Movie Review: Stick It In Detroit

Stick It In Detroit is a straight to DVD independent comedy shot in 2008. I haven't watched many independent films; my experience is pretty much limited to Troma. Troma movies tend to be hit and miss for me; they range from classic (Toxic Avenger) to downright unwatchable (Poultrygeist). So when Torch Lake Entertainment sent me a sample of Stick It In Detroit as a freebie for review (in the interest of full disclosure, of course), I was a little hesitant.


There's an undeniable charm to independent flicks though. Because they operate outside of the Hollywood machine they don't have to worry about pesky ratings and as a result, have a tendency to feature over-the-top gross-out humor. Which is very good.

Plot Smlot
Here's a plot synopsis from IMDB.com:

Chaos rules while factory worker Todd Kennedy is forced to choose between accepting a lucrative out of state job promotion or staying in Detroit. His indecision leaves him searching for answers from his highly dysfunctional friends Justin Rose, Scott Nelson, Matt Wojo, Gary Reiley, Lisa Brooks, Hot Rod Johnson and Mr. Willoughby.

Detroit is another nostalgic look at young adulthood as the characters are forced to come face-to-face with the impending responsibilities inherent in growing up that will likely spoil their carefree lifestyle. Although this theme has already been explored pretty thoroughly in other comedies like Knocked Up, Detroit brings a bit of a different spin to it with a more "extreme" style of comedy and secondary characters that get more development.

Stick It In... what?
Perhaps it's a reflection of my comedic immaturity, but I found the movie to be rather funny. There is a bit of the Troma style to the humor as the movie isn't afraid to take gross-out situations to "extreme" levels. Two scenes really stuck with me: the doctor's office scene and the bathroom scene. I won't spoil anything, but both induced open-mouthed laughter on my part. And although the movie was over-the-top, it was not constantly so to the point of triteness, which often happens in these types of movies.

Each member of the cast has a sub-plot so you'll likely identify with at least one of them. Mine was Justin, the office worker who doodles (of course). And I found that each of the characters had at least one scene that was memorably funny. Hot Rod Johnson bears special mention; although I thought him to be a cheesy caricature at first, he had a couple of great zingers that eventually endeared himself to me.

A&P... where we watch our P's and Q's
Keep in mind that this movie is an independent film, so the quality won't be at the same level as a Hollywood flick. Not only is this the case with the film, but also with the DVD picture. For HD users, the picture doesn't fill the screen (much like early DVDs). You'll have to zoom in to make it widescreen, which further reduces the resolution.

Overall:
Truthfully, this was a really funny movie that almost nailed a 4 rating. The main things keeping it back are the fact that the early adulthood theme has already been explored, and the quality of the DVD could be better. But there are some great comedic moments in the flick, so it was certainly worth watching. Is it worth a rental? Sure. And it's probably worth a purchase if you're into the gross-out independent comedy scene (Troma fans in particular will love this). Theorgg, if you're reading, something tells me this movie is right up your alley.

This DVD was received from Torch Lake Entertainment as a freebie for this review.