'The Gutter' Review: Shameik Moore and D'arcy Carden Bowls For Laughs in Silly Sports Comedy | SXSW 2024
A few weeks ago, I had the urge to watch a mid-budget 90-minute comedy from the 2000s, so I watched Dodgeball for the first time on Hulu. I needed to revisit the cinema landscape when studios were comfortable with theatrically releasing downright goofy, gag-heavy, crowd-pleasing flicks that thrived on its stupidity. Nowadays, they only end up on streaming services. So, it was satisfying to see the Lester brothers, Isaiah and Yassir, keep the spirit alive through their bowling comedy, The Gutter. What Bottoms was to Mean Girls, The Gutter is to Dodgeball, ribbing on sports tropes through its silly gags.
Credit: SXSW
NR
Runtime: 1 Hr and 29 Minutes
Production Companies: Village Roadshow Pictures, Destro Films
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Directors: Yassir Lester, Isaiah Lester
Writer: Yassir Lester
Cast: Shameik Moore, Susan Sarandon, D’Arcy Carden, Jay Ellis, Jackée Harry, Paul Reiser
Release Date: November 1, 2024
SXSW Coverage
The story revolves around Walt (Shameik Moore), an impulsive idiot fired from every job imaginable. His life turns when he unexpectedly lands a job at Mozell's (Jackée Harry) lowly bowling alley named AlleyCatz, tending bar and polishing shoes with roach spray. The establishment barely has any customers as creatures run rampant across the kitchen. The only occupants are weird pro-Black preacher Brotha Candy (Rell Battle) and down-on-her-luck, former pro-bowler-turned-alcoholic Skunk (D'Arcy Carden). When the alley fails its safety evaluation, Walt's hidden talent for bowling comes to light. So he and Skunk come up with a plan to enter him in a pro-bowling tour across the country's midwestern and most racist places to raise $250K and save the alley. As Walt's star power rises, his streak threatens the retired pro-bowler icon Linda Curson (Susan Sarandon), and she decides to return to the scene and take him and Skunk down to gutterball town.
The Gutter is a rare breed of R-rated crass comedy that we thought died out when Peter Farrelly tried to destroy racism with Green Book or Adam McKay after the 2007 economic crash. Directors Isaiah and Yassir Lester concentrate on bowling for gags without bumpers holding back their crudeness. Depending on your taste for comedy, the wild R-rated nature of its humor acutely satirizes the racial discrepancies on who can thrive in sports without explicitly stating it. While racist, idiot white folk on a silver platter is so rote to me now, the Lesters mine ample inventive wisecracks out of the cult-like culture within the bowling community, ranging from its pro-bowling commentator and Walt's biggest hater, Angelo (Paul Reiser), calling his coverage "Bowl Lives Matter," to a fantastic bashing on scammer extraordinaire Shaun King.
But part of the charm comes from Walt's unapologetic weirdness as he relishes in his unethical hood identity, making every white folk as uncomfortable as possible. He'd stroll to each tournament match either shirtless, in some weird get-up, or branded merch. They mine so many hilarious visual jokes poking fun at bowling and the culture surrounding sports competitions themselves. I couldn't help but wonder how the brothers got clearance from brands like Bolden, Kraft, and friggin’ PornHub to let their logos appear in a bowling movie as insane as this.
Taking a piece out of Dodgeball – and working in The Gutter's favor – is its ensemble of foolish characters with distinctive personalities, played by great comic actors. Even if they're only in one scene, like Jay Ellis as a guy named Lil Patience, they make their small time in the spotlight worth it. Even Susan Sarandon joins in on the weirdness, serving delicious villainous excellence and tapping into her silly side in good sportsmanship.
However, D'Arcy Carden and Shameik Moore's platonic buddy-comedy dynamic makes The Gutter reach refreshing heights. When Walt and Skunk eerily share a super in-sync handshake upon their first interaction, their chemistry burns bright without losing its fire. They are as outrageous as Scary Movies' Cindy Campbell and Brenda Meeks, for they carry the film with their fantastic banter and impeccable comic timing. Their friendship and chemistry make you root for their life goals, no matter how bizarre they are – Walt's obsession with having a threesome and Skunk's interest in banging misogynist country hicks. They're The Gutter's heart and soul and earn a winning strike together.
As their shared directorial debut feature, you can feel the uncertainty in some of the jokes. The Gutter gets some gutter balls with its uneven jokes that don't wholly land, and its characters are slightly annoying. The loose editing also causes some gags to fall flat. Some reactionary shots or visual punchlines linger too long. Like Walt and Skunk, the Lester brothers’ direction operates on an underdog wavelength. They hit some gutter balls, but you can see their promise and potential nonetheless.
Unapologetically crass and operating on sheer stupidity, the Lester brothers' uproarious The Gutter is a funny 2000s-spirited sports comedy of the Red Hour Films, Zucker Bros., and Wayan Bros. movies of yore, carried by Shameik Moore and D'Arcy Carden's frivolous buddy chemistry.
Rating: 3/5 | 67%
