SXSW Review: JIMMY TUPPER VS. THE GOATMAN OF BOWIE

“Jimmy fucking Tupper is not crazy!”

Or, is he? Jimmy Tupper is your run-of-the-mill loser, living in Bowie, Maryland. He’s a young man that spends his time drinking, getting high and screwing around, wasting his life. One night of pursuing said recreational activities with some friends leads Jimmy to pass out on the floor.

Being the kind-hearted and trustworthy friends that they are, the limp and unconscious Jimmy is driven out into the woods at night and left to awake discombobulated with no bearing on his location. The next morning, his friends set out to retrieve Jimmy, only to discover him making frantic claims of being attacked by some mysterious creature known locally as the Goatman.

Jimmy’s easy-going, fun-loving friends immediately write off his encounter as a booze and drug induced hallucination, but Jimmy knows it was real and set out with his friend’s camcorder to capture the creature and prove he’s not insane. Camping outdoors for the first time, Jimmy sets out upon a solitary test of his courage in an effort to prove his friends wrong.

JIMMY TUPPER VS. THE GOATMEN OF BOWIE (pronounced “boo-wee”) was written, directed, edited and stars Andrew Bowser. This is a micro-budget film, lasts a mere 70 minutes in length and is shot almost entirely on a handheld camcorder… however; the film is surprisingly entertaining and clever.

The initial establishing scenes of Jimmy and his friends partying, drinking and getting high, are a test of the viewer’s patience and of their gastrointestinal fortitude. A word of warning — if you have even a mild case of motion sickness, watch this movie at your own risk! With that said, those of us who can hold our late night pizza and beer should venture willingly into this strange little film.

While much of the shaky, unstable and grainy handheld footage is utilized intentionally to create the sense of reality — that these are not actors but actually stupid kids – there are occasional scenes when the observant eye will notice some interesting creative manipulation. In particular, notice the effect the sloppy handheld camerawork has when the characters balance upon a steel beam to cross a deep creek bed.

JIMMY TUPPER VS. THE GOATMAN OF BOWIE is a movie that pays a somewhat satirical homage to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, with Jimmy Tupper becoming something of a dim-witted Survivor Man, setting out on his outdoor excursion into the woods to acquire proof of his alleged Goatman, all while trying to survive the experience. At a very specific point, the film leaves its established first person perspective and the finale takes on a more old school, horror film feel, complete with creepy mood music, makeup effects and genre-appropriate filmmaking style.

Amidst the more entertaining portions of the film are the scenes of the lonesome Jimmy Tupper, camped out in his tent in the dark of night, frightened and warming himself with his beer and whiskey. Ad-libbed or not, these scenes paint a colorful picture of the character and give the performance an unexpected inkling of emotional depth, even if they are rooted primarily in paranoia and psychotic ramblings. The audience does actually risk growing to feel empathy for Jimmy, even if they are laughing the whole time… its still there.

Does the Goatman really exist? Has this all just been one big joke? Is Jimmy Tupper insane, or is he right? If he is right, will he survive? There is a reason this film is playing the midnight show and its because it has a high fun factor… and, I suppose having an increased blood alcohol level would likely make JIMMY TUPPER VS. THE GOATMAN OF BOWIE even more enjoyable, but I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars