By Geno McGahee
I’m not a huge fan of clown movies, but there are certain great films that cannot be ignored. As a kid I loved Stephen King’s “IT,” and there have been scattered films with a clown character that I have enjoyed. In the horror short “NO CLOWNING AROUND,” we have a depressing film that sort of reminded me of REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. There are no happy endings and no apologies. Rob Dimension, the writer and star of this presented it as he saw fit.
Rob plays “Mumbles the Clown,” a former star that hosted a kid’s show, that has fallen on hard times, becoming a slave to his addictions and an overall failure in life. His gigs that he gets as a clown are ruined by his problems and his drug-addicted girlfriend at home is only hurting him and his life. He also has “Mr. Peepers,” a puppet and character on the old kid’s show that still talks to him to this day, giving him great advice like: commit suicide.
As he struggles with life, which is a losing battle, he finds his girlfriend, Trixie (Kim Dimension), dead from an overdose. This sends his life into a downward spiral at a much faster rate and now he has gone over the deep end, tracking down the pusher of the drugs and torturing him to death, which included pulling out his guts to make balloon animals…more or less.
The film ends as it began…depressing with no redemption for poor Mumbles as he sits in front of a TV, watching his old broadcasts with his dead girlfriend and imaginary friend. It’s not the happy ending that most would hope for.
NO CLOWNING AROUND should not be watched if you’re suicidal, but if you are a fan of indie film with grit, gore and some gross out moments, you’ll probably enjoy this. I enjoyed the way it was shot and many of the elements…it didn’t make me feel warm and fuzzy, but that wasn’t the point. It was just an unapologetic film about tainted characters without any room for redemption. Enjoy it for what it is. Just don’t go in waiting for a happy ending.
Rating: 5/10
