Score_The_Film

I caught this at the world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and I about lost control of my bowels from laughing so hard. The opening scene (no spoilers) sets the outrageous tone for the picture and it is stupendously raunchy and funny as hell. If that first scene doesn't make you laugh out loud then you should probably just walk away. Hope (Melissa Rauch) is such an ass to EVERYONE that it's no surprise that the only friend in the world she has is her father, Stan (Gary Cole) and even his patience is wearing thin. The cast is outstanding. Really. Haley Lu Richardson (as Hope's protégé, Maggie) is so adorably likable that there's no reason to think she won't go anywhere in this industry but up. She's delightful and the perfect balance to Hope. Thomas Middleditch fits his role of Ben, the co-owner of the gymnastics studio and burgeoning love interest of Hope (if that's even possible but it is). And Sebastian Stan is hilarious as the good-looking former two time Olympic winner who has a history with Hope and is on track to steal Maggie away from her and get him into the spotlight. There are too many actors to name that also do a splendid job but these five are the ones we follow throughout the picture.

It can't be said enough how raunchy and wrong (in the right way) Hope is. Her personality is black and the paramount of selfishness but in that way that allows you to laugh and cringe at the same time. When you break the story down to its basic elements, there's nothing all that new about it. But it's how director Buckley handles it, the VERY funny script by Melissa and her husband Winston and the aforementioned talent in front of the camera that breathes severely entertaining life into a tired and reliable trope found in most sports movies. If I had to single out one moment to praise (and there are many) it's the scene were two gymnasts get it on but it's in the way your wildest dreams would suggest gymnasts would (boy to be a fly on the wall in the Olympic village). It's a close second to TEAM America: WORLD POLICE (2004) for being the funniest sex scene ever filmed. WOW! Tears, man, tears from laughing so hard. The funny runs from start to finish and I do mean finish. Listen to the lyrics Melissa sings in the closing credits song. In the Q&A after the film with the filmmakers, they tell how Winston wrote the lyrics on the drive to the recording studio as they had just been informed that Melissa was invited to sing on the PTAF track. It works beautifully and it's a great way to end one truly funny, FUNNY movie. The worst part of seeing it this early is having to wait that much longer to buy it so I can see it again but more importantly turn my friends onto it and look like a rock star for doing it.

I see an awful lot of strange movies (OVERDOSE OF DEGRADATION (1970), anyone?) - horror, exploitation, science fiction, action, etc. It seems rare these days that I would sit still long enough to watch a film such as this. MAY isn't the kind of movie that I'm likely to slap in the DVD player. I'd have to be in the mood for it and that doesn't happen much. It would take an outside force for me to watch it and most of the time I would be better for it, ashamed of my reluctance.

This was the film that opened Sundance this year and I can see why. Dabis has fashioned a light drama sprinkled with enough humor (often subtle) to make it a very pleasant experience. The performances are strong. Dabis put herself in front of the camera for the first time and does a wonderful job. Malouf, who plays May's sister Yasmine, nicely makes her feature debut, Shawkat, the other sister Dalia, gets the most laughs (you'll know her from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (2003) as Maeby Funke) and Abbass provides a strong and determined mother, Nadine, to the girls. And what a neat surprise to see Bill Pullman show up as Edward, Nadine's ex and father to the three girls.

Another major character is the location of Amman, Jordan. It's not only the sepia tone look of the landscape and buildings but getting a taste of the culture shock provides a few laughs at the expense of those who look upon women as less than men. There's a moment in the final act where May stands on the top of a mesa in the desert and sees the beautiful landscape around her in every direction. She stands alone and finds the answer she's been searching for. It's breathtaking. Except for the camels, it looks very much like the American Southwest. From this point until the end it's a full on drama with a conclusion that wraps up nicely (perhaps a little too neatly) where every major character fulfills their arc.

From a guy who watches hundreds of movies a year and spends a lot of time wallowing in the movie gutter of the 60s and 70s, I highly recommend this flick.