Showing posts with label Zack Silver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zack Silver. Show all posts

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Herpes Boy (2009)

Though not as bad as it's unfortunate title suggests, "Herpes Boy" derives humor on grotesque caricatures of it's secondary players. I've never seen so many shameless stereotypes masquerading as characters in one movie.

   The only character with any depth is the birthmarked, self-proclaimed misanthrope protaganist, but we can only get a kick out of his angsty 'I hate people' routine for so long, and lead actor Byron Lane is short on charisma as well as talent.

   Teen outcast Rudolph (Byron Lane)'s angst and ennui is understandable- between his clueless family and his lifelong bullying at the hands of just about everybody, who wouldn't be P.O.-ed? But his self-absorbed outlook on his jock father's fatal heart attack and his actual consideration of dissing his dad in the eulogy makes him often a less than sympathetic character.