Adventures of Serial Buddies

this movie was fun to see and made you laugh at the foibles you see in the world today, especially the nutty ones. making fun of crazy peoples'' hang-ups, is very funny,especially when you make it double up, reminds you of napoleon dynamite, only twice as good. go see it and do not be afraid to laugh, its funny. black comedy is very hard to master, it takes a very astute writer to know where the line is between comedy and stupidity. keven handled this extremely well, first by giving a main character a speech impediment, and showing the other main character's religious confusions, and then directing it so that it the characters owned them for real. great show.

Keven Undergaro's ADVENTURES OF SERIAL BUDDIES is a deeply strange and engaging film that probably isn't for everyone, but for those who get it and settle into its vibe, its mix of dark comedy, cartoon surrealism, and human warmth will make it an instant cult classic. Every frame of the film is packed with meticulous whimsy. Every plot twist induces a new level of taboo-smashing lunacy. The cast is a mix of compelling newcomers (like Paul Ashton as "Gregory", stealing every scene he's in; John Comerford as the overachieving but broken big brother; and Sir Richard Wentworth as Krevello the party monster, unforgettable mentor to Gary the dim-witted sociopath) and famous faces having a ball in the circus of murder and dysfunction that Undergaro has built for them to play in (Christopher Lloyd injecting pathos into his disappointed father role like a master craftsman, Kathy Lee Gifford hilariously painting herself as a greedy faux philanthropist with a jones for trophy makers, and Maria Menounos lighting up the screen as the archetypal snobby sorority girl). Henry Winkler's narration lends a tenderness to scenes that would otherwise be chilling and alienating, easing us into a riot of colorful crimes, committed for ridiculous reasons by two complementary basket cases who really just want to be loved (as does their backwards tagalong intern). It's comedically ruthless, emotionally poignant, and visually bewitching. Its occasional rough edges cast the precision of Undergaro's vision into higher relief. This director obviously has a host of great films ahead of him. This shameless but gentle/reckless but complex film should be seen by all who value a twisted vision with a heart of gold. Fans of Adult Swim, John Waters, SouthPark and other such slices of apocalyptic fun should pounce on this film a.s.a.p. ADVENTURES OF SERIAL BUDDIES could be the jaded hipster date movie of the century. I loved it to pieces.

I was at the sneak preview at the Boston Film Festival and it was a BLAST. Here's a quick review:

I'd call "Serial Buddies" a "lightly dark" comedy. It shares some cinematic DNA with modern absurdist comedies like "Napoleon Dynamite" (a bizarre cast of characters and a snappy pace). But where "Dynamite" affects a "too cool for school" attitude, "Serial Buddies" has an earnest, goofy energy, trading deadpan stares for a Woody Woodpecker-esque careening insanity.

Kathie Lee Gifford was a huge surprise as a randy Sorority Mom with the hots for trophy makers(!). She plays the role with lewd relish -- and she got some of the biggest laughs of the night for her efforts.

Christopher Lloyd's performance is also noteworthy. His scenes with Paul Ashton ("Gregory") as Gregory's father Dr. Von Gearheart veer from laugh-out-loud hilarious to heart-wrenching.

Speaking of Ashton, he is fantastic as Gregory. He allows us to see the heart in the ridiculous character that he's playing, while keeping it funny. A great performance from an actor to watch.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the mythical Kravello (Sir Richard Wentworth). The character, a legendary trophy maker who worked himself to death, is mentioned in reverent tones for the first half of the movie, and when his flashback finally arrives in the second act it does not disappoint. I won't spoil it for anyone, but it's spectacular and outrageous.

To sum up, I was really impressed. It's a unique film with many laughs -- well worth watching!

Saw this movie on a lark without reading any reviews (turns out later there weren't too many to be found anyway) or even seeing a preview. It's been years since I've done that, and now I remember why.

For some reason when we walked all the way to the back of the multiplex to get to the one theater this movie was showing in, and found that it was empty, I wasn't concerned. In retrospect, I guess that should have been my first clue.

The two characters meeting each other for the first time was a little funny, but it went downhill fast. I was a little worried when I saw the film quality. It looked like it was filmed on a low-end consumer digital camera, like if you kept playing the movie you would have found scenes of one of the director's niece's birthday parties or something.

Then the fat guy showed up. That's when I knew.

Here's this guy who looks to be in his early 40s playing what I suppose is supposed to be a fat teenager (I guess? it's never explained). His voice cracks and he really wants to learn how to make trophies. Something about that is supposed to be funny because there are all these "baaaawooom" and kazoo noises going off in the background as he walks around. Ya know, because it's funny.

Then there's one of the killers who dresses in brightly colored clothes and prances around. I guess this is meant to suggest he is gay, but maybe not? Again, more wacky noises going off in the background when he's dancing around.

I could go on but at some point I fell asleep. Next thing I know my wife is nudging me to tell me it's time to go. I think we were about 30 minutes into the movie at this point.

I recently got a chance to preview Serial Buddies at the Boston Film Festival. This is the second effort I've seen from Writer/Director Keven Undergaro, and I have to say, he has come a long way since "In the Land of Merry Misfits". Serial Buddies shares some of the fantastical elements of Misfits (you get a strong sense that you're not quite in the real world) but the characters in Serial Buddies are much more fleshed out, as is the storyline.

Paul Ashton carries the film as the flamboyant Gregory. The subtleties of his performance filled in many blanks as the offbeat characters pursued their bloody quest. In the hands of a lesser actor the audience might have faced a few head-scratching moments, but Ashton kept the action chugging right along.

I suspect many reviewers are going to point out the great narration by Henry Winkler and the cameo roles by Christopher Lloyd, Artie Lange, Maria Menounos (also the film's co-producer) and Kathy Lee Gifford (all of whom shined) but to me the highlights came in the unexpected performances by Danielle Weeks as Winter, and Sir Richard Wentworth as Kravello. Not big parts for either of them, but they were both hysterical. They gave a real boost of momentum to the second half of the film. As I left the theater, my most prominent memories were of Weeks' drunken shrieking and Sir Richard's flashback montage. Either one alone would have been worth the price of admission.

Viewers hoping for a catalyst for some lively après-movie philosophical debate should be warned that Serial Buddies is not a morality play. In fact, Undergaro completely ignores the ethical implications of serial murder. Which is precisely what makes the movie funny. His comedy applies tension on the audience by not serving up the expected, obligatory antagonist. I was so pleased by the absence of the cliché cop-with-a-heart-of-gold hot to offer some banal counterpoint that murder is bad. More fun to see how it all plays out in the bizarre world of Undergaro's imagination. Well done.