The Tripper (2007)
Review by Noel
I must abide by the laws of full disclosure and say that The Tripper was co-written and directed by David Arquette.
STOP! Don’t click off just yet because you read that. I know the name David Arquette may set off that reflex. It did for me, simply because he was in that movie Ready To Rumble in which he had a thing for Rose McGowan…who played his sister in Scream. That’s just weird.
Still, don’t let that stop you from watching this movie, because I honestly can’t say I’ve ever seen a movie like it. It’s a horror/comedy with a distinct political slant to it…and no shortage of fun gore. Even as I write that, the experience of watching the movie is almost one of a kind.
A group of drug-loving peaceniks (Jason Mewes and Jaime King headline the recognizable cast) go to the Free Love Music Festival for drugs, sex, and maybe a little music…but their fun is cut short because, sure enough, there’s a killer loose in the woods that has a soft spot and a sharp axe for hippies. And the killer bears a distinct vocal and physical resemblance to…we’ll get to that later.
What works about The Tripper:
1) The opening scene has a young boy taking a chainsaw to a tree hugger. Now, I have nothing against tree huggers or the saving the environment, but I really couldn’t help laughing at that scene. What a wonderful way to open a movie…
Did I mention that the chainsaw is running?
2) Thomas Jane- when I first saw him, I thought he was doing his brother-in-law David Arquette a favor, and I still think he was. But Jane takes an underwritten character and makes it his own as the sheriff in charge of security at the festival. And yes, I believed him as a sheriff infinitely more than I believed Josh ‘I got this Badge because the Jacket and Fuzzy Hat fit me and I averaged A Triple-Double in the Barrow 3-on-3 League’ Hartnett in 30 Days of Night.
3) Never follow a bunny into the woods…especially if you’re naked
4) As I mentioned before, the killer bears an uncanny resemblance to one of our former presidents. I smiled every time he appeared onscreen. Go ahead, kill more people if it means more President ______
5) Jaime King- A very credible female horror lead
6) Paul Reubens as the head of the music festival- Count how many times Pee Wee Herman says ‘Fuck You’, because apparently those were the secret words of the day
7) A sow in a pen with the name ‘George W’- Now I’m just reviewing the movie and not trying to espouse any political views…but it elicited minor gales of laughter from yours truly
Courtney Cox-Arquette has a nice cameo where she says the words “Dogs are God’s creatures! They are our friends!” right before she gets mauled. I think it’s her best work ever.
9) The former President takes his axe to a group of hippies around a campfire. Funny, funny stuff.
10) Can you think of any movie, much less a horror movie that has closing credits not accompanied by music, but by a speech by Robert Kennedy Jr.? Whatever your political views are, it does make you think. How many horror movies can do that? Granted, I don’t necessarily go into a horror movie wanting to think…but it is a nice change of pace.
11) David Arquette- Biggest compliment I can give: He doesn’t let his directing get in his way of telling the story.
12) CALL OFF THE SEARCH!! I’ve found Lukas Haas! He’s right here! In this movie. Last seen in “Brick”, and before that I just thought he was dead. But…he’s alive!! Yeah!! Somebody give him something to eat.
What doesn’t work:
1) The overlong performance of a song, in the middle of the movie stops any momentum that might have been built. But only temporarily…
2) Jason Mewes- plays a less funny and less fucked-up version of Jay. His outtakes are better than anything he does in the movie. And it is kind of disconcerting seeing him without Silent Bob by his side.
3) Feel free to skip the chapter when Lukas Haas breaks out his guitar and begins singing to Jaime King. Despite the gore in this movie, this is the most vomit-worthy scene in the entire movie…and not in a good way. Isn’t there a beer commercial showing how not cool it is to bust out a guitar in the hopes of impressing a girl?
Overall, The Tripper manages to find an almost unheard of balance between horror, comedy, and…politics. Strange to write that, stranger even to watch it, especially when it’s as well done as this. Even if you don’t agree with the politics, one can’t deny that The Tripper is original, and that alone makes it worth watching.
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