Sundance 2021: Mother Schmuckers Review

Keith NoakesFebruary 3, 202185/1006134 min
Starring
Maxi Delmelle, Harpo Guit, Claire Bodson
Writers
Harpo Guit, Lenny Guit
Directors
Harpo Guit, Lenny Guit
Rating
n/a
Running Time
70 minutes
Release Date
n/a
Overall Score
Rating Summary
Mother Schmuckers is pure nihilistic chaos but also a blast to watch that most people are probably going to absolutely love or hate.

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

It can easily be said that Mother Schmuckers is the most divisive movie of this year’s festival. Much has already been said as many have either really loved it or really hated it with most falling in the latter group. While it’s easy to see why that would be the case, this nihilistic exercise does not care about viewers’ sensibilities as it pardes a bevy of offensive content over the course of its 70 minute running time. However, what redeems the film is its heart even though that aforementioned group of people will probably not see it that way. Suffice it to say that this film will succeed or fail on the viewer’s ability to see that. The film follows two brothers named Issachar (Delmelle) and Zabulon (Guit). Issachar and Zabulon are not that smart but they still find a way to pass the time, living their lives on the wild side. When they lose their mother Cashmere’s (Bodson) beloved dog, they have 24 hours to find it or get kicked out.

In reality, Mother Schmuckers is merely a series of increasingly ridiculously sequences tied together by a thin story. For some, that’s not enough and in most cases, it isn’t. What set this one apart is the relationship between Issachar and Zabulon. This grounded its craziness with some heart. They were both incredible idiots but the love they had for one another and their mother, even though it seemed at times like it wasn’t the case, was very real and that made it all work. That and Delmelle and Guit’s chemistry as the brothers, That being said, several sequences here will not be for the faint of heart. Nonetheless, the film was hilarious to watch more often than not if only just to see how much more ridiculous it will go.

You were warned but those willing to give Mother Schmuckers a chance will be treated to an insane delight.

still courtesy of Sundance


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