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Movies / On DVD / Vulgar
Vulgar

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Vulgar (2002)

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Reviews Counted:26

Fresh:6

Rotten:20

Average Rating:3.2/10

Consensus: Vulgar more than lives up to its title.

Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: First-time writer-director Bryan Johnson may be best known as a member of filmmaker Kevin Smith's View Askew universe (he played Steve-Dave in MALLRATS and DOGMA), but those expecting VULGAR to be... First-time writer-director Bryan Johnson may be best known as a member of filmmaker Kevin Smith's View Askew universe (he played Steve-Dave in MALLRATS and DOGMA), but those expecting VULGAR to be another version of CLERKS might be surprised by this off-kilter drama that is best described as Bozo the Clown meets DELIVERANCE. Brian O'Halloran (Dante from CLERKS) plays Will, aka Flappy the Clown, an earnest, downtrodden guy desperately trying to make a living as a clown. Will is a constant target of abuse--from the drunks flinging projectiles on his ratty lawn to his nursing home-bound mother's streams of vitriol. Barely scraping by, Will has an "epiphany" about how to make more money--by hiring himself out for bachelor parties as Vulgar, a clown sporting a bustier and garters. On his first outing, Will instead finds himself in a terrifying situation with the psychotic Ed (Jerry Lewkovitz) and his two inbred sons. After a life-changing violation that Will only reveals to his friend, Syd (Johnson), some luck finally comes his way via a television executive (a cameo from Kevin Smith). However, more trouble awaits the put-upon clown in Johnson's dark, disturbing tale. [More]

Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Brian Christopher, Bryan Johnson, Jerry Lewkowitz

Starring: Brian O'Halloran, Brian Christopher, Bryan Johnson, Jerry Lewkowitz, Ethan Suplee, Matthew Maher, Jason Mewes, David Klein, Kevin Smith

Director: Bryan Johnson

Director: Bryan Johnson
Producer: Monica Hampton
Studio: Lions Gate Films

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Vulgar

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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"Vulgar" is as far away from "Jay and Silent Bob" as you could possibly imagine, so if you are going to watch the film, try and forget there was ever a Jay, a Bob, a Dante, a Holden, a Banky and a woman named Amy, and you might get something a little more

Full Review Source: Moviehole | comment Comment
09/17/02
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

As unseemly as its title suggests.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/10/02
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

The premise of this film is as audacious as they come.

Full Review Source: JoBlo's Movie Emporium | comment Comment
09/04/02
JoBlo
JoBlo
JoBlo's Movie Emporium

For those willing to risk being made very uncomfortable, this instant cult classic announces the arrival of a distinctive new talent behind the camera.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
04/26/02
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

Imagine John Waters remaking Deliverance starring Bozo the Clown, and that's Vulgar.

Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
08/19/02
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

A tale of horror and revenge that is nearly perfect in its relentless descent to the depths of one man's tortured soul.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
01/06/03
Robert Roten
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope

With cheap camera work, a script that's so awful it makes porn dialogue sound like Shakespeare and scenes that suggest some especially unsavory snuff films, there's no reason to go near this flick in the first place.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
04/26/02
E! Online

Johnson has, in his first film, set himself a task he is not nearly up to.

comment Comment
04/25/02
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
New Times

Unspeakable, of course, barely begins to describe the plot and its complications. Vulgar is too optimistic a title.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
04/26/02
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

I'm sure there's a teenage boy out there somewhere who's dying for this kind of entertainment.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/25/02
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

Too campy to work as straight drama and too violent and sordid to function as comedy, Vulgar is, truly and thankfully, a one-of-a-kind work.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
04/26/02
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It’s the movie equivalent of a sweaty old guy in a rain coat shopping for cheap porn.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
09/01/02
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

...an amateurish, unpleasant, and primarily worthless effort...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
01/31/08
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

An ugly, revolting movie.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
05/03/02
Edward Guthmann
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle

No review available.

comment Comment
08/17/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

It's hard to imagine any recent film, independent or otherwise, that makes as much of a mess as this one.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
04/26/02
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday

[A] mess.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
04/26/02
Henry Sheehan
Henry Sheehan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Looks like a high school film project completed the day before it was due.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
09/04/01
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy

Nasty, ugly, pointless and depressing, even if you hate clowns.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/25/02
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

An unclassifiably awful study in self- and audience-abuse.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
04/30/02
Mark Holcomb
Mark Holcomb
Village Voice
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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