Customer Reviews

Splinterheads

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Sort of a cross between "Adventureland" and "Napoleon Dynamite," "Splinterheads" is a tremendously appealing indie comedy about a spastic, perennially put-upon doofus named Justin (Thomas Middleditch) who falls victim to some unscrupulous carnies who come to town. One of them is a beautiful young con artist who goes by the stage name Galaxy (played by the radiant Rachael Taylor), who has a domineering boyfriend (the wonderful Dean Winters from "Rescue Me"), and who sees qualities in Justin that others, including the lad himself, cannot. (A "splinterhead," apparently, is a worker at a carnival who specializes in roping in easily spotted suckers from the crowd).

Middleditch hits all the right notes in making the bumbling, stuttering, well-meaning Justin a wholly likable and wholly relatable figure. Ditto for the rest of the cast, which includes Jason Rogel as his even dorkier best buddy, Wayne; Christopher McDonald as the town's petty and overzealous sheriff; Edmund Lyndeck as Justin's 116-year-old great-grandfather; Lea Thompson as his mom; and Jason Mantzaukas and Lennon Parham as a third-rate magician and his devoted assistant.

Writer/director Brant Sersen nicely captures the flavor of the rural, small town environment in which the film's set, and while he may make amusing caricatures out of his characters, he never feels the need to dehumanize or talk down to them - or to us, for that matter. The humor always remains sharp and observant, and the movie provides some pretty solid laughs throughout.

Check it out.

This is a super cute movie with hilarious characters (Thomas Middleditch is so awesome.) You root for the good guys and hate the bad guys, and it's hilarious all the way. Watch this movie!!

This was such a hilarious and light hearted movie. I don't think my husband and i spent more than a few minutes not laughing at this delightfully funny comedy. The actors were perfect and believable and the setting made it even funnier. Loved the geocaching parts as well it tied everything together nicely and taught me a little about something i didn't even know existed. This will have you laughing til the end. You may even be like my husband and use some of the funny lines and try to do some of the funny stunts that they did as well. Although this isn't recommended. :)

I really liked this movie. It is not going to smash any box office records, but this movie is really well written and entertaining. I thought Lutz was great as the Guiness Man. He is one of my favorite characters on 30 Rock, so I was suprised to see him in this movie.

Enjoy

The charm of this film, centered on a carnival arriving in a small town, is rooted firmly in its phenomenal supporting cast. Each character is entertaining in his or her own right, and entirely convincing. There's Bruce (Christopher McDonald), a policeman who will go to ridiculous lengths to get back the love of his life; The Amazing Steve (Jason Mantzoukas) and Wyoming (Lennon Parham), former job owners who became carnies together so they could put on a magic show; Reggie (Dean Winters), the tough guy who somehow manages to be badass despite the fact that his vocation consists of wearing black and white face paint at the Dunk the Punk stall; and of course Galaxy (Rachael Taylor), the beautiful love interest and splinterhead (= carny who has to work the crowd and pick out the wimp, making her job infinitely harder). Everyone takes themselves extremely seriously, except for Justin (Thomas Middleditch) and Wayne (Jason Rogel), two friends who mow lawns for a living and try not to get bored with their surroundings. When Justin becomes interested in Galaxy, he has to prove himself so that she'll leave her no-good boyfriend, Reggie, and appreciate Justin and his quirkiness.

There are bad guys and there are good guys, but at some point the plot doesn't really matter and you really get on board with Justin and his shenanigans to win Galaxy's heart. While most of his attempts are rather pathetic, his determination and sweet personality are what win her over in the end.

Wow, this movie is definitely one of the funniest I have seen in a while! The amusement park setting is perfect for this quirky comedy, a fun backdrop for the wild storyline. Thomas Middleditch, a newcomer to the scene, really shines in this plot as an unmotivated town native who falls for a cool, geocaching splinterhead (NOT A CARNIE, there is a difference people!) named Galaxy. The relationship that develops between the two, though odd and seemingly unlikely, is well formed. I was happy to see Christopher McDonald and Lea Thompson featured in the ensemble of characters, and though their parts are small, they definitely add a special comedic spark. From The Amazing Steve and his trusty sidekick Wyoming to the lazy Wayne Chung, Splinterheads will leave you feeling entertained and satisfied!

Simply put, Splinterheads is HILARIOUS! The ensemble cast of quirky characters allows you to escape into the bizarre subculture of the traveling carnival world. Just Frost, the twenty something slacker, falls hard for the uber-sexy Galaxy played by Rachael Taylor. Galaxy is passing through town with the carnival and going on Geocaching excursions on her free time. If you haven't heard about Geocaching yet. You need to check it out! [...] (You can thank me later) Also, the truly awesome Christopher McDonald a.ka. Shooter McGavin from Happy Gilmore, plays Sergeant Bruce Mancuso, a laugh out loud hilarious police officer, who is desperately in love with Justin Frost's mom, who is played by Lea Thompson from Back to the Future! Leah freakin' Thompson! Oh, and there's these two low-rent magicians at the carnival named The Amazing Steve and Wyoming...THEY ARE SO FUNNY!!!...that they're worth the price of admission, so to speak, on their own! If you like yourself, you owe it to yourself to see Splinterheads!

This indie movie is just a lot of fun. Thomas Middleditch is the definite standout in a cast of authentic, funny characters. There's not too much to think about, but it also feels like this film is important and worth an audience's time. I really felt like I got to step inside the world of people who are completely different from and unknown to me. Dean Winters, who is consistently hilarious on 30 Rock, is another great addition to the cast. The visuals in this film were amazing, especially for a low-budget indie. I never would have known from the cinematography that this was not a big-budget, studio film.

I definitely recommend this film to anyone looking for an easy and fun experience. I tend to like Oscar-winning-drama type movies, but this quirky comedy really entertained me.

Splinterheads is a comedy about Justin Frost (Middleditch), a slacker without any direction whose life is about to actually get interesting when the carnival rolls into town and he falls for Galaxy (Taylor), a beautiful scammer who is looking to break loose of the carnie life.

I went into this just expecting to enjoy watching Chris McDonald play yet another frenetic character but what a joy to find this motley crew of a cast! The Amazing Steve (Mantzoukas) and Wyoming's (Parham) magic duo is hilarious! I do believe that the Amazing Steve and Wyoming should go on the road and tour. Or at least do a show on my rooftop! Thomas Middleditch is fantastically awkward as is Lea Thompson playing his hapless mother. Pamela Shaw and Frankie Faison hooking up is delightfully disturbing and Jason Rogel and Edmund Lyndeck bring it all together. Rachel Taylor is great and brings so much more to the table than just being the "hot chick."

Make sure you check out "The Amazing Steve" shorts under the special features! Hilarious!

Definitely pick up a copy!

I watched the movie and enjoyed it. It was a good romantic teen comedy. I especially liked and laughed at the "oldest man in the world" in the movie. Edmund Lyndeck was very funny. I loved him in "Big Daddy" and in "Road Trip." He made the movie. Teens will like the movie!