Shovel Buddies

source: Shovel Buddies

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My son and I were really excited for the next chapter in one of our favorite franchises, that being of the Air Buddies. I saw a vicious looking dog run in the background in one of the latter scenes, but you can imagine my son's utter disappointment when Mudbud, Rosebud, Buddha, Budderball, and his favorite, B-Dawg, failed to show the entire time. We were really, really hoping they were going to show when the crew began digging, as we know dogs are excellent at digging up dirt. But, alas. I was even low-key thinking they could throw in a cameo by Air Bud Entertainment's other up and coming franchise, the Vampire Dog. This movie seemed a bit on the serious side, and could've really used some of Norm MacDonald's dry wit. All in all, I thought the chemistry between the teens was very above average, but my son couldn't have been more upset at the spooky premise. He was just looking for an update on his favorite canine crusaders (and where was the fart joke?!?) but he's going to have to wait for a long doggone time at this rate. I would give the film an 8 myself, but my son was crying before we could leave the screening, so I must lower my rating.

"When I was seven, I met my best friends. They were idiots, and I loved them for it. We did everything together. No matter what, we had each other's backs. Nothing could change that, even when this jackass got cancer." A while ago I skipped the movie "Swiss Army man" because I didn't feel like watching a movie about a farting corpse. Even though Daniel Radcliffe played this stiff character. I'm sure there was a deeper meaning behind the whole idea, but I still didn't feel like it. When I started watching "Shovel Buddies", without knowing what it was about anyway, I noticed this was also a flick with people running around with a death body the entire movie. And this thanks to the idiotic plan Jimmy (Alex "Ithaca" Neustaedter) wanted to fulfill at all costs, as a last tribute to his recently deceased best friend Sammy (Philip Labes). And the plan is to make sure that Sammy is being buried while wearing his American football t-shirt, instead of being cremated. That's the quest Jimmy wants to carry out after receiving a snap chat from Sammy. That's today's youth. They continue to hold on to today's gimmicks until their final breath. I must admit that the film irritated me enormously at the beginning. Mainly by the behavior of Dan (Kian Lawley). An annoying jerk whose posturing attitude and arrogance started to get on my nerves. I was hoping someone would slap him. Especially after his bluntly rude behavior at the funeral and the tactless and sexist remarks afterwards, I actually didn't like watching it anymore. Also the ridiculous, absurd plan was a bit too much. And I thought that policemen use a gut feeling. Sammy's father (James C. "Coldwater" Burns) clearly didn't. Instinctively, he had to sense what those teenagers were planning to do. Well, not him. Later on he appeared miraculously at the right time and the right place. Probably years of experience caused this. As the film progressed, the absurdity of the film took grotesque forms. At some point I just couldn't decide whether it was morbidly humorous or tragicomic. On the one hand there were funny moments like the image of a flabby Sammy sitting in the car. In a way that was hilarious. On the other hand, I sometimes thought it was somewhat pathetic and they made one stupid decision after another. The previous mentioned fragment with the four cheerful teenagers amusing themselves in the car while a corpse calmly sitting in their midst, was both terribly funny as embarrassing to see. They should have used "Bohamian Rhapsody" as soundtrack and it would have felt like a sort of "Wayne's World". Focus on the entire picture and you'll notice Sammy's mother ..... The dual character of "Shovel Buddies" makes it difficult to form a proper judgment. Just like the involved characters you'll be emotionally tossed around. The film is also stuffed with contradictions. Jimmy wants to fulfill his best friend's last wish, but at the same time it seems that Sammy really was a manipulative brat who suddenly throws a seemingly close friendship overboard, because his sister was doing the hanky panky with that particular friend. Even Dan's transformation from insufferable asshole into an compassionate, ordinary teenager who suddenly realizes that his behavior is intolerable, sounds a bit implausible. The biggest plus point of the film was Kate (Bella "Blended" Thorne) with that lovely, cuddly face and those roguish, sparkling eyes. A ravishing appearance. Really that type of female beauty that breaks up real friendships. At least I added the option "Watch movies with Bella Thorne playing in it" to my to-do list. The initial idea of this film was quite original to say the least. Looking back at it, not only the burying of the corpse became a problem, but there also appeared to be a few personal issues between the characters. However, in the end these personal disputes were buried as well. Appropriate film title. Not? More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

An implausible, offensive and vulgar film glorifying sociopathy and mental instability as a kind of adolescent behavior. The image of an adult man who has lost his son, besides a policeman, who not only does not stop the lewdness of underage idiots, but also allows them to complete their idiotic and disgusting plan, is striking. When you look at such "masterpieces", you cease to be surprised that our world is rolling into the abyss. No one will be saved.

I haven't seen a film that balances black humor, noir, and tragedy this well since Brick (2005). There are jaw-dropping moments, funny quips, and some tough scenes and confrontations that hit close to home for me in multiple ways. After about 10 minutes in, I was expecting a dark, comic farce about the strained friends trying to bury their dead friend's stuff. Refreshingly, I didn't come close to pinning what the movie would become. Definitely took me back to my teen years where I shared traits with a lot of the characters. Dan is definitely a massive jerk throughout, and I was really rooting for him to change or realize how much of a unpleasant person he is. Perhaps to some degree he did. Highly recommended if you're looking for something different and definitely dark.

Shovel Buddies