| Director: | Tyler Cornack |
| Producer: |
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| Cinematography: | Billy Morean |
| Editing: | Austin Lewis |
| Music: | Feathers |
| Studio: | Epic Pictures |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
Butt Boy is a 2020 American dark comedy horror written by Tyler Cornack and Ryan Koch and directed by Cornack in his directorial debut. The film is a spinoff from a Tiny Cinema comedy sketch.
Chip Gutchell, an IT specialist and married father, develops a compulsive behavior after a routine rectal exam, where anything he inserts into his anus mysteriously disappears. His obsession escalates, leading to the disappearance of small objects, pets, and eventually people. Detective Russel Fox becomes suspicious of Chip's involvement and investigates the mysterious disappearances, while Chip struggles to keep his secret hidden. The tension builds as the detective gets closer to the truth, culminating in a climactic confrontation that reveals the extent of Chip's compulsion.
IT guy, Chip Gutchel, is absent minded at the RTM (RoofTop Makeover) sales office in the South Kritika Counties, where manager, Rick Mitchum is spearheading a mandatory sing-along to celebrate the promotion of Jon Lee. The following day, Chip has his first ever prostate exam, performed by a quirky doctor. He likes it, and later wants his wife, Anne Gutchel, to grab his backside during perfunctory sex. She won't, so in his subsequent shower, he inserts a bar of soap into his rectum. He likes this even more than the exam.
The following day, Anne can't find the remote control. During her late night out, Chip inserts various objects into his rectum. By morning, their dog, Rocky is missing, and thereafter, a baby boy from the park. A news listener has little sympathy for the distraught mother.
A depressive Chip fails to hang himself. Eventually he joins an Alcoholics Anonymous group under the pretence he's an alcoholic. Years later, the mentor there, Nelson Guerrera, a man who doesn't believe in sugar addiction, assigns Chip to sponsor new member, Russel Fox, a police detective, alcoholic and smoker. Chip confides to a hot-sauce obsessed Russel that Anne contemns him, after he got her pregnant too early. Later, Russel obsesses over his ex-wife, but she has moved on, and is with someone else and pregnant. Emotions flared, Russel reaches out to his sponsor, but Chip is persistently unavailable.
At the office, Rick announces the perseverance plaque is missing, and a forthcoming bring-your-kids-to-work day. There, Chip's son, Marty Gutchel, is unimpressed with his dad's profession, and Jon's son, Andrew Lee, goes missing playing hide-and-seek. Russel is assigned to investigate, and in doing so, re-establishes contact with Chip. Chip attributes his absences to Anne's non existent cerebral palsy cum feeling a bit stiff condition. She is unhappy with his lies, and with mounting evidence against him, so is Russel. An apologetic Chip rejoins the AA group with Russel.
Seeking involvement, Anne invites Russel to dinner, but drinks wine in their presence, flatters Russel and demeans Chip. Russel feigns defecation and manages to acquire an incriminating computer disc that Chip had earlier failed to hide in his anus during an argument with his wife. Realising this, Chip pursues Russel but only manages to suck the disc into his now powerful rectum. Russel narrowly escapes, and informs his chief, John Lazzara. John in disbelief is unimpressed and expels him from the precinct. A hospitalised Chip reasserts his devotion to Anne, who reciprocates. Russel relapses into alcoholism.
Exasperated, Russel tries to dispatch Chip during Marty's laser tag birthday party, but fails. Chip's backside has become too powerful, and Russel is rectally sucked in. Chip is celebrated as a hero, and Russel is vilified as a crazed criminal in hiding.
Inside Chip's hellish bowels, Russel meets Andrew and Rocky. They discover a withdrawn boy, and astonishingly, recognise him as Russel's son, the long lost baby from the park. He learns the word "colon" but struggles with "dad". They are grateful for any morsels of undigested food, and tolerate the ambient smell.
Russel is tallying their days in the hole on the back of the perseverance plaque. Their activities are causing Chip discomfort, which his physical therapist manages with Vicodin. Russel spots her fingers during an examination, and therein, a possible means of escape.
Chip is promoted to fill Jon Lee's leave of grievance, and his heroism is applauded. Russel and the boys manage to liberate the soap, remote control, and to Anne's delight, Rocky. Andrew is next, but Chip rebuffs by consuming a potent stomach elixir, fatally scalding Andrew, and nullifying their exit strategy.
A nervous Chip dismisses Anne before joining Mayor Micheal Cage, Chief Lazzara and an audience excited to see him handed an award normally reserved for officers. Just before he can give his speech, Russel, with the elixir closing in, plans and ignites a flatulent explosion, splaying Chip all over the audience and bunting. Father and son emerge relatively unscathed. Russel then hands the evidential disc to the overwhelmed chief and declares the case closed. After reuniting son with mum, and an approving nod to the step father, Russel exits the scene, his decade long anguish finally resolved.
Butt Boy had its world premiere at Fantastic Fest 2019 and was screened at a number of genre festivals throughout the year, where it was a "minor sensation".[1]
In February 2020, it was announced that Epic Pictures had bought the U.S. rights to the film.[2] It debuted on various VOD platforms on April 14, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the limited theatrical release scheduled earlier that month was canceled.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 59 reviews. The site's consensus reads: "Its puerile premise invites low expectations, but viewers who sit down in search of boldly humorous provocations won't leave Butt Boy brokenhearted".[3] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[4]
In his review for Variety, Dennis Harvey praised Butt Boy for "the drollest execution possible of the most juvenile concept". He noted the film's successful balance of lowbrow humor and withheld gross-out moments, making it enjoyable for those who appreciate stupid ideas executed smartly. He also highlighted the film's lower-key stylistic approach, reminiscent of 1980s cop-thriller tropes, and the dedicated performances of the cast in their deliberately monotonous roles.[5] Writing for The New York Times, Jeannette Catsoulis described the film as "hilariously bawdy" and as "an act of vivacious vulgarity". She notes that despite its absurdity, the movie refuses to be dismissed as a juvenile provocation and delves into themes of addiction, grief, and loneliness, while also surprising with unexpected moments of beauty and pathos. Catsoulis concludes her review by highlighting the film's "aggressive" originality and divisiveness.[6]
Writing for the Los Angeles Times, film critic Justin Chang praised the film for its audacious and outlandish concept, dubbing it "either the best or worst rectal-kink detective noir/addiction drama/supervillain origin story ever made". He criticized the film's failure to fully explore the psychosexual implications of the protagonist's compulsion and described it as a half-hour comic sketch stretched out to an unnecessarily long 100-minute runtime and notes that despite some chemistry between the lead actors, the film's "plodding, procedural-style storytelling" and excessive contrivances made it unentertaining.[1]
In his review for The Hollywood Reporter, John Defore criticizes describes the film as "a juvenile gag" and a "constipated attempt at cult comedy". He notes that the movie's attempts to be provocative and outrageous result in confusion rather than entertainment and that it will only appeal to "a very specific sort of irony-hungry moviegoer" while leaving most others unimpressed.[7] Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a B− and notes that he finds Butt Boy to be surprisingly "slick and entertaining", despite its juvenile premise. However, he also notes that the film's ludicrous nature and outlandish concept may test some viewers' patience, even though it leaves an impression and showcases potential for its director.[8]
ScreenAnarchy describes Butt Boy as an incredibly bizarre experience with a nonsensical premise played straight, comparing it to a Quentin Dupieux film shot like a TV movie. It notes that despite revealing budgetary constraints in its execution, the film effectively utilizes limited means, reserving its "craziest" visuals for the final thirty minutes. The review commends the film for its substantial commitment to its peculiar concept, portraying it as a true original.[9]