The Gutter

The-Gutter
The Gutter

Writers and directors Yassir and Isaiah Lester, who are also brothers, may have achieved what many would say is an impossible feat, especially casting me, a Black individual: show that minorities can convincingly produce really dumb parodies too in “The Gutter.”

The studio has cast in the role of Walt, an incompetent bartender who spends most of his time sans shirt, Shiraz Moore. Walt is hired at a bowling alley where Mozell, the exhausted owner played by Jackee Harry who was famed for her role on “227,” runs the business. Walt, while he works at the bowling alley, meets Skunk, played by “The Good Place” actress D’Arcy Carden, a struggling alcoholic ex-bowling champion who learns of Walt’s odd ability to always bowl strikes, no matter how awkwardly he rolls the ball in.

The inspector, everyone’s latest Netflix heartthrob, Adam Brody tells Mozell that they need to invest $200, 000 into the alley but if they do nothing then the place will be shuttered in 60 days. This makes Walt and Skunk pack their bags and leave for a cross-country trip as they compete in pro bowling tournaments. Inspired by his favorite gangsta rappers he strikes deals with Pornhub and Spicy Hot Miik. For these reasons, Skunk considers Walt to be her secret weapon against bowling legend Linda Curson, a retired chain-smoking villain who comes out of retirement to set the record straight.

Gutter”, the movie, as the name suggests, does not seem to bring any creativity to the table, or in other words it can be better said to possess no origin. Obviously, it is influenced by Kenneth Smith Haslam’s “Kingpin” and the Cohen Brothers’ “The Big Lebowski” two films that also revolve around bowling, which just go to show that brawny, amusing underdog sports comedies and also SNL actor showcases like Happy Gilmore or Hot Rod inflamed this narrative. However, honestly couldn’t stop laughing while watching this film, such was my amusement during Gutter, and help me God if this sounds blasphemous.

Sure, why not? If these are the movies that you say they are and aim to make, then they would most definitely be polar opposites of the absolute masterpieces that Will Ferrell and Adam Mckay joined hands to create during the late teens, and early twenty-tens, in the ’07 to 2010’s. Characters are shown with strong characteristics, performing strange despicable acts, ranting, and with no holds on to creativity. “Aperture of AI,” as the Skype interview dubbed it, is a movie where the cast is predominantly made up of black actors, and so, the writing includes more urban humor than previous.

The story is packed with great unwavering instances of absurdity, all of which are not disappointing to witness. Such as Brother Candy (a hotel, in case you didn’t believe me) who screams through a megaphone about white people being descended from monkeys, humorously stating, “That’s why their nipples are pink!” Or a monotoned male driving a car with the windows down, only for the car to wind up smashing into some bin cans. Why does Walt think it’s a controversy when he doesn’t do well in games involving basketball, “they don’t want little Willie to win.”

Walt is the obnoxious but self-assured protagonist, voiced by Moore, also recognized as the voice of Miles Morales from the animated Spider-Man sequels. In any case, he interprets the character as a man wholly devoid of self-control, narrowly focused on sex and on the domination of other people, who for no reason at all, even has the audacity to dream about having a threeway. Carden, who generally doesn’t wear more than a cropped top, plays the coach in a mildly antagonistic role that’s written as Carden downing beers, exhibiting more of a disaster than restraint.

There are some random cameo appearances in the cast as Walt’s freeloading mom portrayed by Kim Fields, Hitchcock from “Insecure” Jay Ellis plays the role of Walt’s cousin who is not attractive to the rest of the world, and Paul Scheer from “How Did This Get Made?” portrays a margarine-drenched Southern bowler. Paul Reiser is also present as a bowling commentator who makes things difficult for Walt and Skunk. (Imagine Fred Willard’s commentator in Best in Show, but more racist, more sad, and more pathetic.) Yassir Lester’s fellow comics in the African American stand-up scene pop in and out throughout this. Tony Baker, for example, is a social media celebrity and he pops out of nowhere to ask Walt for some money and a burgundy-colored cummerbund.

As with most comedies that just lack restraint and common sense, some bits and pieces won’t work. But the Lesters madly over-supplied ghetto fabulous gags thank god so I was busy laughing all the time. Some people might call “The Gutter” lame. But I bet when Black people see this, they will also call it ‘lamed’ but in the most sincere manner.

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