Tagline: Everybody loves a clown...some more than others.
A dark, twisted, independent film from the mind of director/writer Bryan Johnson, in association with View Askew, about the tumultuous life of Flappy the Clown. Executive produced by Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier, the film was released in 1997 and became available on DVD from Lions Gate Entertainment in 2002. Runtime is 85 minutes for the film-circuit version and 97 minutes for the uncut DVD version.
Vulgar stars Brian O'Halloran (best known as Dante from Clerks) as Will Carlson, an affable, likable guy who has spent the better part of his entire life trying to make a living as a clown. He goes from gig to gig, just scraping by with whatever he can earn from children's birthday parties, while his harpy of a mother spends her days complaining about his lack of success and his inability to earn an adequate amount of money.
Director Johnson plays Will's best friend, Sid, who encourages him to get out of the clown biz once and for all. But Will is loathe to leave all of his childhood dreams behind, and soon he hatches a plan to make more money. Trying to capture a unique audience with something that hasn't yet been done, Will invents "Vulgar," a nontraditional clown who dresses in drag. The idea, as he explains it, is for Vulgar to perform as a joke at places like bachelor parties, where he can reach out to a new "adult" market.
Well, I'm sure you'd be shocked to hear that this plan doesn't quite work out the way Will had hoped, but that does indeed turn out to be the case. On his first outing as Vulgar the Clown, Will is brutally beaten and raped by three Deliverance types, who videotape the entire assault. Later, when Will finally "makes it" in the industry (he is contracted to produce a Bozo-esque television show called "Flappy's Funhouse"), his attackers resurface in the hopes of raping him again, this time through the use of blackmail.
Having finally realized his dreams, Will has no interest in letting a scandal surface that could ruin his career. But soon it becomes apparent that his blackmailers want more than just money, requiring Vulgar the Clown to make an encore performance to set things straight. And this time, he wants payback. (Ha! I've always wanted to say that.)
Vulgar was funded by Kevin Smith, who financed it and Brian Lynch's yet-to-be-released Big Helium Dog at around the same time. This was the "second round" of young View Askew productions; in an earlier volley, Kevin financed Drawing Flies (by Matt Gissing and Malcolm Ingram) and A Better Place (by Vincent Pereira), both of which were released on DVD in 2002.
Cast and Crew List
Directed by Bryan Johnson
Written by Bryan Johnson
Cast (in credits order)
Brian O'Halloran .... Will Carlson/Flappy/Vulgar
Bryan Johnson .... Syd Gilbert
Jerry Lewkowitz .... Ed Fanelli
Ethan Suplee .... Frankie Fanelli
Matthew Maher .... Gino Fanelli (as Matt Maher)
Thomas W. Leidner .... Large Bum (as Thom Leidner)
Michael Tierney .... Skinny Bum
David Gilbert .... Delinquent #1
Erik Johnson .... Delinquent #2
Scott Schiaffo .... Travis
Darin Johnson .... Boy #1
Kevin Smith .... Martan Ingram
Don Gentile .... Sleepy Bum
Brian Hartsgrove .... Boy #2
Aaron Hakeem .... Cop #1
Jamie Schutz .... Cop #2
Susanna Jolly .... Jill
Debra Karr .... Mother (as Debbie Karr)
Ceton Tate .... Ashley
Gertrude Johnson .... Old Lady
Paris Petrick .... Nurse Ratchet
Jay Petrick .... Wilma Carlson
Michael DeNigris .... Sam Mosier
Robert Hawk .... Old Man (as Bob Hawk)
Jill Robertson .... Shongo
Kiven Wiedmyer .... Irate Motorist
Brian Quinn .... Traffic Cop
Tim Miller .... Gillian
Walter Flanagan .... Caddy
Scott Mosier .... Scotty
Tobias Carroll .... Toby
Diana Devlin .... Sultry Audience Member
David Klein .... Cinnamon
Melissa Rayworth .... Kelly Fanelli
Deanna Rowe .... Jenny Fanelli
Edgar Johnson .... Diaper Boy
Bob Farley .... Barron
Joe Mullins .... Joe-Joe
Jason Mewes .... Tuott the Basehead
John Sobestanovich .... Beggar (as Soby)
Ralph Lambiase .... Clumsy Cop (uncredited)
Sean Marquis .... Dirty Junkie (uncredited)
Chris Parry .... Criminal Clown #3
Produced by
Monica Hampton .... producer
Scott Mosier .... executive producer
Kevin Smith .... executive producer
Original Music by
Ryan Shore
Cinematography by
David Klein
Film Editing by
Bryan Johnson
Scott Mosier
Casting by
Paris Petrick
Production Design by
Lisa Mareiniss
Production Management
Ian G. MacGregor
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Adam Hammel .... second assistant director
David Kurman .... second second assistant director
Jamie Schutz .... first assistant director
Art Department
Aaron Hakeem .... set dresser
Mike Hansen .... graphic designer
Ralph Lambiase .... storyboard artist
Sound Department
Alfred J. Caragay .... sound recordist
Gene Radzik .... stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Special Effects by
Ralph Lambiase
Other crew
Tobias Carroll .... key craft service
Christopher James Cullen .... office production assistant
Paul Kaye .... key grip
Emily Mackley .... first assistant camera
Amanda Nanawa .... script supervisor
Alan Scher .... assistant editor
Alan Scher .... assistant production coordinator
Ryan Shore .... orchestrator
My source for most of this review/writeup was simply watching the movie (duh) but some information came from everyone's favorite movie source, IMDb.com.