Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha (2008)
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25% of critics liked it
(12 reviews) -
33% of users liked it
(6,920 ratings)
Melvin Van Peebles, director of the landmark independent film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, embraces the new age of digital filmmaking with his picaresque comedy, shot using DV equipment and taking full advantage of its creative possibilities. Van Peebles plays a fanciful version of… More Melvin Van Peebles, director of the landmark independent film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, embraces the new age of digital filmmaking with his picaresque comedy, shot using DV equipment and taking full advantage of its creative possibilities. Van Peebles plays a fanciful version of himself, growing tired of life at home when he's only ten years old and deciding he'd rather see the world than read about it in books or hear about it from his mother. Melvin runs away from home and hitches a ride from a friendly truck driver, but things take an unexpected turn when gangsters kill the trucker and the boy is tossed into the river with just an inner-tube for company. The drifting current leads Melvin into New York City, where he takes odd jobs to support himself and meets a kindly woman who takes him in. Domestic life isn't exciting enough for Melvin, and as soon as he's old enough he signs up for the Merchant Marine, where he sees the four corners of the globe and finds adventure and willing women in every port. But with the passage of time, Melvin learns there's a downside to getting everything you want from life. Featuring cameo appearances from Mario Van Peebles, Glen Turner, Stephanie Weeks and Paul Krassner, Confessionsofa Ex-Doofus-ItchyFooted Mutha received its American premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Melvin Van Peebles
- Written By
- Melvin Van Peebles
- Genres
- Action & Adventure, Comedy, Special Interest
- In Theaters
- Apr 1, 2008 Wide
- Studio
- Yean
Critic Reviews
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Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
Sadly, Confessions, based on a graphic novel and a play, seems a collection of parts rather than a whole, but some of those parts are affecting.
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V.A. Musetto, New York Post
It has some very funny moments (Van Peebles floating up the Hudson in an inner tube, for instance), although it goes on too long. Still, it confirms Van Peebles' reputation as a one of a kind.
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Mike Hale, New York Times
It's disappointing, though, to see that his work, while it's become more polished, has remained essentially self-indulgent and superficial despite the big themes of racism and identity that it takes on.
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Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice
There's a temptation to "give" this to Van Peebles, but any scene in which actors get to interact is deathly awkward, and 100 minutes should never feel this long.
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Ronnie Scheib, Variety
Spinning a wry, tall-tale version of his autobiography, the septuagenarian audaciously plays himself at every age and every stage of his improbably picaresque adventures.
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