YOGA HOSERS
US, 2016, 88 minutes, Colour.
Lily- Rose Depp, Harley Quinn Smith, Johnny Depp, Austin Butler, Justin Long, Tony Hale, Natasha Lyonne, Genesis Rodriguez, Vanessa Paradis, Haley Joel Osment, Stan Lee, Jason Mewes, Kevin Conroy.
Directed by Kevin Smith.
For the last 20 years or more, it is a standard statement in any review of Kevin Smith’s films to say that it is for Kevin Smith fans – and others be alerted or warned. Definitely the case here.
Smith’s film prior to this one was Tusks, a rather grotesque story about grotesques. This is something of a follow-up, taking up some of the characters and their investigations into oddities in human nature. The main proponent is Guy Lapointe, an odd looking old codger with a French- Canadian English accent who lumbers through a whole lot of activities – while many might not recognise that under the make up there is Johnny Depp, as in Tusks, doing yet another of his expert oddball performances.
However, the film opens with two young 14 ½ schoolgirls playing their guitars, singing vigorously with a middle-aged drum player. While some of this is amusing in itself, especially when they go back into the store where they work, and meet a whole lot of strange customers, and then have encounters with their demanding parents, we might wonder where it is all going.
We should have been more alert to one of the customers who goes out from the shop and suddenly is attacked from behind by this miniature soldier and dies. This leads to a number of deaths, including two young Satanists who had invited the girls to the year 12 party, with the girls being arrested and Guy Lapointe coming to investigate.
By this stage, the non-Smith fans might well have given up. The fans can be reassured that it improves, in absurdity of course, from this point on.
The girls go to school where it certainly emerges that they are not the brightest sparks, very much living in the present, no idea of history, absolutely devoted to their phones which they cannot live without and addicted to Instagram (and this is the manner in which all the characters are introduced).
Even if one were to recount the plot, one would get lost in a lot of the details – suffice it to say that we are taken back to Canada’s fascist past during World War II, Nazi infiltration, a rabble rouser with moustache – played, of all people, by Haley Joel Osment – and a sympathiser who is able to cryogenically preserve himself for later generations as well as his giving his blood to choice sausages (yes sausages) who all wake up prematurely and become an army of little fascist military out to destroy everyone (played by Kevin Smith himself). The newly-revived fascist comments on his funny accent and decides to communicate in the voices of Al Pacino, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger…
What has Kevin Smith got against Canada? The whole story is set in Winnipeg (with an attitude a bit like the creators of South Park towards Canada). And everybody speaks, highlightedly so, pronouncing the word ‘out’ and all its combinations and variations as ‘oot’, much more emphasised than we ever noticed before.
One other thing that needs to be said that this is a very family affair. The two girls are called Colleen and one is played by Lily- Rose Depp, the daughter of Johnny Depp and singer Vanessa Paradis (who plays the history teacher who opens up the Nazi past for her students). The other Colleen is played by Kevin Smith’s daughter, Harley Quinn Smith (who else could Kevin Smith would call his daughter Harlequinn), with her mother, Jennifer Schwabach, playing a supporting role and being one of the main producers of the film. So, definitely all in the family. (And Lilly-Rose? Depp does make quite an impression).
A number of Kevin Smith’s friends have supporting roles and Marvel Comic guru, Stan Leey, plays a police patrol officer. and, satisfyingly for those who enjoyed all this silly entertainment, there is announcement that the two Colleen’s will appear in a film entitled Moose Jaw.
1. A comedy, touches of the absurd? Spoof and satire?
2. Kevin Smith, his career as a writer, director, local stories, small stories, eccentric characters, interest in comic strips?
3. The film as a family affair, Kevin Smith and his wife and daughter, Johnny Depp, Vanessa Paradis and their daughter and son?
4. The focus on Instagram, each of the characters introduced by an Instagram page, name, photo, characteristics, quotes from serious authors?
5. The Canadian setting, Winnipeg, the spoof of Canada, the emphasis on Canadian pronunciation of about as ‘aboot’, Canada and the US?
6. The town, homes, the store, the band, socials, the result the revolt of the neo-Nazis? The score? The songs?
7. The two Colleens, their age, singing, Canada, anthem, the drummer, the rehearsals? Going back into the store, their customers and interest?
8. The strange character, going out, killed from behind, foreshadowing the Nazis and the killings?
9. The daughters, the relationship with their parents, each family, discipline, reactions? Middle-class?
10. The boys, coming to the store, the invitation to the social, the reaction of the parents, the boys’ return, their plan, satanic rituals – and their deaths? The girls being arrested and interned?
11. School, the classes, the teachers, the interview with the principal, the history course, fascists in Canada, memories of the war? The flashbacks, the rabble rouser, his appearance, portly, moustache, his speeches, the convert, the protests?
12. The role of Guy Lapointe? His appearance, character, the interviews, girls in prison, getting out, in the room, the Bratzis, the man emerging from the cryogenic freezing? His Nazi rant and the variety of movie voices, Al Pacino, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger…?
13. The girls, their age, so often dumb, ignorant of essential facts, love of their phones, Instagram? The spoof of modern youngsters?
14. The Nazi, his character, cryogenically preserved, his making the sausages, the characters, his being interrupted? His plan?
15. The Bratzis, their appearance, size, little neo-Nazis, the range of attacks, the number, fighting, dying, multiplying? Guy and the girls and their counter-attack?
16. The film as an episode, very silly, but smart kind of silly with characterisations and dialogue? The prospect of a sequel?
