Inbred Rednecks   C+

Year Released: 1999
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Joshua P. Warren
Writer: Joshua P. Warren
Cast: Joshua P. Warren, Brent Ponder, Steve Lewis, Tiffany Leigh Linebaugh, Jesse Hooper, Shannon 'Redman' Franklin, Billy Seals, Lloyd Frederico, Mike Weeks, Wayne Liles, Butch Long.

What a silly, disgusting, crude little movie. And I mean that in a mildly affectionate way, since there were moments during Inbred Rednecks that made me laugh harder than any lowbrow gross-out comedy in a long time. But there were even more times when the jokes fell flat or barely registered at all, leaving long stretches between the good laughs. Clocking in at nearly two hours and 20 minutes (for the love of God!), Inbred Rednecks barely holds itself together for its lengthy running time. But it has fun, and I guess that's what counts.

Billy Bob (Brent Ponder) is a redneck with a plan. He wants to get his bigass rooster (aptly named Bigass Rooster) into the world of cockfighting and become rich so he can buy that dream farm he's always wanted. His buddy Clovis (Joshua P. Warren) thinks it'll work, especially since Bigass Rooster is the biggest cock he's ever seen. On Bigass Rooster's first trip into the ring, the opposing rooster is so terrified it commits suicide. But the owner of the now-dead rooster, Monty (Steve Lewis), won't let Billy Bob and his bigass rooster off the hook so easily and plans to steal the big cock for his own financial gain.

I don't know why I just described that vague outline of a plot for you, since Inbred Rednecks isn't about plot. This micro-budget comedy is rambling and episodic, with most of the humor arising from the cast of zany redneck characters. There's a hilarious bar fight between Clovis and a guy named Mad Dog who's so crazy he eats his own fingers (ouch!). The most charming portion of the film involves a romance between Clovis a cute girl who works at a burger joint (Tiffany Leigh Linebaugh, who's very good here). Clovis's grandpa (who doesn't have penis because it was shot off in the war) tells him that to attract girls these days, you have to act like a flaming homosexual. And there are some decent running gags, the funniest of which involves a character who just might be gay but doesn't admit it.

Inbred Rednecks falters, though, with some weak attempts at gross-out humor. The toilet humor and vomit gags weren't funny at all -- but they were pretty gross, I'll give 'em that much. The humor falls flat more often than it hits the bull's eye, but there's an admirable enthusiasm on display here that's rather infectious.

The ensemble cast is having a great time and this helps the film when it starts to drag. Joshua P. Warren, the writer, director, editor, cinematographer, producer, and star of the film, has affection for his material -- and it rubs off on the viewer. It's hard to not like this film. It might offend some people with its jokes about midgets, homosexuality, and sex with certain farm animals, but it has heart and it's never mean-spirited. Sure, Warren has a tendency to let gags linger in the air for way too long and maybe he loves his material a little too much. C'mon, does Inbred Rednecks really have to be two hours and 20 minutes long? Edit, man, edit.

At the end of the day, Inbred Rednecks is pretty forgettable. It has some funny stuff in there, for sure, but its epic length is a bit daunting and the movie would have benefited from a ruthless trimming of all the excess fat. But I'll be damned if it doesn't have one of the most hilarious final lines I've ever heard. I'm tempted to give it away here, but that would spoil the surprise, now wouldn't it?

Review published 02.06.2001.

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