Fantastic Fest 2012 Review: The Greatest Movie Ever Rolled
By Javi Perez at September 23, 2012 | 7:36 pm | Print
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Morgan Spurlock did a documentary called Supersize Me about eating McDonalds for every meal for a month. So Doug Benson, based on a joke from his stand-up routine, made Super High Me about smoking pot every day. The movie wasn’t a financial success, but it raised his profile and gave him a stronger cult following among the “420-friendly” crowd. So when Spurlock released The Greatest Movie Ever Sold about product placement, naturally Benson had to make The Greatest Movie Ever Rolled, a simple documentary about going on the road for a comedy tour. The sole purpose of the tour was to finance the documentary.
Unlike Super High Me, this movie is much funnier and far less political, merely concentrating on what it’s like when Benson hits the road as he interacts with fellow stand-up Graham Elwood and the many fans that want to smoke with him after shows.
What I love about this documentary is that it’s tailored to a specific audience and delivers in showing what you would normally miss out on if you just want to a Doug Benson stand-up show. If you think Doug Benson is funny, then you’ll love this movie. Even better, the stand-up segments concentrate on the unexpected and improvised parts of his show.
One thing we learn is just how high Benson can get and still put on a quality show on stage. The general look on his face is often a sign of how high he is, but at a show in Oklahoma City, two Native American women brought him some strong stuff to smoke before a show. He took several deep huffs from their product and was giggling even as he walked on stage. I expected the segment to include how terrible his show was because of constant laughing and his inability to concentrate, but he pulled it together and put on a funny show.
Elwood is also funny as the two pull off pranks on car rides, in hotels, and even on local TV morning shows.
Grade: B
Not every bit works, mostly on Elwood’s part. I was surprised that they left some of his stuff in the movie, although Benson did a great job of saving him when the two were on stage. I’d still pay to see this again and will look forward to catching it on Comedy Central when it starts showing on cable.
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