FANCYPANTS – The VOD Review

Review by Dane Marti

FANCYPANTS is a film that parents should watch with their kids. It would definitely open up new and beneficial conversations.

In the film, The Blue Lion, an over the hill wrestler, is about to be ‘put out to pasture’; times have changed. His name is Leo. He’s a good guy. He likes what he does, but outside the ring, he doesn’t like confrontation. Now, in order to enjoy this film, a viewer must accept that good will triumph over evil in life and that most people, flaws accepted, are okay as well.

As the film opens, the character is realizing, whether he likes it or not, that New Management would love for him to start losing games–intentionally. As film viewers, we’ve seen this situation throughout the history of cinema. Still, if it is used as a jumping-off point for the story, this can reap creative and original benefits. In this film, the promoters (and possibly the Mob behind them) have a new crop of young, mean, tall and lean performers ready to capture and throttle a new generation, performers such as ‘The Darkness.’ They do not screw around. The tough guys in the film are intentionally humorous.

For the good old Leo, time is running out literally and figuratively. His once-great years are now completely behind him and he most deal with one disappointment after another. Then, something miraculous happens: a little kid and his mother enter his life. The boy’s got a serious heart condition and his mom’s pretty – It all seems a little too cliche. Luckily the screenwriter and director, Joshua Russell has changed this typical formula and made it more original.

In doing this, the filmmakers have uncovered themes that any mother and father (possibly exasperated with their child’s interest in TV Wrestling) would find worthwhile: They might find common ground with their children, opening doors to more serious subjects that most parents would love to teach their children. It’s a good message.

I found the kid’s hero worship for the obese Lion to be both funny and touching. The kid is fine in his role. The actor portraying the old wrestler, Patrick Gleason, has modulated his performance nicely: Frankly, his performance could have ruined the entire film if he’d tried to go “crazy” obnoxious silly – the flick would have been un-watchable. Thank God, he held back, making his portrayal less zany, but a little more human and real. As the mother of the sick boy, actress Amy Hendricks is also quite good.

In many respects, the movie is satirical and broad, switching from out-and-out buffoonery to scenes of dead-serious drama. For me, this didn’t always work, but by the end of the film, everything ties together. Luckily for adults, there are humorous moments along the way. The films overall pacing would have been helped with some judicious film editing. This isn’t as terrible a criticism as many might think; even great films have been improved after much-needed editing!

Through the Blue Lion’s relationship with the ten year old and his mom, he recalls important values, values that were always within him, but were simply dormant and asleep, at least until the kid gave him the right push: The Lion realizes that there are things in life a little more important than show business and fans. There are more important things that just focusing on his own problems. He realizes that love, that much maligned word, can actually help inspire people to fight and survive.

Dealing with themes such as aging, violence, health insurance, and health, the film poignantly touches on subjects hard for some parents to discuss with their kids. In that respect, the fun silliness of FANCYPANTS hits the spot! Within the crazy satire and odd sequences, the film has a heart that beats passionately.

FANCYPANTS premieres February 10th on Comcast Nationwide and March 13th on Time Warner and all other cable and satellite providers.