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Reviews
Trailer Park Jesus (2012)
A Letter from Jordi to the Romans
Hearst all thou who doth like to laugh. Director Sean Gerowin has callest us to viewest his latest vision. His latest tome for the people. A film for all the faithful flock.
Trailer Park Jesus is a film about Him. For He has risen. And with Him cometh a good times, paint, sparkles, beach weddings, and animated aquatic friends.
Our story begins with Jessie of New Orleans traveling along the highways and byways of the American South to reunite with the tribe of his homeland. Along the way, however, the prophet Jessie falls victim to the plight of auto malfunction. Malfunction caused in part by wayward peers engaged in misguided worship.
When Jessie is threatened by a Southern tribe member with an imposing visage, he turns to the comfort of Sara (without an "h"), proclaimed cousin of all and foe of a few. It is Sara, namesake of the Biblical wife of the prophet Abraham, and here friend of Jessie, who supports Jessie and helps him when he is most in need.
With the aid of a few other members of the Southern tribe, Jessie is promised assistance to a caravan back to his own homeland. In order to receive safe passage from the Southern tribe, however, Jessie must provide mental openness in the form of fish. And despite his warning for caution and the knowledge that too much fish can lead to tragedy, the Southern tribe bask in Jessie's teachings, becoming true followers of the faith. For they are those who needed a spark and a prophet to enter their midst. Their's had become a life of despair and Jessie's teachings opened them to ideas and celebration they had only dreamed of. Or perhaps had once, but lost in the mire of their desperate surroundings.
Then, from the teachings of Jessie and the visions of the people, the Savior appeared. A Savior who carries paradise and a wine cooler, who baptizes ultimate fighters and smokes cigarettes, and who is the only one who can truly lead the people of the Southern tribe from their meager surroundings to a life of glory, fame, and salvation.
Unfortunately for Jessie, however, as the people embrace the Savior and bask in their new-found teachings, Jessie realizes time is ticking on his ability for safe passage back to his own tribal homeland. Jessie struggles with the notion that the people do not want their new prophet to leave their tribe, especially Sara, his foremost supporter and the foundation of his ministry. Yet Jessie remains stalwart his plan to rejoin his own tribe and return to his homeland. For the ties to family and his homeland are stronger than those to his new flock, although the beautiful Sara does provide his last temptation.
He blessed them with Jessie and Jessie blessed them with fish. The Book tells us a fish dinner for the masses never runs out. Trailer Park Jesus provides the masses with laughs, odd situations, and even odder characters that likewise never run out.
This is a letter of Jordi to the Romans.
Quick synopsis:
Mix Cheech and Chong drug humor from south of the border with the Canadian background of Trailer Park Boys from north of the border, throw in some southern stereotypes and religious allegory, and you have Sean Gerowin's latest, Trailer Park Jesus. From the two films of his that I have seen, Gerowin, a director from New Orleans, likes putting characters in crazy situations and forcing them to escape using their own wit and wisdom, especially when situations get vastly out of hand, often thanks to the misuse of some chemical enhancements.
Here, a young college student is forced to bargain his way out of rural Mississippi using only a sheet of LSD. When the LSD proves stronger than he imagined and the locals embrace the mind-altering drug, hilarious hijinks ensue.
Let's Rob the Cheese Shop (2009)
Monterey, Cheddar, or Swiss, this is a movie you don't want to miss!
Written and directed by New Orleans filmmaker Sean Gerowin, "Let's Rob the Cheese Shop" is the story of three college students and their foolproof plan to take mad cheddar from a local muenster merchant.
Along the way, however, things don't go exactly as planned.
The movie starts by introducing us to college buddies Alex and Vance. Alex is the square, buttoned-up nice guy and Vance is the outgoing, slackerific ladies man, albeit with a bit of a drug problem. To be honest, Vance reminded me of a cross between Jay from the Kevin Smith movies and Jim Morrison of The Doors. He also reminded me of a few friends I've had through the years – minus the coke habit.
Like most college students, Alex, Vance, and their friend Daphne are broke. Apparently between the three of them, they have just enough money to buy Bonnaroo tickets. Unfortunately, only one of them has a job. So, again like most college students, they start brainstorming on how to make some quick cash. Although they first consider robbing a bank, the idea is quickly tossed aside for a more practical notion: to rob Daphne's workplace – the local cheese shop.
With everyone finally on board, the three friends begin to calculate and contemplate, hypothesize and strategize, and dream and scheme how to make the plan a success. Of course, they don't consider what would happen if they got busted, or if Daphne lost her job (which she is shown to be not very good at, by the way), but such is the innocence of youth.
Speaking of innocence (or lack thereof), while the friends are contriving their nefarious plot, we learn that Vance and Daphne used to be lovers and now Alex has a crush on Daphne. This sets off a continuous backstory of love, lust, and why girls don't like "nice guys".
Slowly but surely the scheme starts to disintegrate. Some people get cold feet, some people start thinking with their heart instead of their brain, and still others choke down handfuls of random pills, making them completely useless as a potential accomplice.
Before the plan goes completely up in smoke, however, Vance meets the woman of his dreams. And she is not the kind of woman to keep him on the straight and narrow either. Quite the opposite. She is the cowgirl from Hades and just the inspiration Vance needs to dust off the friends' scheme and attempt to be Clyde to his new love's Bonnie.
Will he succeed? Will the cheese shop be robbed? Will Alex get lucky? For the answer, you have to see the movie.
Overall, I really enjoyed "Let's Rob the Cheese Shop". It's a fun movie that definitely brought back memories of wild and crazy college days. There is no doubt "Let's Rob the Cheese Shop" lives up to its claim of containing "a fair amount of Sex, Drugs, & Cheese". It was definitely funny, although some of the humor was very subtle – like when Alex attempts to get close to Daphne and she repeatedly slides away. Finally, as the movie was filmed in New Orleans, there is plenty of good music and, of course, lots of drinking.