What sounds like the most insane idea for a movie since well, The Human Centipede, is done in a more subtle then unexpected manner from Tyler Cornack.
L.A. Detective Ricky Fox is on his way to Alcoholics Anonymous as his issues with alcohol has caused a hindrance to his job. There, he meets his sponsor, Chip Gutchell, who has been attending meetings for five years and becomes Fox’s sponsor. Chip is a techie for a small company and he doesn’t exactly live a happy family life as well. His life has been distraught since losing the family dog. However, that doesn’t compare to what’s about to happen.
At a Take Your Child to Work day at Chip’s job, one of the kids mysteriously goes missing. Fox has been put on the case. Not having seen Chip for two weeks due to Chip’s personal issues, the two finally meet again and Chip is questioned about the disappearance. Fox finds a potential clue that may lead to something unbelievable. His theory is that Chip may be the prime suspect and that he hasn’t killed anyone, but has somehow found the ability to kidnap the kid in his butt. Fox is deemed crazy, forced out of the case, but he intends to get the truth and discovers something truly shocking!
This indie horror-comedy from filmmaker Tyler Cornack does something one would expect in a Troma film. However, the major difference between this and a potential Troma film would be the levels of insanity in terms of execution. For most of the film, the focus looks to be on both L.A. detective Fox, excellently played by Tyler Rice; and Chip, whose feelings of despair is done synonymously with a 80’s-style synth score from Feathers and is played by Cornack himself.
The reason why this is a difference is because Cornack opts for a more subtle approach to executing things. It’s clear from the title that while the theory may sound insane, it is done in a way where we see a potential victim before a jump cut to the next scene. We don’t actually see what Chip is capable of. Instead, we see him in a trance and it becomes a sort of power for him as he blocks out the world and then, jump cut. However, in one scene, it looks like he may end up possibly do something unimaginable until it cuts to him crying in bed, showing a more human side to him as opposed to what we used to in the film.
That is until the end of the second act, where Fox does end up in the place he never imagined nor even would think about going to and even when those scenes are seen, they are done with a small brief of cringe. However, thanks to a red filter with the looks more of a cave (which made me laugh because I thought of Eddie Murphy’s G.I. Joe act in Delirious), Cornack goes a more subtle in the depiction of inside the gluteus maximus. Like a demented version of Innerspace if you will. And if you think that’s insane, wait until the big finale, but it was both predictable but also unexpected in terms of its execution.
Butt Boy is quite a subtle film with a very unimaginable idea. But it works so well thanks in part to Tyler Cornack’s execution and his titular role of a very despaired and miserable man. Definitely worth checking out for all you lovers of grindhouse films.
WFG RATING: A-
Epic Pictures presents a Tiny Cinema production. Director: Tyler Cornack. Producers: Ryan Koch and Brian Wolfe. Writers: Tyler Cornack and Ryan Koch. Cinematography: Brian Morean. Editing: Austin Lewis.
Cast: Tyler Rice, Tyler Cornack, Shelby Dash, Brad Potts, Austin Lewis, Robert Ackerman Moss, Tyler Dryden, Kai Henderson, Wilky Lau.
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