WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Who IS that in the mirror??!! How many times have we directed this query to ourselves throughout life, especially when it tends to be brought about by instances of self-criticism or other circumstances that have caused us to question exactly that–WHO am I??? The roads we travel down from this juncture can vary just as much as our possibly damaged self-awareness, but it then begs the question–CAN I–WILL I–be willing to change? Lovable but socially awkward everyman Tyler (Logan Diemert) is about to come to his wits’ end. A recent, disastrous first “date” has now brought into play the realizations that so much of his perceived or literal fallacies are of his own making. When good friend Calvin (Fronzo Gilkey II) gives him advice to make alterations to his existence, it takes Tyler on an oddball odyssey where he meets a bevy of characters, including the innocently wild and sweet Candy (Amanda Graeff), who will all change his perspectives on everything he’s known–but for good or ill remains the enigma.
Next, my Mind:
Ah, contemporary comedy. It remains quite the slippery slope for this critic, only in that it would seem SO much of it relies (quite needlessly, in my personal opinion) on nothing but overt crudeness and shock factor posing as what is supposed to BE humor. Now, off-color is one thing. Think efforts like “Anchorman”, for instance, though even that example pushed certain limits for my content tolerance, but not enough to turn me off or not enjoy the efficacious hilarity it offered and accompanying laughs it elicited. Therefore, when it came to this unexpectedly lengthy (147 minutes, folks!) comedic indie feature film from writer/director Max Aguiar, screened as part of the 2022 Crown Point International Film Festival, I went in with that cautious trepidation born of experience with the modern genre. Let me just say, as independent cinema on every level does with SUCH consistent effectiveness more times than I can count in my experiences within the community worldwide, the film ended up surprising the #%$@ out of me!
I will preface this by being transparent in that the aforementioned concerns about irreverent styles of humor being present were warranted, as there is a copious amount of highly sexualized dialogue and jabs that manifest throughout the film along with the anticipated quantity of coarse language amidst delivering pleasingly entertaining amounts of straightforward silliness. But–BUT–what utterly BLEW MY MIND is just HOW deftly the narrative that sees an affable oaf come to the truth about how his entire outlook on life needs to be transformed SPEAKS so beautifully and with grand impact to a plethora of relevant, wholly relatable thematic explorations focused on what I felt were the underlying core concepts of self-image/self-esteem and ACCEPTING yourself as you are while still being willing to embark on a journey of self-IMPROVEMENT where required to ultimately come out a BETTER you. Whether this is through physical or internal transfiguration, often both, the story conveyed had A LOT more genuine heart and tangible life lessons contained within it than I ever would have envisioned.
Foraying into territory that covers being the REAL you rather than putting on a facade, discovering true balance in your personality, receiving tough love from a friend, conceding the need for change, learning to help and accept others, facing our faults, knowing that having more is NOT always better, discerning what risks are WORTH taking, conquering our fears, making effort to reconcile past or present rifts between you and others, and also how our own bad choices CAN come back to haunt us, it’s all encompassed in the tale, yet wrapped in this hysterically crazy, off-kilter, yet undeniably affecting realm our protagonist finds himself in as he simply attempts to reform and reshape his reality. Complete with the fun, well-meaning girl, a God-fearing drug dealer (???), a Billy Ray Cyrus-inspired junkie, a washed-up musician, a street bum, an uncle dealing with his identity, and a quirky stranger in a park having direct influence on the outcome, their respective eccentricities and relative insanity the narrative immerses them, and us, in transports our viewing experience to multiple arenas of thinking, and it’s incredible to have such evocative content intermixed with the film’s shifting levels of undisguised goofy and bawdy merriment.
Diemert was a perfect choice here to bring life to the playfully innocent doofus Tyler, a late 20-something who’s luck with women especially has not exactly been award-winning much less successful on any level. Taking the initial hit as an excuse to do some personal grooming as a supposed solution, Tyler soon learns through a friend and then some out-there encounters with a myriad of characters that how others see him and how he sees himself has been quite skewed in his mind while also being in the midst of creating so many of the pitfalls he’s stumbled into entirely by his own actions. Yet, as he moves forward and remains open to all people are advising him and offering him (often in completely wacky ways!!), it becomes a sincere path to personal emancipation and possibly even new love. Watching Diemert navigate Tyler through the ups and downs plus substantial amounts of pure absurdity (and the unanticipated founts of actual, legitimate wisdom!!) those individuals interacted with represent, is excellent, unequivocally riotous, strangely stirring, and fundamentally uplifting. It’s a wonderful performance that showcases the very nature of just being what the world sees as your “average guy” but illustrates he’s so much more than that–reminder needed is all.
Graeff is whole bunches of idiosyncratic adorableness through her role here as Candy, a woman Tyler randomly meets in a less than comfortable situation which leads her to be won over by an act of outright and completely understandable indignancy on his part. As she begins to draw him into a new world of being accepted for just BEING him, she likewise finds her own past hurts by and expectations of men altered to an amazing degree that only wins her more over to Tyler’s side. As they embark on the quest Tyler is on, it is magnificently endearing (while still totally NUTS!) to watch her take him through some of the circumstances they run into, and Graeff deftly maintains that “I’m wild yet vulnerable too” demeanor with the character that is so engaging to take in. Gilkey II arrives as Tyler’s best friend Calvin, a very self-assured, confident man who make every effort at the onset to convince Tyler not only of better decisions he needs to make, but also that he just needs to BE himself–with some tweaking involved. His commitment to see his friend rise up and becomes something bigger and better is the stuff true friends are made of, and Gilkey II enacts this attitude with straightforward believability and wonderfully delivered humor.
Primary supporting roles come about first through Sabato Imperiale as Tad, one hilariously unhinged junkie who isn’t quite about making Tyler’s life better when they meet, yet involuntarily IS a catalyst for one of his first major shifts in how he views himself. Max Aguiar shows up as Timothy, a street bum whom Tyler will impact by his kindness. Tyler Nickell is Gary, a man Tyler meets in an initially uncomfortable moment at a local park but who becomes a real voice of inspiration. Alex Pace does some serious scene-stealing as Barry, Candy’s brother who needless to say doesn’t remotely fit the prototypical denizen found in his chosen profession, but is a consummate exercise in exuberant emotional dichotomies that is hysterical to watch! Jon Carelli is Uncle Kevin, Tyler’s relative whom he must comfort and assure that choices made are OK to go with (watch the film to know in what manner). Rich Willhelm is Arthur, a blast from Candy’s not-so-great past whom attempts to re-inject himself into her life, and incurs a series of “karma’s a….” instances. Additional appearances are made by Luke Evans, Anna Lindstrom, Bill Collins, Demo Schmidt, Aubrey Noble, Spencer Mendel, and Rey Gomez.
So, in total, while “Hairy” carries within its title alone dual meanings and applicability, it then transcends what could have been just some much-too-long, too crass, mindless comedy and chooses instead to offer an irresistibly credible, persuasive viewpoint about the importance of acknowledging, when imperative, the need to go through necessary metamorphosis while still keeping true to yourself, discovering that when you do, the results can be just as incontrovertibly unpredictable, fulfilling, and joy-inducing as this indie film turned out to be. Folks, it’s time to realize we simply need to LIVE and be who YOU are. Period.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
