MovieBoozer Movies Measured by the Pint!
Drinking Game
Take a Drink: whenever someone either asks or tells about the worst thing they’ve ever done
Take a Drink: for New Yawkisms
Take a Drink: for Orange is the New Black references
Take a Drink: for body parts
Take a Drink: somebody was/wishes they were a wrestler
Do a Shot: for Turkel’s ass. We call that a Wiseau where I come from.
Community Review
How many beers do you recommend for this movie?
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Movie Review
By: Henry J. Fromage (Four Beers) –
New York seems to inspire a very particular sort of dryly tongue-in-cheek slice of life humorist in its many indie writer/directors.
“What? Another pretender to the throne?”
Onur Tukel is another in a long line, and adds a lead actor feather to his hat here, starring as a misanthropic high school teacher who’s inspired to call in and tell a radio talk show host about the worst thing he’s ever done. This leads to similar admissions from a couple he and his partner are friends with, throwing everyone’s lives into disarray. Oh, and somebody’s mailing him severed body parts.
A Toast
The plot and dialogue have a very extemporaneous, free-flowing feel that often yields amusing results. As the film goes along, its reality starts to shred around the margins, becoming even more entertaining the crazier it gets. Also, Applesauce is almost entirely self-absorbed, witty repartee signifying nothing from blinkered, ultra-privileged Yuppies who contribute nothing to anyone.
I kinda have a weakness for this stuff.
Beer Two
The same issues that detractors of a show like Girls have apply here, but tenfold. Every character is irredeemably awful and utterly oblivious of the fact. Problem is, many elements of Tukel’s script (laughable potshots at Orange is the New Black, faux-literary allusions, Van Gogh… really?) make you wonder how oblivious of that fact Tukel himself is. He’s either working at several levels of meta-genius, or…
He’s this guy
Beer Three
Not helping his cause is the cheap household digital aesthetic/anti-aesthetic.
Beer Four
Even worse are the stagy, amateurish performances of nearly everyone involved (although the women generally fare better). The guys in particular are so over the top it’s impossible to take any of their dramatic or conflict scenes seriously. Tukel’s “Yah, brah” enunciation doesn’t help.
Verdict
Applesauce is a strange beast. You’ll laugh, as is the film’s goal. You’ll despise the characters, as is the film’s goal. You’ll also wonder how intentional any of this is.
