 | |
List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 23258
Released: August 21, 2007 |
| Our Price: $5.69 |
| Used Price: $4.92 |
|
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
Garbage man Marty tries his hand at standup comedy, failing miserably until a third arm mysteriously grows from his back. Gus, his accordion player friend, figures out a way to use the new arm and gets them signed with a sleazy talent agent. Just when success seems near, Marty's girlfriend leaves him - can the arm be far behind?
Description of The Dark Backward (Special Edition):
Further riffing on the trashy settings made popular by Repo Man and Street Trash in cult cinema, The Dark Backward stars two garbage men whose attempts at celebrity land them in even more pathetic territory. Director Adam Rifkin's (Detroit Rock City) first film, The Dark Backward, makes revolting comedy out of its carnivalesque plot, in which Marty Malt (Judd Nelson), a garbage man turned second-rate comedian grows an arm out of his back, thereby guaranteeing him a space in show business for freak show inflected stand-up comedy appearances. Cohort, Gus (Bill Paxton), meanwhile, secures him a Vegas-style talent agent, Jackie Chrome (Wayne Newton), who eventually rounds up real attention from bigwig Hollywood man, Dirk Delta (Rob Lowe). The fabulously raunchy, John Waters-inspired characters are what rescue this film from utter stupidity. Marty is the consummate spectacle-sporting nerd, as is Dirk Delta, who wears buckteeth to up the sleaze factor, offering a rare glimpse of two Brat Pack studs degraded to abnormal levels. Gus, the accordion-wielding confidant, masters several key scenes in which he licks a corpse at the local dump and eats rotten chicken. Occasionally, Marty's fling, Rosalita (Lara Flynn Boyle), provides visual respite for this otherwise stupendously dirty film. Comedy of this variety is scarce, making this DVD a treasure to those who find abjection hilarious. Additionally, The Dark Backward special edition disc contains "Blump's Squeezable Documentary," starring Rifkin and cast reminiscing about the making of this unusual gem. — Trinie Dalton
The Dark Backward (Special Edition) Reviews:
Beneath the valley of the UltraLame 
2009-06-08 - I found this new for $3 at Big Lots, but I'm afraid it wasn't even worth that. I don't know what kind of sense of humor you need to have to find this funny, but whatever it is it's clear I don't have it, and am no doubt better off because of it.
Perhaps writer/director Adam Rifkin fancied himself a cross between David Lynch and John Waters, but it ends up an extraordinarily lame and humorless imitation, with the worthwhile features of neither. The movie would be full of "droll" surrealist or absurdist humor, if anything in it was actually the least bit funny. The protagonist is intentionally a incredibly lousy comedian, but everything about this movie is about as funny as the complete dud jokes he tells-- I felt about the way the deadpan patrons of Sid's nightclub look at the beginning of the movie. Painfully unfunny to the point that I couldn't even tell what was *supposed* to be funny, and that which was apparently supposed to be shocking was simply pathetic in the attempt (except the necrophilia, which was a little on the sick side for my tastes).
I can laugh at a lot, I find much humor in Lynch and Waters for instance, and can at least understand what is supposed to be funny in movies like "Airplane," though I find it mostly to be an endless collection of "groaners." I don't offend or shock easily, but perhaps that's the problem here. Frankly, I couldn't even identify something worth groaning about. And I found Bill Paxton's hyperactive screaming character mostly just annoying. In the hopes that I would find at least SOMETHING in the movie funny I sat through it to the end, and even when the "jokes" were supposed have gotten better at the very end (I could tell that much at least), still found nothing redeeming. The director's "introduction" extra was incredibly amateurish and lame as well.
The Q&A extra reveals that his motivation may have been to make the viewer uncomfortable and resent him for it (based on a feeling he got from a friend who did a bad standup gig), but I wouldn't say it even had that effect on me-- it didn't have the fascination of a train wreck, more like watching the paint dry on a lead balloon.
Even the surreal world that sets the stage is poorly done, with the overuse of the same droll "Blumps" product gags (they might as well have used, ACME), bad tv programs, an itchy & scratchy cartoon equivalent, Dr. Scurvy reminds of the dentist in Little Shop of Horrors (but far less funny), everything here has been done much better elsewhere.
Sick and sometimes funny 
2009-05-20 - The Dark Backward is a strange movie. I remember being somewhat curious when the movie came out. As I was a mere teenager at the time, I didn't see it then and only got bits and pieces from fellow family members. They were dissapointed, but nonetheless took perverse pleasure in the pure insanity of the film. It might be worthy of cult status. That said, it's not perfect, but between Bill Paxton and Adam Rifkin, there's something sickningly genuis about the film, in spite of its flaws.
The film deals with a struggling comedian played by Nelson who is insanely bad. Yet his "friend," played by Bill Paxton cheers him on, taking a sick pleasure in it. In the midst of all this, Nelson's character grows a third arm. All sorts of insanity ensues. It doesn't all work. The thing that keeps me coming back to the movie (and at times looking away) is Bill Paxton. His performance is profane and hilarious. He really gets so deep into his character that it's almost perverse to watch what he does. If the film was better received upon its release, Paxton would've garnered much praise.
But the film seems disjointed and that keeps it just short of being revisited by cult film enthusiasts. Yet its strange nature makes it worth a watch on its own. Perhaps the strangest thing about the film, to me (besides Wayne Newton), was the fact that Rifkin manages to craft a good moral and theme to the film in the end - something you usually don't see with such a dark comic film. It's hard to reccommend for repeat viewings, but if you're into the bizarre, sometimes sick and twisted - this film is worth a viewing. Whether it's worth multiple viewings is all a matter of (bad) taste.
A truly twisted masterpiece, but not for the squeamish. 
2008-04-05 - "The Dark Backward" goes way beyond just being a dark comedy. Kind of like watching a David Lynch film on laughing gas! Only those attracted to cult films may fully appreciate this. Those expecting a main stream comedy better steer clear.
The cast in this film is quite amazing, and not what you would expect for this kind of movie.
If you like films that are dark, grim, grimy and down right absurd, you just might want to check out "The Dark Backward".
Love it or hate it!
2007-12-19 - Needless to say I loved it. How could you not?? There's something here to offend and tickle the funny bone of EVERYone! I appreciate the little details in this warped and surreal flick. The supermarket posters in the background advertised the strangest foods like "Weaselroni", "Squeezable Bacon", "Pork Juice", and my favorite "Pig Newtons". It's like "Blue Velvet" only more dismal and even stranger characters. It's worth it just to see teen idol Rob Lowe looking ugly as a mule's [...] in hilarious make-up. I've seen this movie about four times over the years and I jumped for joy when I heard it finally came out on DVD. The extras were great for a "Backward" fan like myself and it's nice to see the film in wide screen.
Amazing and Weird Movie
2007-12-18 - This movie is a dark dark dark dark dark comedy. If you like quirky and oddity and great unexpected performances by actors you know and love then this is the movie for you.
