“Is man indeed a walrus at heart?”

That is the question that Kevin Smith posed to audiences in 2014 with his body-horror-comedy Tusk. Apparently, no one wanted to know the answer because the film flopped in theaters. When Tusk premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in Septembe of 2014, it actually received mostly positive word-of-mouth from viewers. Once it saw a wide release two weeks later however, people couldn’t seem to stop shit-talking it.

It’s no secret that hating on Kevin Smith seems to be the cool thing to do nowadays (even more cool than hating Eli Roth). Many of his “fans” claim he hasn’t made a legitimately good movie since Chasing Amy in 1997. I would argue that Dogma, Clerks II and Zack and Miri Make a Porno are all winners, but what do I know? Hell, I even like certain things about Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Jersey Girl (it’s really not that bad).

Smith would make his first foray into horror with Red State, a political crime-horror film with an admittedly fantastic cast (how he managed to nab John Goodman and Melissa Leo I’ll never know) that sparked controversy from the get-go when Smith chose to self-distribute the film under the SModcast Pictures banner with a traveling show in select cities. It divided critics (though it’s got a better-than-you’d-expect 58% Rotten Tomatoes score) and audiences alike, but I personally think it’s pretty great, save for that tacked on after-school-special ending. The polarizing reviews that  film received would not hold a candle to those of his next film: Tusk, the first installment of his “True North” trilogy that continues with this year’s Yoga Hosers (read our review) and next year’s Moose Jaws, which I am particularly excited for.

As someone who has either loved or really liked most of Smith’s work (save for Mallrats and the atrocious Cop Out, which wasn’t even his script so I can’t really hold him responsible for that one), it makes perfect sense to come to the defense of Tusk, which sees quite a bit of hate here in Bloody Disgusting’s comments section. Even Mr. Disgusting loathes the film. I may not be able to make any converts, but my hope is that this post will serve as a safe haven for those of you who do like the film and feel like you can’t come clean for fear of an online verbal bashing. Let it be known that I am here for you! Tusk is actually a pretty great movie, Guy LaPointe and all!

***SPOILERS BELOW***

The plot of Tusk is a timeless one: an elderly man (Michael Parks, who owns the movie) wants to turn another man into a walrus so that he can be his companion for life. The whole film essentially plays like a pseudo sequel to Quint’s USS Indianapolis speech from Jaws.

The story behind the film’s creation is an interesting one. From Wikipedia:

The idea for the film came during the recording of SModcast 259 The Walrus and The Carpenter. In the episode, Smith with his longtime friend and producer Scott Mosier discussed an article featuring a Gumtree ad where a homeowner was offering a living situation free of charge, if the lodger agrees to dress as a walrus. The discussion went on from there, resulting in almost an hour of the episode being spent on reconstructing and telling a hypothetical story based on the ad. Smith then told his Twitter followers to tweet “#WalrusYes” if they wanted to see their hypothetical turned into a film, or “#WalrusNo” if they did not. A vast majority of Smith’s following agreed that the film should be made. The post on Gumtree was in fact a prank post by noted Brighton poet and prankster Chris Parkinson, who upon hearing of the planned film said he was a big fan of Smith and that he would love to be involved. Smith eventually hired Parkinson as an associate producer in November.

So really, if anyone is to “blame” for Tusk, it’s Smith’s followers (many of whom apparently went on to hate the film), but I digress. Many people seem to dislike Tusk based on the plot alone, but if that’s the case, why did they watch it in the first place? Clearly the film wasn’t meant for someone who doesn’t want to see a movie about a man turning another man into his walrus friend.

Let’s get this out of the way: lead character Wallace Bryton (Justin Long) is a huge asshole. Nothing about him inspires sympathy for what happens to him later in the film. This may pose a problem for some viewers, especially those looking for legitimate horror. You can’t have horror without a character to care about, amiright?

That being said, the scene where Wallace discovers that his leg has been amputated is easily the highlight of the film (unless the walrus suit reveal is your favorite, I go back and forth). It is reminiscent of Misery, but it’s possibly one of the most unsettling scenes put on film in recent memory.

Even if you can’t stand Long’s character, you have to admit that no one deserves that fate. Long’s reactions to his missing limb are haunting, and almost (almost) make you forget what a terrible person his character is. Once he is in his full walrus suit, Long is essentially relegated to just hopping around and grunting for the remainder of the film. Still, he makes for a pretty convincing walrus. That reveal is equal points humorous and shocking though. Kudos to Smith for not holding back with that creature design. The quick-zoom-out of the camera when Walrus Wallace first makes his appearance adds to the hilarity of the situation.

As mentioned previously, Parks owns Tusk. He gives such a compelling performance and really just falls into the roll. After his performance as Pastor Cooper in Red State, it’s easy to see why Smith wanted to cast him as the villainous and completely unhinged Howard Howe in Tusk. Even if you hate the film, you’ve got to admire Parks’ commitment. He legitimately sells his characters obsession with a walrus named Mr. Tusk, and actually makes you feel a little bad for him when you learn that he had to eat him to survive (though, in a very The Mist-like twist, help arrives just moments after he has finished his meal).

