Richard Elfman’s latest film is a sci-fi comedy about clowns from space engaged in an intergalactic battle with pervy green Martians over the key to the universe which happens to be inconveniently located inside the butthole of struggling Beverly Hills actor Eddy Pine (Bodhi Elfman). In other words, it’s a cinematic treasure that we should all cherish deeply.
Aliens, Clowns and Geeks is the film and it’s the latest eccentric escapade from the red-headed bohemian. Elfman, who also wrote the script, has a resume that includes past directing efforts on Forbidden Zone, Shrunken Heads, and Modern Vampires. If you’re like me and love those films, you’re going to find this one mighty appealing as well.
The action gets started with Bodhi’s Eddy sitting in a bar drinking his feelings as he laments the cancellation of his network series, Cry Me Dry, a day before it was set to air. Thinking things can’t get worse, a biker clown shows up demanding the obelisk. Showing he’s serious, the clown pulls out a knife and threatens to kill Eddy. Typical Hollywood, right?
Now on the run for his life from the knife-wielding barbarous biker bozo, Eddy is hit by a car. After a night of wild sex with the two ladies that hit him, Eddy wakes up with a tummy ache. Doing what any sane person would do in this situation, Eddy poops, and out comes the obelisk.
The obelisk is roughly a foot long I’d guess, but don’t quote me on that. I’m no expert size guesser. Anyway, it looks like the Washington Monument if the Washington Monument had a bunch of weird squiggly lines on it. And it’s far too large to come out of someone’s butt comfortably.
This sets Eddy on a zany journey to figure out why he pooped the obelisk, what significance it holds, and why it’s desired by both killer clowns and masturbating aliens. That’s right, this movie features masturbating aliens. And the journey includes Steve Agee as Eddy’s recently transitioned sister — Agee also doubles as a giant Lennie Small-esque chicken — and French Stewart as a German scientist. I told you it was zany.
Geeks is a film that knows what it wants to be and you either choose to go along for the ride or exit at the first stop. It’s out to get as many laughs as possible with no shame in going low brow — remember the masturbating aliens — while still maintaining a coherent story that surprisingly wraps up pretty well when all is said and done.
The humor works. There are a number of running gags, my favorite of which is Eddy needing to recite Shakespearean monologues before exiting a room. This is just one of a number of jabs tossed at Hollywood and actors throughout the film’s 90-minute runtime. Take that, you phony jerks!
Bodhi is great as the lead. Geeks requires a wide range of facial expressions and weird noises to work, and Bodhi has a very expressive face and the ability to make said weird noises. Also, I’m not sure there’s anything funnier than Bodhi Elfman running away from danger screaming. Let’s put that in more movies.
Opposite Bodhi is Rebecca Forsythe as Helga, one of Stewart’s Swedish assistants and Bodhi’s love interest. She’s also quite apt when it comes to making funny faces and noises, and as an added bonus she shows off some martial arts skills. Helga has a sexy sister, Inga, deftly played by the talented Angeline-Rose Troy, and further hell breaks loose when the aliens get into Eddy’s mind and cause him to confuse the two sisters. The confusion comes via a sex scene. Awkward.
In addition to playing the super sexy science sister, Troy dons prosthetics to play poor Eddy’s off-the-charts horrible junkie prostitute mother. This insane little wrinkle does explain Eddy’s attraction to Hollywood.
Of course, you can’t have an Elfman movie without amazing music and Geeks offers plenty of that. The film’s original soundtrack, composed by Danny Elfman and Ego Plum, features a little bit of everything. It’s instantly recognizable as the work of Danny, with it’s big, energetic orchestra sound that pulses life throughout the film. There’s that mix of jazz, Latin, brass, and whatever else it is that Elfman uses to craft his masterpieces. And because this is a sci-fi odyssey there’s plenty of sweet Theremin (or at least something that sounds like a Theremin) tossed in for good measure.
Elfman and his crew succeed in making the best of what they’re working with. I’m not sure on budget details, but this obviously isn’t a big Hollywood production. It’s not hampered by that fact, however. Actually quite the opposite. The space ship design, use of laser effects and rubber costumes are reminiscent of the classic sci-fi from the ’50s and ’60s. The set design, particularly on space ship interiors, is brilliantly done with plenty of detail and lots of bold, vivid colors.
Did I mention this movie also features Verne Troyer’s last on-screen role as the evil clown leader? No? Well, it is and Troyer is fantastic. Not a bad last movie to go out on.
Aliens, Clowns and Geeks is John Waters with a pinch of The Three Stooges and a dash of Monty Python packaged as a fantastical sci-fi adventure. It’s silly, goofy, quirky, and wild crazy fun. It’s Richard Elfman. And it’s the only movie you’ll see all year that will have a pair of masturbating aliens playing video games, biker clowns with exploding heads, and George Wendt as a priest choking out a nasty little person clown played by Nic Novicki.
