SPAGHETTIMAN

2016 | DIR. MARK POTTS | REVIEW BY GLENN COCHRANE.

I'll be honest with you. I wasn't expecting much from SPAGHETTIMAN. In fact upon first glance it looked like a dodgy DIY movie with a stupid premise, most likely made by stoners for shits 'n giggles. And, well, most of that is true. I can't verify the 'stoner' comment... but I'm sure there's merit to the rest of my assessment.

There are three things that I wasn't expecting... firstly SPAGHETTIMAN makes a fundamental emotional connection with its audience, secondly it is brilliantly written, and thirdly it is hilarious! I was no further than 20-minutes into the film when I felt compelled to cook myself a bowl of ramen noodles. I put the movie into pause-mode and addressed the situation, before watching the rest of SPAGHETTIMAN with a deliciously themed meal. Rarely does a film speak to me on this level and I don't recall enjoying 'audience-participation' as much before. THIS is the type of emotional connection that even the teariest Merchant-Ivory Production struggles to make.

The movie follows the daily trials and tribulations of Clark, a dishevelled loser whose life consists of mooching off others and watching TV. When he eats a bowl of spaghetti that has been over-nuked in the microwave he suddenly develops the ability to produce spaghetti at will. Not only can he shoot spaghetti from his wrists, he can piss spaghetti too. With his newfound powers he puts a paper bag on his head and adopts the persona of “Spaghettiman”. He takes to the street saving people from peril for his own personal gain. His services are special but do not come freely, and Clark profiteers from the misfortune of others.

Some may describe the synopsis as stupid, whereas I would call it genius. It is a ludicrous concept that its creators have embraced and - in turn – created one of the funniest films of the year. Director Mark Pott's, along four co-writers, have written a clever, taut and satirical film that is concise and consistently hysterical. Potts compensates his budget restraints and technical limitations with a script that takes the piss out of the superhero genre and delivers a fun narrative that refuses to lag.

Clark/Spaghettiman is played by Winston Carter, a scruffy-looking guy making his feature-film debut, and for a bloke without much experience he certainly has a natural on-screen presence. His comprehension of the comedy and his emphatic delivery of gags are on-point, and his lethargic demeanour might suggest that a lot of his material was improvised. From his lazy and slobbish quirk to his confident and reckless hero persona, he gives to micro-budget cinema what Christopher Reeves gave to blockbusters (or more appropriately, what Toxie & SGT Kabukiman gave to Troma).

SPAGHETTIMAN might be a cheap independent film with no commercial appeal, but for those smart enough to look beyond its bare-bones production it will prove to be one of the most outrageously fun movies you will see in ages. It represents the sort of filmmaking that we need to nurture and the calibre of talent that we should champion! It is the very type of movie that people like James Gunn (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) were making before Hollywood came knocking and it will – hopefully – go on to become a cult favourite.

Do yourself a favour and watch SPAGHETTIMAN!!

SPAGHETTIMAN is now available to buy on DVD from Umbrella Entertainment.