Stick It in Detroit

This morning I saw Stick It in Detroit, starring and directed by Robert Phelps.

Todd (Phelps) is a factory worker in the city of Detroit. Like many men, he still hangs out with the same buddies from his neighborhood that he grew up with. None of them seem remotely as bright or promising as Todd, but this doesn't seem to matter to him. He has a steady job, a steady girlfriend and all is right with the world.

That is, until success comes knocking at his door. When he is offered a promotion in Georgia, he's forced to choose between abandoning his comfort zone (and probably his girlfriend, who isn't sweet on the idea of moving south) or taking an opportunity that may never arise again and bettering his career.

The concept of the movie is a good one; the execution left a lot to be desired.

As a film critic, I make no secret of the fact I detest bathroom humor. I'm not entirely against low-brow comedies (after all, I proudly own Airplane and Fast Times at Ridgemont High), I just don't find feces funny.

And therefore, folks like me are pretty much disqualified from finding genuine laughs within this movie.

Entire scenes are built around visits to the toilet, and other "fantasy" scenes that could be funny in another context, seem out of place among the vulgarity.

The acting and directing are fine, but unfortunately the story can't be saved by these two factors.

Obnoxious friends and dead-end lives just aren't my idea of quality comedy.

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