Hell and Back (2015)
Staci Layne Wilson
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Starring Nick Swardson, Mila Kunis, Danny McBride, Bob Odenkirk, T.J. Miller, Rob Riggle
Directed by Tom Gianas and Ross Shuman
The stop-motion animated feature Hell and Back is not so much a horror movie as it is a comedy — unlike, say, Gil Kenan’s Monster House, which was equal bits of both, or Neil Gaiman’s Coraline, which was so creepy children were actually sobbing in terror at the screening I attended. Hell and Back is definitely not for kids, but it is for immature adults. Slapped with a hard R, Hell and Back has got to be the dirtiest big screen cartoon since Fritz the Cat dropped trou in the 1970s.
In the beginning of the film we meet three lowly 20-something carnival barkers who work the “Ride into Hell” attraction — Remy (Nick Swardson), Augie (T.J Miller), and Curt (Rob Riggle) all thought they’d be doing something better with their lives by now, but it’s not easy to get into MIT when you’re hooked on THC. Their shitty lives take a sudden turn for the worse when the ride becomes a portal to the actual underworld and they’re sucked into a vortex of danger. Mortals aren’t exactly welcome in Hell, and it’s not easy to stay any steps ahead of The Devil (Bob Odenkirk) and his minions.
The quest-based adventure and love-interest bits are de rigueur and the gags are beyond gross, but there is some cleverness and a few chuckles when the filmmakers give us a glimpse into Hell’s bureaucracy and what an un-fun job it really is to be Beelzebub.
Hell and Back is directed by Tom Gianas and Ross Shuman, the guys from the animation studio that unleashed “Robot Chicken,” “TripTank,” and “Bojack Horseman” upon the TV-addicted masses. Fans of shows like “Beavis & Butthead” and “South Park” will eat Hell and Back up with a spoon. I, however, prefer more elegant fare requiring a fork and a knife. Since I’m not into lowbrow scatological humor with poopy punch-lines, Hell and Back didn’t do much for me as a movie lover. However, as a movie reviewer, I do admit it has a lot going for it. (That’s why 2.5 stars: I split the difference.)
It’s very well made (the animation is excellent, as is the attention to detail) and flawlessly acted (it features major comedians and big-time actors including Mila Kunis, Susan Sarandon, Paul Scheer, Michael Peña, and Danny McBride); plus the cast of characters is kooky fun. (What other movie features an angel who descends from Heaven using a stripper pole, a rapist-tree who can’t keep his branches to himself, and depicts Orpheus as an aged harp-god past his prime?)
If your demand for excellence in filmmaking is as high as your tolerance for toilet humor (and you’re high), then Hell and Back is the flick for you.
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Film
Categorized:Reviews
