Starring Cristin Milioti, Delaney Quinn and Keegan-Michael Key
Directed by Casper Kelly
Written by Casper Kelly and Jamie King
Roadside Attractions/Saban Films
After the long string of recent childhood-icon-gone-murderous movies whose quality has ranged from bad to worse, finally we have one that’s really good, and whose creator truly gets the possibilities of perverting something nostalgic and wholesome. BUDDY’s eponymous character and his kids’ show IT’S BUDDY may be fictional, but their two real-life inspirations are unmistakable. This is basically Barney the dinosaur dropped into PEE-WEE’S PLAYHOUSE, and another thing director/co-writer Casper Kelly gets is how both—especially the strange denizens of the latter—are just a step away from being nightmare fuel.
BUDDY, which had its international premiere earlier this month at the Fantasia International Film Festival and opens theatrically today, begins with a typical episode of IT’S BUDDY. Presented in the appropriate square-screen with a slightly fuzzy video look, it introduces us to the big cuddly orange unicorn and his preteen friends, to whom he and his talking animal/prop co-stars impart gentle, happy life lessons. Everything seems sweet and innocent…even if the audience, knowing what kind of movie they’re watching, might get a bit of a nervous vibe when one of the motivational songs is “Scared to Be Brave.” And then one of the kids, Josh (Luke Speakman), decides he doesn’t want to join Buddy’s dance party…
This first segment is a note-perfect evocation of the movie’s ’90s inspirations, from Anna Kathleen’s bright and colorful production design to the chipper voice work for IT’S BUDDY’s denizens. They’re led by Keegan-Michael Key, giving Buddy just the right “Come on, kids, let’s have fun!” earnest playfulness with an “…or else” undertone, along with Patton Oswalt as Strappy the backpack and Eric Bauza as Mr. Mailbox, the Worry Well and a few others. (Coincidentally, Bauza also speaks for most of the animated characters in another movie opening today that puts an irreverent spin on children’s favorites, COYOTE VS. ACME.)
Once Josh disappears, replaced by Hannah (Madison Skyy Polan), the young cast of IT’S BUDDY—also including Freddy (Delaney Quinn) and Wade (Caleb “C.J.” Williams)—begin to become suspicious. But Buddy will brook no opposition to his program, and Kelly, who scripted with Jamie King, builds a growing sense of unease into his interactions with the children. Having previously offered odd and edgy takes on televised standards with Adult Swim’s TOO MANY COOKS short and YULE LOG movies, Kelly does a lot more here than just take a beloved icon and simply turn him evil. He evokes a dark side to the instructional emphasis of kids’ TV, where anyone who doesn’t fall in line risks suffering a horrible fate. Kelly also makes it clear fairly early on that he’s going to be uncompromising when it comes to putting his little protagonists in danger.
The exact nature of the perils they wind up facing, and the other environments they travel into, won’t be detailed here, since there are a number of twists and surprises in Kelly and King’s narrative. What can be said without spoiling too much is that before the halfway point, the focus suddenly shifts to Grace (Cristin Milioti), a suburban mom who starts to feel like something’s literally missing in her life. What is it, and how does it connect with Buddy and co.’s storyline? The answers, and the further revelations they trigger, keep BUDDY involving throughout, even as Kelly keeps it all thematically on point.
BUDDY is a fine demonstration of how imagination in both script and craft can build a persuasive world on an indie-film budget. Cinematographer Zach Kuperstein, doing a visual 180 (at least at first) from his grim imagery for BARBARIAN, THE VIGIL and THE EYES OF MY MOTHER, works in different aspect ratios to help convey the variety of realms the film explores. Shawna-Nova Foley’s costumes get the slightly-vintage vibe just right, and puppet designer Devon Hawkes Ludlow populates the movie with perfectly realized characters ranging from slightly skewed to full-on monstrous.
The onscreen humans are all on the proper wavelength as well, and though Milioti gets top billing, BUDDY ultimately belongs to Quinn, previously seen in IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU. Freddy’s dawning realization that her trusted friend is actually a malevolent entity, and her growing resilience in trying to escape him, grounds the frighteningly fanciful goings-on. As the film veers between satirical humor and ghastly horror, Quinn gives us someone to believe in and to react with. The conviction of her performance, combined with Kelly’s as he spins this bizarre tale, take BUDDY way beyond the Barney-gone-bad gimmick and make it one of this year’s most distinctive genre ventures.
