Assholes Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Assholes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf January 15, 2022

“Assholes” is not a movie for everyone. The title alone is a strange, exhibition-killing move from writer/director Peter Vack, and he’s intent on making a film that’s only for viewers into extremity, going wild with grotesque imagery to fuel a comedy about life, love, horniness, and poppers. There’s so much going on in the effort, yet nothing really happens in “Assholes,” which emerges as an experiment in charged imagery and New York City neuroses – a kind of Woody Allen riff, if the helmer decided to make a feature for Troma Entertainment. The endeavor is certainly memorable, which presents a creative victory for Vack, but his determination to chase every whim quickly grows tiring, even for a picture that’s barely 70 minutes long.

Adah (Betsey Brown) is young, undersexed, and frustrated with love. She has a pothead brother in Adam (Peter Vack), and a friend in Aaron (Jack Dunphy), with the pair sharing the same analyst. Without any romantic options, Adah decides to make a move on Aaron, and the pair learn to live with each other as they experience herpes sores, potent poppers, and rim jobs. However, this union is tested by such experimentation, which results in the birth of a Mephistopheles (Eileen Dietz), a demon pulled from the depths of Adah’s lower intestine. Faced with guardianship and Adah’s domineering parents (Ron and Jane Brown), Adah and Aaron go crazy, giving in to their impulses, reaching a point where their faces take on the shape of their favorite body part.

We meet Adah during a therapy session, with Vack gifting the first scene of the feature to the character and her screaming mind. She purges her fears to her analyst, complaining about her lack of a sex life, which superpowers her cravings for lustful encounters, and she struggles with sobriety, trying to keep herself above all the temptations that hound her very existence. Adam is her brother, and he’s part of the problem. A 9/11 conspiracy nut who loves marijuana. Adam pushes a bong hit on his sibling, offering her drugs and a chance to share his STD, rubbing his herpes sore on the mouthpiece. It’s very wrong and very gross, but “Assholes” is just getting started when it comes to disgusting situations.

“Assholes” is interested in the ways of therapy, with early moments in the movie devoted to listening in on sessions, getting a better understanding of hidden thoughts. For Aaron, his love for gaping anus pornography has made his real life disappointing, unable to feed his fantasy with a partner. Aaron finds an opportunity to express his desires with Adah, who simply wants a warm body to play with, embarking on a relationship that deals with closeness, including sexual activity, shared herpes sores, defecation, and, eventually, parenthood, as an elderly demon is pulled out of Adah’s hindquarters. Relationship fury is fueled by bottles of Charge, a dangerous inhalant, which sends the couple into the wilds of uncontrollable behavior. Vack tries to do something with this energy, sending Brown and Dunphy into NYC for an extended in-character sequence where they rampage around locals and tourists, eventually picking fights and engaging in sexual acts in Times Square, playing to confused and amused crowds.

There’s no story to “Assholes.” It’s a series of ideas and improvisations loosely collected by Vack, who doesn’t have a vision for the endeavor. He’s simply assembling random ideas and scenes, trying to escalate the feature’s gross-out interests with close-ups of infected lips and genitals, and there’s a concentration on fecal matter that probably exposes some type of fetish from the helmer. Meme-inspired humor is common, and the whole effort concludes with a parody of the T.V. show, “Intervention,” watching as Adah and Aaron deal with their new reality as hopeless Charge addicts with anuses for faces.

Assholes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation deals with a very colorful picture in "Assholes," with the HD-shot feature offering crisp hues throughout the viewing experience. There are bold yellows and reds everywhere, and the natural glow of New York City street life is distinct. Skintones are natural, and viral growths retain their icky looks. Detail is exceptional, delivering clear skin surfaces and grotesque makeup additions. Decoration is open for study, and urban distances are dimensional. Delineation is satisfactory. Some mild banding is detected.

Assholes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix is a largely frontal listening event, preserving clear dialogue exchanges from a variety of performers. Music retains authority, with soundtrack cuts slipping into death metal selections at times. Surrounds aren't commanding, used to explore some city and restaurant atmospherics, also pushing out music selections. Low-end isn't challenged.

Assholes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Video Commentary features writer/director Peter Vack and actors Jack Dunphy and Betsey Brown.

• Commentary #1 features writer/director Peter Vack and actress Betsey Brown.

• Commentary #2 features writer/director Peter Vack and actors Jack Dunphy and Betsey Brown.

• Interview (43:39, HD) is a video conference interview with actors Ron and Jane Brown, conducted by writer/director Peter Vack.

• "Child Psychology" (14:56, HD) is a 2017 short film by Ron Brown.

• And a Trailer (2:07, HD) is included.

Assholes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Assholes" isn't shy when it comes to shock value, and there's a certain level of amusement with performances, as Brown and Dunphy really go for it as Adah and Aaron, offering everything, including graphic nudity, to Vack to help with his gonzo cause. The entertainment value of the film is found in these moments of lunacy, but there's no connective tissue to capture the imagination. Again, "Assholes" is not recommended for a casual watch. The title is more of a warning than a description, with the production out to create something horrifying, silly, and sensitive to the intimate needs of dispirited characters looking to find happiness, preferably through activity involving their rear ends.