Butt Boy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Butt Boy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf May 4, 2020

“Butt Boy” began life as a short film for Tiny Cinema, an online offering of very brief creative achievements, most made without care for structure or storytelling. Just oddity for the masses. The run time was sixty seconds, introducing viewers to a man who found his pleasures in anal play, drastically upping his game as desires and curiosity grew. And that was that. Co-writer/director/star Tyler Cornack had the idea to take a one-minute-long movie and develop it into a 99-minute-long movie, retaining the central idea while expanding it in wild ways that bring audiences into areas of the human body they probably never thought they would visit. The bigger, badder “Butt Boy” is certainly some type of low-budget triumph, with Cornack wisely avoiding a Tim & Eric-style take on the mysteries and unstoppable power of one man’s rear end. He doesn’t go Troma either, preferring to find his own way through this intentionally weird endeavor. And that way is padding. Lots and lots of padding. Something has to fill 98 minutes of screen time once the gimmick is revealed.

Chip (Tyler Cornack) is a sad sack stuck in a dismal corporate job, only to come home to a new baby and his loveless wife, Anne (Shelby Dash). He’s miserable, finding unexpected joy during a prostate exam, with the anal probing unleashing something within Chip he’s desperate to explore. At first, he inserts small items into his rectum, bringing himself to a full boil with such taboo activity, but Chip soon graduates to bigger objects, including a dog and children, leaving him with a secret life he’s trying desperately to contain. Into Chip’s world comes Russel (Tyler Rice), a burned- out cop who meets the butt boy in Alcoholics Anonymous, paired with a strange man, who becomes his sponsor. While the men try to form a relationship, Russel’s cop instincts flare up around Chip, who can’t contain his impulses. When a child goes missing during a Take Your Kids to Work event, Russel is on the case, soon coming to understand that Chip may be hiding a dark secret that’s impossible to convey to his captain.

The good news is that “Butt Boy” doesn’t pull any punches. It’s actually about a man who finds his bliss by stuffing objects into his anus, experiencing a fantasy high while doing so, encouraging him to chase the dragon, finding larger items to insert into his behind. For such dedication, Cornack and co-writer Ryan Koch deserve a round of applause, not only because they follow through on their idea, but they do so without turning the whole endeavor into a campy, cancerous lump of strained nonsense, avoiding Troma-esque aggressiveness to stretch a single idea into an entire feature. However, that’s not to suggest “Butt Boy” is a great film. It’s not, but there’s a certain bravery in the execution of it all, with Cornack striving to make bizarre happen with his lunch money budget and limited directorial seasoning. There’s a completed picture here, and perhaps that’s the only goal the production was aiming for.

The cult-ready nature of “Butt Boy” is there for the taking, as Cornack aims to create a baffling sense of the absurd, following Chip’s evolution from a depressed thirtysomething father, husband, and tech guru to a near-alien being with the capacity to pitch human beings into his behind. It’s pre- mixed midnight movie ingredients, and the screenplay tries to generate a passable sense of the unknown in the first act, which details Chip’s introduction to his vast intestinal tract, getting off on small household items before cornering the family dog. The shock value of such a development is undeniable, especially when the man graduates to abducting children to feed his cravings. The rest of the writing isn’t nearly as audacious, settling into a character study of Russel, a tough cop with addiction problems, treating himself for alcoholism while indulging a love of hot sauce and secretive mourning. “Butt Boy” tries to develop the growing tension between Russel and Chip, with the detective slowly realizing the impossible is actually quite possible with his sponsor, but scenes between the men are slack, even with a fine performance from Rice, who commits to the nonsense. Cornack is a little low on screen charisma for the part, and it doesn’t help that “Butt Boy” isn’t propulsive entertainment, often leaning on talky encounters or thousand yard stares to kill screen time. A movie about a man who holds another dimension inside his keister shouldn’t be this dull.

Butt Boy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Color is utilized well in "Butt Boy," which blasts the screen with a full rainbow of hues, even dipping into black light antics as well. The AVC encoded image (2.14:1 aspect ratio) presentation handles such extremes comfortably, delivering saturated primaries with lighting sources and interior decoration. Greenery is ideal, along with costuming. More extreme environments highlight heavy use of deep reds. Skintones are natural. Detail reaches cinematographic limits, with a vivid sense of facial particulars, giving close-ups power. Textures also do well with office tours and clothing, and more gruesome matters of disgustingness registers with precision. Delineation is acceptable, encountering mild solidification. Artifacting is rare, but a last act visit to a special purgatory invites displays of banding.

Butt Boy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 Dolby Digital sound mix retains a strong sense of frontal position, keeping dialogue exchanges clear, even when dealing with a few mumbled performances. Emphasis is sharp, and argumentative behavior is comfortable. Scoring supports as necessary, with decent instrumentation and position. Surrounds push out some cues and deal passably with atmospherics, including office activity and otherworld encounters. Low-end isn't remarkable, missing some needed weight as weirdness creeps into the effort.

Butt Boy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features co-writer/director Tyler Cornack, actor Tyler Rice, and co-writer Ryan Koch.

• Behind the Scenes (12:20, HD) is a tightly packed look at the making of "Butt Boy," with commentary provided by Cornack. Storyboards are examined, with the director making use of video preparation to help guide the shoot. Rehearsals explore the creation of characters and tests of thespian ability. Locations and planning videos are shared, with Cornack receiving early access to help plan shots and prepare for work in local caves. And BTS footage is shared, observing camaraderie among the cast and crew, with everyone seemingly have a good time creating the feature with limited funds, with Cornack underlining the power of the creative experience.

• A Trailer (2:14, HD) and a Green Band Trailer (2:14, HD) are included.

Butt Boy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are parts of "Butt Boy" that connect as intended, with Cornack aiming to create a moody, noir-ish picture with sections of dark comedy. Even with a conclusion that goes exactly where it should go to resolve the story of Chip and his internal holding cell, the production doesn't get wild enough, saving its most potent imagery for the finale while the rest of the effort is conversational, almost to a point where it becomes a filmed play. There will be an audience for "Butt Boy," appreciating Cornack's ideas in bad taste cinema, but the viewing experience isn't the home run it should be, with the movie often slowing to a crawl, diluting interest in answers concerning the far reaches of Chip's dangerous derriere.