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★★★
Directed by: Mike Morelli
Written by: Mike Morelli
Starring: Johnny Smith, Erica Nicole Rothman, Timothy Paul Chivalette, Timothy Day Slisky
The title is a little provocative isn't it? It gives the impression that this feature contains material that is likely to offend. Does it then? Absolutely!
The title describes the protagonist and many of the supporting characters rather accurately!
So what is the plot of Mike Morelli's outrageous dark comedy?
Jordan (Smith) is a lazy, aimless young man, whose biggest pleasure seems to be 'chenko', a drug he is addicted to. He lives with his father (Slisky), who watches porn and is himself addicted to other substances. He also has a baby living in his house, who he fathered with his girlfriend Janee (Rothman), who works at a hair salon. The story takes place over the course of a day and basically follows Jordan as he gets himself into rather...awkward situations, while desperately trying to get his hands on more and more chenko.
Just how offensive is Sh*thead? It is full of eccentric characters, who between them behave in the most irresponsible, grotesque and violent ways possible. To give a couple of examples: in one sequence, Jordan's friend Harvey (Chivalette) places his foot inside a toilet and in another a woman gives birth in a rather unconventional manner! There is also a police officer who prefers the use of his gun and baton in order to uphold the law! The protagonists are hardly likeable (with the exception of Janee) and the 'F' word is heard quite often and the same goes for the word 'chenko'. This film certainly does not pull many punches in its ability to shock and disgust!
Watching this movie is like watching a very long music video! It was shot and edited in a frenzied style, features animation and the cinematography almost gives the impression that it was filmed decades ago. It is filled with various awkward camera angles and the soundtrack is interesting and amusing. The viewer will also find themselves quite often looking at the closeup of a television screen, showing all sorts of crazy stuff. Praise should go to a scene towards the end, where Jordan is floating in space. The effects and animations in that sequence are truly pleasing to the eye.
The performances are 'not exactly great' but good enough none the less. Again excluding Rothman (who portrays a decent person), it would be fair to say that the actors do a good job in appearing rude, angry, stupid and under the influence of grugs. This film does not take itself too seriously, therefore the goofy acting adds to the film's crazy content.
This movie could be interpreted as a satirical view on drug addiction. From start to finish people are constantly taking drugs or are planning to. The film also touches the issue of police brutality in the from of the violent police man.
To summarize, what kind of film is Sh*thead and who would enjoy it? Due to its drug content it bears similarities to Trainspotting (1996) and Spun (2002), therefore whoever fancies movies of that nature or are looking to spent one hundred minutes watching a movie that consists of drugs, profanity, toilet humour, plenty of blood and violence and a variety of obnoxious and disgusting characters, then they should definetely give it a go! If not then they better stay away!
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