21st Century’s Biggest Failures – Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
It seems that with every passing generation, people find more and more unique ways to create absolute monstrosities known as “films”. Taking a look into this century’s film line up, it’s almost appalling how many pieces of garbage we have allowed to stain our eyes. Thus, I decided to go on a hunt for the most appalling, contemptuous, derisive, insultive, outright reprehensible films ever made. Disclaimer: the films that qualify had to have been released in theaters and must have sustained a somewhat large amount of recognition and fame (or infamy).
Freddy Got Fingered (2001) may very well be the most disgusting film of the 21st Century, or it may be the most compelling film. The film follows a 28-year-old bum named Gordon “Gord” Brody, played by Tom Green, who is a perfect example of a person whom you should never trust to ever single-handedly direct, write, produce, and star in a film.
The Plot
Gord aspires to be an animator, but ends up living at home with his mother and exasperated father. The opening scene starts with him speeding around and nearly trampling people on his skateboard. Then he meets up with his parents, who give him a car, because he got a job at the cheese sandwich factory. So he goes into the car and nearly tramples another group of people. Gord tries to show his drawings in order to start his own animated show. Unsurprisingly, this does not pan out well. The CEO, Dave Davidson, tells Gord that his animations are nonsensical and that he must develop a character. “Gord.. You gotta get inside the animals”, as he says. Sadly, Gord takes this literally upon seeing a dead deer on the side of the road.
These sorts of repulsive jokes are constant throughout the movie. There is this one scene where Gord masturbates a horse. It has no context, nor does it serve the plot. It is just there. Anyways, Gord moves back in with his family. After his father berates him, Gord builds a half-pipe in the garage with his friend (or brother…?) Freddy. Gord urges Freddy to ride the half-pipe. Freddy breaks his leg and they go to the hospital. At the hospital, Gord delivers a baby in the most grotesque way you could imagine and hooks up with a wheelchair-bound nurse, Betty, who has a dream of creating a rocket powered wheelchair. The pair begin a relationship that is just ripe for the most head-poundingly infuriating sex jokes.
I suppose the rest of the film is just a blur. Gord and his parents visit a psychiatrist, where Gord states that his father molested Freddy. The psychiatrist takes Freddy to a nursery, where Freddy is never seen or heard from again. I’m running out of synonyms for the word “disgusting”, so I’ll just give you the play-by-play: Gord works at a cheese sandwich shop after being berated by his drunk dad. He then sees Betty accomplishing her dreams of creating a rocket-powered wheelchair. This inspires him to take up the mantle of animator again.
He pitches the idea Zebras in America, which sells. After getting a million bucks for the idea, Gord spends one fourth buying jewels for Betty, then the rest sawing up a section of his dad’s house and shipping it to Pakistan. Overnight. Terrorists capture them. The movie ends with Gord mending his relationship with his father and returning to America.
Final Verdict
This film came out during the trend of surrealist comedies, and Green makes it quite clear that he intends to fill this movie up with surrealist comedy. The problem is that the majority of the film is not particularly funny at all; and if it is, it is filled with gross-out gags and humour. However, notice I did say “majority”…
This film is outright paradoxical. It is not one of those so-bad-it’s-good films, yet the film still keeps you glued to the screen. Tom Green, undoubtedly aggravating, sells off the humour really well due to his downright passion for the film, as well as his facial bone structure. At one point in the film, your brain really does shut off and you just sit there, curious to see how bad this film can possibly get. And this film swan-dives. By the end, I felt exhausted, and note: this film is only 87 minutes long.
I doubt I need to restate my opinion on this film. So the only reason why anyone would be compelled to watch this is to find out how bad it really is.
