Movie Review: "Bigfoot Famous" (2021)
Bigfoot Famous Movie Review
Written by Stuart D. Monroe
Released by October Coast
Directed by Sam Milman and Peter Vass
Written by Steph Barkely, Chris Kleckner, and Sam Milman
2021, 90 minutes, Not Rated
Released on November 2nd, 2021
Starring:
Steph Barkley as Coley Withers
Sam Milman as Jericho Rosenberg
Chris Kleckner as Marty Meltzer
Anthony Ma as Triple T
Lauren Howard Hayes as Freddie Huff
Kelsey Gunn as Marty Meltzer
Chris Guerra as Greg Campbell
Sam De Surra as Kim Campbell
Kannady Guerra as Haley Campbell
Peter Vass as Park Ranger Joey Johnson
Marlon Webb as Peeka Blu
Michael Fairman as Daddy J
Review:
Every so often, you come across a movie that does two completely separate things with starkly different outcomes. I like that. It becomes a game, almost- what are the strengths of each side of the story, and where does each side really bomb? Bigfoot Famous is a lot of fun both in that regard and as an exercise in subverting your expectations.
Coley Withers (writer Steph Barkley) is an influencer and YouTube host who shot to stardom with her series “Coley Nation” that she produces with her boyfriend, Jericho (writer/director Sam Milman; Laid in America). Once a top tier internet celebrity, her videos can “barely get 1000 likes!” these days. When Jericho shows Coley a video about the discovery of Bigfoot, her eyes go all dollar sign at the sight of the video’s five million views in two days. Following a train of logic so simple it’ll make your head hurt, the inept pair enlist the help of a painfully awkward Bigfoot expert named Marty Meltzer (writer Chris Kleckner; Copshop) and an “expert wilderness guide” named Triple T (Anthony Ma; This is Us). Following a tragic accident in the big, wild woods (who didn’t see that one coming?), the internet is on fire with talk of Coley as she may finally get what she wants…but at what price?
I expected a goofy comedy about idiots hunting Bigfoot for the fame of it all, and I definitely got that. The main body of what Bigfoot Famous is works adequately well with a zany streak that’s Abrahams and Zucker-esque at times. It’s fun enough to keep you entertained but not funny enough to stand out in a crowd. It does feature some wonderful and simply effective outdoor settings shot with a skilled hand, and production value like that can’t be overstated. Also, Chris Kleckner steals scene after scene and chews up the best written character development in the film with his family issues and personal insecurities.
Where Bigfoot Famous more than stands out in a crowd is with some ludicrously biting satire on internet fame and online obsession. The slew of obnoxiously vapid and simple-minded pseudo celebrities is nauseating and truthful in equal measure. The online funeral scene is a particular highlight of how awful the internet can make folks behave. For that matter, Coley is the worst of the bunch. She has to be for her sublime story arc to reach its conclusion in what is a frankly satisfying finish. Bigfoot himself isn’t exactly a red herring, but you’d think the big guy would figure more prominently in a film called Bigfoot Famous. It isn’t until that aforementioned satisfying conclusion as you’re sitting there with a grin on your face that you reflect on how fantastic that title actually is. Neat little trick, that.
Like a football team that’s carried by an air raid offense while sporting a porous defense, Bigfoot Famous is imbalanced but damn sure takes it’s shots. That’s a pretty good way to spend an hour and a half when you appreciate both a goofy guffaw and a subversive snicker.
Grade:
3.5 out of 5.0 stars
