for size.

I read through most of the reviews here, and unless I missed it, did anyone get that triple K is KKK, for Ku Klux Klan? Maybe it was so obvious that no one bothered mentioning it.. Maybe not. Well, my brother forced this video on me a while back, and I must admit I enjoyed it, mainly for its originality and mean spirited sense of humor. Like someone else mentioned, its a breath of fresh air from all of the huge budgeted, over-produced CGI-fests that Hollywood keeps pooping out! For those of you who didn't like it, don't worry. I'm sure there's a new Ben Stiller "comedy" coming out soon. The only reason I didn't give it a ten is that it does strain your patience a bit.

Alternately Titled: Would You Buy A Boat From This Man?

I was browsing in Blockbuster earlier this year and bought a copy of The Corndog Man. I saw the title and had a flashback to a review I'd read. Part Psychic Movie Reviewer, part compulsive reader of reviews, I knew that this one would be a winner. Plus it was marked down to $6.99 . . . a steal!

I highly recommend this film, which was a winner at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.

First of all, let me say that the late character actor Noble Willingham has been on my radar for years. An all American type physically: The Marlboro Man meets That Squarejawed Guy Who Does Pain Relief Commercials. He is almost unrecognizable now, and totally believable as Southern racist boat salesman Ace Barker. He is compellingly, depressingly real in this role.

As good old boy Ace Barker plies his trade selling boats at Triple K Marine, the harassing phone calls and stalking begin. Ace becomes quite exasperated as he monitors for sales calls, only to be repeatedly confronted by a seemingly unbalanced young man who claims to be his son.

The Corndog Man takes Southern stereotypes to a new level. ACTING! I hope.

Filmed on location near Charleston SC, it is an atmospheric film with a bluesy soundtrack. Oppressively small-town conspiratorial --- could this be an omen for visitors: simply stay on I-95 and drive.

An unpredictable tale of harassment, revenge, desperation, and old secrets, The Corndog Man reminds us that what goes around, comes around. Watch your back. Watch your front. Watch your future. Watch your past. Change it if possible.

Got 83 minutes, and a desire to see something different? Shock and confuse the movie clerk by asking for this one.

Potentially disturbing . . . not recommended for all tastes!

This film was thrust upon me by one of my more assertive friends, Pat. Pat's tastes and mine rarely mesh when it comes to movies, and when he put it in the vcr and insisted I see it, I wasn't too thrilled. But I must admit, I found it interesting. I knew nothing about it, so when I see this boat salesman resembling Boss Hogg answering the phone and hearing a goofily - voiced prank caller, I assumed it would be just one of several things that would be annoying and pointless. And at first, that is what I got. With every phone ring, and every chant of the man answering "Triple K Marine!" I was annoyed and confused. Is this the whole movie?

Well, as it turns out, yes. But then a cool thing happened. The phone calls, while at first irritating, start to get less so when you do realize that they're the cornerstone of the entire film. Why does this prankster keep calling the boat salesman, and how much is the poor sap willing to take? Thus the movie became slowly more engrossing, and little by very little, more important information is revealed. It turns out there is more to this telephone terrorist than we at first think, and every new bit of information is awkwardly digested by the poor old boat salesman as we watch and wait to see what happens and what choices must be made.

The ending is open to debate as to whether it made the whole slow buildup worth it, but I myself think it was. It's a good movie with a good (albeit maybe sad) ultimate message, even if it does take a long time to slowly unroll. But I must give credit to the script and the actors who perform it, because what could be a relentlessly maddening hour and a half of uninteresting phone conversations, is skillfully turned into an interesting and funny (and finally dramatic) story of two lives intersecting for a very legitamite reason. It's worth watching, if not just to hear the goofy phone calls (one of which features my favorite line, quoted at the top) and the even goofier reactions of the beleagered boat guy. Unique fun and drama, and an interesting surprise.

I just watched this gem on video and I immediately recognized the source of the story. About seven years ago I heard some crank call tapes that were circulating here in Florida. These calls victimized a southern car salesman and were made by some college students doing "cracker" type accents. The calls started out semi-legit but degenerate into total harassment just like the "Red" or "Tube Bar Bastard" calls. This film is worlds better than the "Red" movie because the director along with two other writers actually synthesize a feature length story(a little cliched- but good) around the premise and create a HILARIOUS movie. Noble Winningham really shines in this film and I give it TEN THUMBS UP, YOU WILL PISS IN YOUR PANTS FROM LAUGHING.(especially if you've heard those tapes)