In lieu of writing a traditional review for a uniquely bizarre film, The Dashing Fellows' Justin Gayle and Juan “Miko” de Villa sat down to an intimate dinner and candidly discussed the enigma that is Louis C.K.'s incomparable Pootie Tang...
Justin: So where did you first come across Pootie Tang?
Miko: The first time I saw this character was actually in an obscure sketch on The Chris Rock Show, and when I saw that they were expanding the role into a full feature I was very skeptical. You?
Justin: I knew very little about it before we watched it, but I must admit that I was under the same trepidations. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but that is neither practical nor worthwhile. So I had judged this to be a terrible movie just from looking at the commercials all those years ago.
Miko: And the reviews as well. Ebert and Roeper's take on the film in particular was brutal. However, I'm reminded of the Kevin Smith defence, where he claims that reviews don't matter because his films aren't made for the critics. Of course, when Kevin Smith tries to use this argument to defend something like Jersey Girl we roll our eyes, but I really think it applies when we talk about Pootie Tang.
Justin: But the critics have a point. They measure movies by the standards and conventions of the times. There is something to be said about Louis C.K.'s blatant attempt to destroy the very fabric of film and film language. To that point I ask, and I asked this while we watched to film: can this be considered a movie by today's standards? And, if not, then what is it?
Miko: Well I think that's precisely the movie's strength as well as its weakness. There really is no precedent for a movie like this so of course critics are going to respond with outright hostility. After all, it challenges, as you put it, the very fabric of the medium that they have dedicated their careers to. But I digress. As a form of narrative, yes, Pootie Tang fails on almost every conceivable level. Still, did that affect your enjoyment of the film?
Justin: No, and perhaps this is as good a time as any to give a little synopsis for those uninitiated: Pootie Tang is a man, the coolest man on the planet. He works in the black community to clean the streets of drug dealers and the like. The plot, if I can call it that, centres around his magic belt with which he can whoop anyone's ass. When it gets stolen... well it's not really important what happens but that's a good overview. Did I leave anything out?
Miko: Well you left out the part where he goes through the whole movie without making a complete sentence.
Justin: Now we're getting to the truest essence of the film. The plot is so thin and scattered that you almost expect that it was only considered after filming. It really is a critique, or even a hilarious attack, on what a film is. It dares you to walk away. And I have to be fair, this movie is not for everyone: some will hate it. How have you been telling people about it, if you have?
Miko: The thing that stands out most for me, and this is what I generally tell people about the movie, is the amount of things in this film I saw for the first time. Some notable highlights for me include: a man getting raped by a woman, which is actually a recurring theme; a villain whose modus operandi is being as dirty—in a completely literal sense—as possible; and a duet in which one of the singers doesn't say a goddamned thing. There were literally so many novel things in this movie that, by the end, I almost forgot that David Cross did his role entirely in blackface.
Justin: Yeah and the other duet singer was Missy Elliot. The only reason she was in the movie was because she is a rapper. You see her and she sings. That's it. Also the entire movie is just a clip of his new movie Sine Your Pitty on the Runny Kine. All these things are like cannons firing at the canon of film. I was shocked and broken down by this, in the best possible sense.
Miko: I agree. While the movie broke the fourth wall quite a few times it wasn't overbearing. It wasn't done in a douchey way where it feels like the director is winking at the audience, but in a way that hits you when you don't expect it. One of my favorite scenes in the movie is where Pootie's boy, Trucky, starts narrating, but he's actually still in the shot, in the middle of a conversation with Pootie.
Justin: And his narrating thought and actual dialogue with Pootie Tang become the ridiculous echo. The thing to note about that is that it happens late in the second act. They were holding off on it for so long. Brilliant. But to those that see this movie and scoff, I really can't get angry at them. Most movies I like I will defend, but I almost want this to myself. Have you seen this with anyone else?
Miko: No not yet, and I'm a little bit hesitant to show it to other people. I'm afraid that they'll watch it and come to the conclusion that I'm just as batshit crazy as Louis C.K. must have been when he wrote the script. I understand what you're saying though. I estimate it's maybe two percent of the world's population that would "get" this type of humour (and even that's a pretty generous figure), so the fact that Pootie Tang resonated with me feels strangely personal.
Justin: The fact that this was Louis C.K.s baby totally changed my mind about watching this. I trusted him even though I wasn't particularly a fan of HBO's Lucky Louis. But seeing this and Lucky Louis in context I see now that he is all about commenting on convention with insane humour. How did this movie get made? That question might be the biggest punch line of all.
Miko: In an interview with the AV Club Louis C.K. actually mentions that quite a few compromises were made while making this film. He actually wasn't expecting to get much studio backing, and, when the suits decided that they were going to get behind this film, Louis had to make quite a few changes to make the final product a bit more commercial. He obviously failed in that regard—this is an alienating movie if I've ever seen one—but his almost sociopathic disregard for convention still shines through quite well. Do you think we could have handled the unadulterated version of Pootie Tang that continues to exist only in Louis C.K.'s twisted mind?
Justin: I'm not sure, but it would have been quite the ride. I liken this version at least to walking through a desert: most will just get bored and thirsty. Some, though, will see fantastic visions and mind-altering panoramas.
Miko: Well there's really only one thing we can say conclusively.
Justin: What's that?
Miko: Chippa tae on the kami is the be bop do daddy shammy stai.
nice work ladies