No Clowning Around 2012 (Short Film) - REVIEW

Lately, as a rule, I've ventured away from reviewing independent short films from social media contacts. Mainly because I don't find any joy out of making "internet friends" then having to turn around and do a break down of their films and having them get all defensive and pissy. I came to the conclusion that I either need to stop making "internet friends" or pass their films over to another writer. I'm not 100% sure why, but I made an exception with this one.

Hmm, so how do I describe Mumbles the clown? I guess one could sum it up best by saying he's a has been... A former TV clown, once beloved by many, that's now reduced to being a hapless party clown and most of the time he can't even get that right. A drunken, depressed, disgusting shadow of his former self who binge drinks, breaks into people's houses and passes out in their bath tubs. The good thing is, he's not alone in the world. He has his drug addicted, ex-hooker girlfriend Trixie (Kim Dimension) and, what I can only assume is the physical manifestation of his own self loathing, a puppet named Mr. Peepers. When the inevitable happens and he loses the one thing he seems to be living for, Trixie, he falls into a downward spiral that will most definitely lead to murder. And you thought you were having a bad day?!?

I was actually very surprised by the performances in the film. Writer/Director Rob Dimension also stars as Ed/Mumbles the Clown and does a good job at making him pretty damn disgusting but pitiable at the same time. Since the main focus of the film is Mumbles the clown, we don't get to see much of the other actors and that's okay. The viewer is given enough to make it clear what the intent of each character is. Kim Dimension gives a short yet solid performance and Sal Valente, the voice of Mr. Peepers, is spot on.

The hardest thing to do in a short film is being able to convey all the information needed to get your point across without bombarding your audience with too much too fast. Dimension manages to create a very gritty, very dark, very complete story in a mere 25 minutes. The film looks good, sounds good and has great score behind it. The effects were very well done and while I would've liked to have seen more carnage from this homicidal clown, it would've cheapened the overall story. I really enjoyed the film and I look forward to seeing more from this group.

Check out the No Clowning Around website for more information and to purchase your copy of the film.