Director(s) – Conor Sweeney (Chowboys: An American Folktale), Adam Brooks (The Editor), Matthew Kennedy (Father’s Day), and Steven Kostanski (Leprechaun Returns)
Starring – Matthew Kennedy, Gilles Degagne, and Adam Brooks
Release Date – 2018
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “He’s hopeless but you’re not, maybe!”
I follow a lot of filmmakers and production companies. Way back in 2013 I ordered Father’s Day on blu from Amazon. I needed the blu for my Troma collection so but I had never heard of the film so it was a blind buy. I probably would have never ordered this film if Troma was not attached to it but I’m fucking glad I did. From that moment forward I was an Astron-6 fan. I had to have more so I ordered their short collection from Troma along with Man-Borg. When The Editor and The Void was released I had to have those as well. They have yet to let me down.
Last year Astron-6 started working on a series on their YouTube channel called Divorced Dad. It looked fun like a low-fi version of Tim and Eric. Sadly, YouTube took them down when they aired an Isis skit. This forced their hand so they turned to Kino Lorber to release the episodes on blu. I went ahead and grabbed a copy while I could and I’m glad I did.
**Spoiler Alert**The film follows a divorced man, Divorced Dad (Kennedy), who starts a public access show with Gilles (Degagne) as his co-host. Each episodes follows them as they explore different topics such as carpentry, fitness, homosexuality, and Bingo.**Spoiler Alert**
I knew Divorced Dad was not going to be like the other Astron-6 releases. The web-series episodic format was compiled together into one 50 minute film. I found more than my fair share of laughs but the film was nowhere near as fun as their other releases.
The acting in this one is hilarious. Matthew Kennedy really gets into his role and delivers some pretty funny moments. Gilles Degagne is funny as well as the camera shy co-host with big aspirations. They both work well together to make the show funny.
The story for this one works for one off episodes but when compiled together it does become a bit boring. You still find the laughs but between the giggles you find a show that struggles to feel complete. Some of the episodes are inconsistent and fail to gain traction. I understand that they want to make the show feel like an authentic cable access show but the episodes just never lead to anything.
Finally, the film does have some blood and a few practical effect gags. We get a funny scene with a screwdriver and another scene where Divorced Dad uncontrollably vomits. Both are funny with decent practical effects but not as fun as some of the other Astron-6 films. Overall, Divorced Dad is a fun watch for Astron-6 fans or fans of late night Adult Swim. It has more funny moments than I can count but it just doesn’t go the distance as their other releases. You can check it out now on blu from Kino Lorber
