Groupers

source: Groupers

For a movie on a shoestring budget it looked good. The movie started off pretty well but it was just too long and ran out of steam. The last act with new character introductions were thinly written and juvenile. It just did not stick the landing. That said I thought the movie showed promise and the 1st half I would rate a 8 stars the last half 4 stars. This is not a good as some of the reviews suggest ( fans ) and certainly not as bad as some ( just angry ) reviewers suggest. Not for everyone but you can do much worse.

This is a film with a message and a unique voice in Director Anderson Cowan. While some folks may get their feathers ruffled, that should be the goal of any good film: creating a conversation that, with any luck, will maybe cause some unity and acceptance.

Really fun movie here. Me and my wife had a total blast watching it. If you're reading this and you already rated Groupers a 1 out of 10, go look in the mirror and tell yourself what an idiotic, hillbilly loser you are......

The movie is almost as cool as the synopsis reads. Almost. The first forty minutes set the stage, going right into the film's, dark, almost underground nature. And it is a good start. The characters feel familiar and the dialogue flows naturally from the characters. The immediate situation is edgy enough to hook you in. It all is a bit of theatrics that set on the edge of what is plausible, much in the way of films like "Pecker", "The Chumscrubber" and "Hard Candy". The cast do a great job, for the most part, giving life to these "fringe" characters. However the energy and substance begins to lack at the midway point. Dialogue starts to feel redundant and the story arc sort of stalls out. There's still enough taking place to keep your attention, with just the scope of the situation, the introduction of the bullied brother that is most likely insane, and the continued tight performance by several of the cast. Unfortunately things hit a wall with the last act. "Groupers" introduces a twist to the movie that does more to disrupt the overall flow of the story than it does to muck up Meg's agenda. It adds a distraction to the plot that doesn't make sense and does nothing to enhance the story. Still this is a cool, fresh, generation Z film that brings light and levity to an otherwise dark subject of homophobia and bullying. Just go in knowing that it gives half of what it sets out to achieve, and enjoy the downward, comedic spiral.

Based on the fallacy of "if you don't like it you are it" the movie started on the wrong foot, but its not that certain that its even woke as every character is unlikable in every way, it doesn't work as satire either. Once the main premise starts wearing thin a cartoon squatter squad is thrown in to bring on a conclusion, Its just bizarre and boring, how did this ever get funded.

Cheers to this fun movie! Well acted and Directed, Its a good time.

This had three qualities I appreciate immensely when successfully combined in a movie: weird, unpredictable and hilarious. It reminded me of when I was more adventurous with my movie rentals in years past: I would watch a ton of smaller budget indies, and on occasion, I would find a gem amongst the crowd. Discovering these gems made it worth having to endure a large number of not-so-inspired indie offerings. Groupers is a perfect example of one of those gems. The way its plot unfolded, including how the colorful characters found themselves interacting with one another, was impressively imaginative. All the characters were perfectly cast as well. The character Dylan was my favorite; he had me cracking up throughout. This is a great debut from Anderson Cowan and I'm excited to see what he does in the future. I had a delightful time with this one!

I am not a critic or a "film school guy", I am just like to watch various types of movies and appreciate them for what they are, a brief escape from reality. This movie is weird, somewhat disturbing, and has some dark humor to hold the attention of the audience throughout. It's a look into how groups form, shape your thinking, and ultimately how we can grow out of the 'group think' mindset. If you don't take yourself too seriously, you can, and should, enjoy this film for what it is...

What Anderson Cowan has done on an extreme shoestring budget is nothing short of impressive. The writing is witty and funny, the acting by virtual unknowns, is very impressive, and the execution, while messy towards the end, is still very good for a first time writer/director.