One aspect of the film that doesn’t entirely work is the character of Ally, played by Génesis Rodríguez. Her willingness to help Wallace after admitting to Teddy (and the audience, in a scene that practically breaks the fourth wall) how awful he treats her and how terrible he makes her feel is confounding. Maybe it’s just because I lack the empathy that the character does, but it just doesn’t seem believable that she would fly to Canada to rescue someone who makes her happy that her dad isn’t alive to see her. Her monologue at the midway point of the film is exceptional though. It’s just a shame that all of the character development built up during it is ruined when she decides to go rescue Wallace.

Even Teddy’s (Haley Joel Osment) motivations aren’t entirely clear, since he’s the one having sex with Ally, (though Smith does hide his identity for a good five minutes before revealing who it is Ally is talking to). I get it: they’re best friends, but Wallace is a huge douchebag and Teddy must not like him too much if he’s having sex with his girlfriend. Teddy and Ally’s unclear motivations for wanting to save Wallace are really my biggest complaints about Tusk. Osment is pretty fun in the role though, and it is nice to see him back on the screen, even if he spends the first half of the movie laughing obnoxiously.

Humor plays a big part in Tusk, and Smith’s frat-boy humor is present throughout the film, although not as prevalently as it is in something like Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. From the constant mentions of walrus penises to the fact that Wallace’s podcast is named “The Not-See Party” (Teddy is afraid of flying so Wallace goes to interview their guests and during the podcast he tells Teddy about his experience since Teddy hasn’t seen he interview subject), it’s all a little juvenile, but most of it works in the context of the film.

Let’s get to the walrus elephant in the room: Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Guy LaPointe. If anyone was on the fence about Tusk at this point in the film (he show up exactly 63 minutes into the proceedings), Depp undoubtedly managed to knock them off of it. While he is only present in the final 40 minutes of the film (and not even all of it), he is a bizarre character that turns Tusk into a completely different film than what it once was before. Horror comedy is a tricky thing to nail with audiences. The main reason for this is that what scares one person may not scare someone else and what one person finds funny may induce eye-rolls from another person. When you combine two polarizing genres into one, it further narrows your audience.

Guy Lapointe is the turning point of Tusk, and I am apparently in the minority of audience members who finds him to be absolutely hilarious. From the moment he did his impression of a crucified T-rex (“It is one fuck of a bummer to look at I will tell you that!”), I was sold. It completely offset any of the horror that came before it, and that’s alright! Smith opted to turn his truly disturbing body-horror film into a straight-up comedy, and it does work. It just doesn’t work if you didn’t shift tone/genres with the film when he appeared.

Depp shares only one scene with Parks, and it is truly a wonder to behold. It’s only four and a half minutes long, but Smith successfully manages to blend humor and tension fairly well in this battle of wits stupidity between the two characters.

LaPointe is a quirky character, and the fact that he’s got a leading role in Yoga Hosers makes me even more excited to see it (and if you were on the fence about that film, you probably just decided whether or not you want to watch it).

Smith does attempt to infuse some political commentary in Tusk, which comes across as a little ham-handed. LaPointe’s insistence that “The real savage animals are the human beings” feels shoe-horned in and unnecessary. Maybe I’m just overthinking it (or did Smith just under-think it?), but it’s worth mentioning.

From a technical standpoint, Tusk is fairly competent. The budget seems a little too small to make use of a good cinematographer. It’s not that the cinematography is bad, per se, it’s just that Tusk is a very contained film. Most scenes take place in a room, though Howe’s mansion is glorious to look at. The music is also appropriately creepy, though the use of Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” in the film’s climactic battle, while fitting, is a little too on the nose. “Tusk” is one of my favorite songs though so I can’t complain about that too much, but I can just see the eye rolls in the audience the second those drums started playing.

Adding to my affinity for the film is the fact that I really do like Kevin Smith. I even like the way he sneaks his love for Canada in his films (“How’s everything over at Degrassi? You kids still getting knocked up and shot at?” and “I told him Canada doesn’t have any serial killers!” are the standouts in Tusk). I may have never met him, but he is always comes across as a pretty decent guy in his interviews. His reluctance to follow the majority has always been one of his most endearing qualities, no matter how many time it gets him in trouble. He just doesn’t give a fuck and he does whatever he wants. Not many Hollywood directors can say that about themselves.

Look, no one would accuse Tusk of being high art, but it knows exactly the kind of film it’s supposed to be, which is a silly, disturbing body-horror film. Tusk may not be your Mr. Tusk (and really, don’t we all want to find our own Mr. Tusk?), but it’s certainly not the train-wreck so many people make it out to be.