Movie Review: Tusk (2014)

 

Well, I think it's safe to say that no movie has ever thrown me into such fits of laughter as the ones that I endured while watching the movie Tusk (and the ones that I had for a good hour afterward, every time I even thought about the movie). Trust me, weed is not really required to enjoy Tusk in all its pointless weird-ery. If Kevin Smith can make a movie about a walrus-man, then by golly, I can make up my own fucking words. Weirdery is now a word.

So apparently I never get out from under this rock I've been living because I had absolutely knew nothing about this movie or how or why it came to be. Got the whole story after I saw it and none of it surprised me in the least. Kevin Smith is an acquired taste of a filmmaker, known for films with somewhat ridiculous or stupid premises. The premise of Tusk, taken from a conversation on Smith's podcast (did anyone even know he had a podcast?), is that a young, douchebaggy podcaster named Wallace travels to Canada, answers an ad from Howard Howe who claims to have wild stories to tell, and ends up being turned into a human walrus monster by said guy.

I'm glad I was in such a good mood when I watched the movie - otherwise, I don't really know what my reaction to it would have been. Being a Tusk-virgin is really the best way to experience the movie. For the love of goodness, do not even Google the damn movie because the reveal of Wallace the Walrus will be completely ruined and you will miss out on the experience of seeing, for the first time, the funniest fucking thing you will see all year. But of course, I might be in the minority here because it seems that many people were not that impressed with Tusk or even thought it was that funny. I blame it on my good mood, but I seriously dug Tusk. Your initial reaction to the movie's silliness will probably be how you will always feel about it, so remember that if you venture into these very, very strange waters.

The reality that I'm seeing is that there was obviously no real point or reason behind Tusk, so it in turn would feel a bit pointless to look upon it negatively. It reminds me of the movie Rubber - absolutely stupid idea for a movie, but executed in a way that was more genius than I could have imagined. Smith is not generally my cup of tea - the only movie I've been really impressed with was Red State - and it's obvious that horror is not exactly his forte. Yet. He does show in Tusk that he does have a bit of an eye for the creepy, especially in the earlier scenes with Wallace and Howard. There's a good amount of tension built up there, which rightfully makes the viewer very suspicious of Howard, without really knowing what he has in mind. Smith also does a fairly good job with some aspects of the body horror side, but overall, pretty much everything is overshadowed by the comedy. This doesn't let the movie be truly horrific, so maybe Smith can work on that if he delves into horror again.

Justin Long is just the right combination of annoying and charming in his portrayal of Wallace Bryton. You sort of like him because he's funny, but you also want to punch him in the face to shut him up for five minutes. Probably the best decision Smith made with Tusk was hiring Michael Parks again after he kicked ass in Red State. I loved the way Parks dealt with Howard Howe, the strange man whose love affair with a walrus led to this whole twisted scenario. I can't imagine too many actors who could handle this movie like he did, and he did it with a sense of fun while still keeping his respect. A certain unnamed actor enters the story later on as Guy Lapointe, and is his usual odd self. His character is funny, but mostly a plot point, and one that really drags the movie down at that. Haley Joel Osment and Genesis Rodriguez round out the rest of the cast. Rodriguez is way too hot and nice to be Long's girlfriend in this movie, I know I'm not the first one to say it.

Call me crazy, but I'm giving Tusk a thumbs up. There's always room in horror for the truly bizarre, and sometimes the truly pointless, and this movie fits that bill perfectly. The actors commit to their roles, and the movie feels serious when it is completely not serious at all at the same time. It's good for a lot of laughs, but don't look for much beyond that.