Customer Reviews

Muffin Man - HD Edition (2004)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I am a nutritionist for a school district in Texas, and we have a severe obesity problem with our kids. I've started showing Muffin Man to groups of High School kids across the district, and the impact this movie has on the students is incredible. Some have come back and said they would rather have their jaws wired shut, so they don't end up like the Muffin Man.

We've also shown SuperSize Me, which is a great movie but doesn't seem drive home the fact that the kids need to change their own behavior. They just can't blame McDonald's and think the problem will go away.

I've noticed that some of the other reviews say that Muffin Man is "dirty" or "not for kids". There are a few scenes that are somewhat suggestive - but nothing the kids haven't seen before in the theater. I haven't had any complaints from the parents - I've even let my three younger kids see the movie. The educational value is well worth it, if I can change the eating habits of some of my students.

This is a weird, unconventional independent film. It is thought provoking, if you allow it to be. Muffin Man takes a bizarre, hilarious, bold and even eerie look at the obesity epidemic. Be warned: Go into it without expectations and you will be in for a surprise! Michelle Porras is brilliant and a natural beauty. Too bad she is not in more films. Steve Hodgson played his role very well. He was really very funny playing the role of the Mom.

If you're looking for cheap jokes, personal put-downs, and physical comedy, this movie probably isn't for you. Muffin Man is a dark, poignant, cerebral comedy that stabs at the heart of all of our social ills.

Unfortunately it was not without its problems. On the plus side, it was wickedly funny with a very sharp wit. There were a lot of subtleties that make you do a second take. Also, I especially loved the music - I really want a copy of the soundtrack. On the minus side, the production was a bit campy. Not sure how to describe it, but it had more of a cult feel than a mainstream production - The HD Edition is great, but I'd really like to see it on a big screen. I'll give it a 7 on a scale of 10.

Watching Muffin Man is like watching Walt Disney's "Fantasia" with a slight buzz. It just kind of hits you in that certain way and you don't quite know what to think about it.

It took me a while to realize that the deadpan narration is a spoof on a poorly done Discovery Channel documentary. Once I thought of it like that, everything seemed a lot funnier.

I bought the DVD on the recomendation of a friend, who said it was like an early John Waters movie (I live in Baltimore and am a big John Waters fan!) I don't think it's anything like John Waters, but I can't think of anything else that it's like, either. Muffin Man is unique, strange, and funny.

You cannot judge this movie by conventional standards. It is meant to be a completely different genre all by itself, and must be judged as such. I was lucky enough to be in Seattle last December and saw Muffin Man at it's theatrical premier. I laughed so hard I thought I was going to pee my pants. There were a number of overweight people in the audience, and I thought they would be offended but they were laughing even harder than I was.

The humor in Muffin Man is exceptionally intellegent, and I'm sure many people just won't get it. On the surface, it may appear to be one big "fat joke" but there's a lot more to it. This is really a social commentary on our overly excessive civilization; our tendancy towards overeating is just one part of it.

There are a lot of subtleties that I missed the first time through - it was a lot of fun to go back and see it again on DVD.

Overall, the acting and production values were top notch. The behind the scenes footage was interesting, but not very well edited, it looked like it was thrown together pretty quickly.

Specific to the HD Edition: this movie was filmed in High Definition, and although it's a "low budget" production, it really looks incredible. I am a producer myself and have a passion for digital cinema, and this movie shows that you really can make an extremely high quality production on a limited budget. I have all of the Windows Media High Definition IMAX disks, and they truely bring a theatrical experience to the living room. You will need an HDTV and a relatively fast / new PC to watch the HD version, but with the "Media Center" computers, this is pretty much mainstream nowadays.

I can see why some people would not like Muffin Man. It is campy, politically incorrect, low budget, and - well - just kinda strange. However, it is also extremely intellegent, subtle, and really well done. I have watched it a few times and am amazed at the things that I keep noticing (mostly food related knick-knacks in the apartment).

As noted in other reviews, the music is fantastic. I want a soundtrack CD!

If you like cult movies like Eraserhead, Clerks, Little Shop of Horrors, you will probably love Muffin Man. If you're used to the unimaginative high budget slop that Hollywood pumps out every day, you'll probably want to skip this.

Muffin Man is intelligent, articulate, provocative and highly entertaining. At the same time it's a disturbing picture of the potential future of mankind. It's worth your time and consideration. We particularly enjoyed the music. Pay careful attention to the lyrics!

Incredibly sad yet visual commentary on our obese society. I guarantee if you are part of the "it's not my fault fat society" you will hate it, if you aren't you will love it. Give it to your to your friends who need to learn "pushaways", with a nice note about the plot. I lost 30 pounds after I saw it!!!!

The cover art makes this movie look as if it would be suitable for children. It is not. It contains gratuitous obscenity and a heinously disgusting "love" scene between a pair of immensely overweight characters (imagine a collision between two of the blimp in a Thanksgiving Day parade).

Presented in pseudo-documentary style, the movie looks back from the distant future to a time when humans basically gorged themselves to death and/or became so fat that they couldn't reproduce. A somewhat humorous graphic illustrates the difference between the ever-growing size of the characters and the size and placement of their reproductive organs. The overall point of the movie is that we (as a civilization) are literally eating ourselves to death. After spending time in a mall or an airport it can be hard to argue with this conclusion.

This was clearly a low-budget production, but it was actually done pretty well. A lot of energy clearly went into the set design and the production itself. The "extra features" behind the scenes glimpse into the making of the movie and I added one more star just for this. It was clear that all involved were truly dedicated and tried really hard.

On the positive side, this is the first time in a while that I didn't fall asleep on the couch while watching a movie, so there may be something here.

This movie captures your attention immediately with it's style and then takes you on a "laugh riot" to the end. The concept covered in Muffin Man is one of great global concern and while this movie won't be shown in Elementary School Science classes, it is surprisingly appropriate for groups or individuals stuggling with obesity issues. It makes "the point" with extreme wit and clever details. Speaking of details...if you only watch this movie once, you'll likely miss many of the subtle enuendo and visual jokes that make this film so, so entertaining. Give this movie to your loved ones who know they have a weight problem and have not had success in dealing with it. You might be pleasently surprised when it "edutains" them into new behaviors.
Lastly, the soundtrack is incredible and in addition to being excellent music..it amplifies the humor. Listen to the lyrics closely.
All in all, a very hilarious and fun movie you'll want to see.