Best Worst Movie
Dir: Michael Stephenson
Rating: 3.0/5.0
Abramorama
93 Minutes
So it comes to this: Troll 2. I will admit that I never saw that devilish little movie, lovingly dubbed the worst film of all time. However, one doesn’t need to have dabbled with Nilbogs to appreciate Best Worst Movie, a documentary directed by Michael Stephenson- the little boy from Troll 2- that lovingly chronicles the fervid sect that now surrounds that piece of celluloid tripe.
Documentary has moved from being a vehicle for rabble-rousing into a valentine for the dispossessed as we skirt into this second decade of this new century. Sure, we still have films from Michael Moore and company but the most popular, recent docs have been love letters to tightrope walkers and motivating calls for a second chance for weathered, forgotten Canadian hair rockers. But rather than let Troll 2 sink into obscurity, Best Worst Movie toasts this much beloved cult classic, a staple of parties and midnight showings. However, beyond the handful of folks who joyously attend these screenings, the film could have blipped off the radar for the rest of us. But here we are 20 years later and Stephenson’s doc will certainly impel some to revisit this “classic.”
Best Worst Movie begins by following the re-emergence of Troll 2′s star George Hardy, now the dentist/resident goofball in a small Alabama town. When Hardy learns of the film’s cult status (at Stephenson’s spurring), he rushes to capitalize on the success he never had, attending screenings around the country, galvanizing other members of the cast to reunite and hit the horror/comic book circuit to bask in the fame that eluded them for two decades. By the end of the documentary, Hardy can see the writing on the wall and after watching him reenact one of the film’s most notorious scenes (the one about pissing on hospitality), we get sick of the act right along with him.
While it is uplifting to see the cast and film get its due after so many years at first, after an hour of non-stop adulation, Best Worst Movie begins to wear out its welcome. Sure, it’s cool to see fanboys and fangirls fete the movie , but Stephenson could have easily condensed his film into 45 minutes. Of course, when megalomaniacal director Claudio Fragasso finally appears an hour in, things begin to sour. While the rest of the cast is able to see Troll 2 for what it is really is, Fragasso instead insists that the audiences are finally catching up to his artistic vision 20 years later. While his appearance is a game-changer, it also dampens the lighthearted mood.
It is interesting to see what happened to many of Troll 2′s cast members, but some may have been better off if Stephenson left them alone. Particularly troubling is the insistence of including mother Margo Prey and Nilbog shopkeeper Robert Ormsby, both of whom are clearly suffering from mental problems. While Hardy willingly embraces his role in the revival, Stephenson almost cruelly exposes Prey and Ormsby to a limelight that should have continued to pass them by.
With any luck, Best Worst Movie will stir up minor interest in Troll 2, but what is most interesting are the stories of these actors who hoped the film would be their ticket to stardom and where they went once the disappointment passed. For fuck’s sake, there isn’t even a troll in the damned movie!
by David Harris
