Director(s) – Dustin Ferguson (Nemesis 5: The New Model, The Amityville Legacy) and Henrique Couto (Scarewaves, Babysitter Massacre)
Starring – Jared K. Admave (Relationship Status, Happy Face), David Thomas Newman (Troma Presents: Mulligan’s Monsters, Hazing), and Daiane Azura (Mrs. Claus, O’ Bloody Night)
Release Date – 2018
Rating – 1/5
Tagline – “Bottoms up and tops down”
With my Sleazy Sunday upon me it was time to dive into another raunchy and sex filled adventure. I have several I could go with. I have a dozen or so Vinegar Syndrome releases I need to work through along with a few sexploitation flicks from Full Moon but this Sunday I decided to go with a more modern sleazy flick.
Last October I picked up Horndog’s Beach Party from friend and filmmaker Henrique Couto. I’m a fan of Couto’s and I collect his films so I grabbed it for my collection. It wasn’t until I went to watch the film when I discovered it was co-directed by Couto and the main film itself was actually directed by Dustin Ferguson. I was pretty excited to toss this one in and check it out this fine Sleazy Sunday.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows two guys, Loren (Admave) and Stacy (Newman), who get an apartment for the weekend so they can party it up. Sadly, their room is also promised to two women because the landlord thinks they are also women due to their names. Loren and Stacy start to have a crush on the two ladies and try to empress them. Standing in their way is their prude of a neighbor and two “bros” who are jealous they got the apartment and not them.**Spoiler Alert**
I’m not too familiar with the films of Dustin Ferguson but I had seen a few here and there. Not enough to really form an opinion on his films but I am a fan of Couto’s. Before I tossed in Horndog I could say I only disliked one of his other films. Now I have to say I dislike two and I must admit I don’t like this feeling. Henrique is such a genuinely nice guy and I hate giving negative reviews but Horndog’s was just not for me.
The acting in this one is not that bad but some of the character needed a little more direction. Most of the cast has a pretty impression track record so I know they can act yet some of the scenes are awkward to watch. The same cannot be said for the Sister Sadie Safeword segments. J. Ania Lupa is pretty funny in her role and seems very comfortable in front of the camera.
The story for this one really tries to capture the fun of the sex comedies from the 80s but struggles. The movie has a lot of fat that could be trimmed down. We get more scenes that has very little to do with the story than we do import scenes centered around it. The scenes are clearly there for filler to extend the running time which only hurts the film. The remaining films that go with the story are void of action or sleaze. You expect some sort of build up or excitement like you would see in films like Porky’s, Animal House, and even American Pie. Sadly, you don’t get it and the few little bits of humor we do get are lackluster as well.
Finally, no blood or gore for those of you waiting for it. This is a straight forward comedy flick that struggles with the comedy portion. Overall, Horndog’s Beach Party is a missed opportunity. Maybe if the film had better comedic timing or a story that was more fluid but it’s a rough watch as it is. I cannot recommend this one.
