Written by Robert Scucci | Published
When a stand-up comedian continues to bomb on stage but can’t figure himself out to try something different with his life, you get movies like 2012. A monkey. The almost perfect character study you’ve probably never heard of, A monkey takes a trip to the looney pool as his character, Trevor (Joshua Burge), refuses to get a regular job, realizes he has a passion for blowing things up, and competes with other open-minded pranksters who not only steal his jokes but deliver the worst Sylvester Stallone acting you’ve ever seen.
A monkey is a low-budget dark comedy about a man who refuses to give up even when every outside influence tells him to, leading to a downward spiral that involves ditching $.99 convenience store slushies, making a deal with the devil with an apple after a bad bus ride, and sneaking around to suspect a cheater’s whereabouts.
From Humor To Rage
Down on his luck and about to shut down his cable, Trevor lives a miserable life. He can’t get asses on the seats at the local comedy club, causing the owner to constantly screw up his set or reduce his already meager salary. He studies his stuff in front of his mirror, and his jokes are bad. The best set-up in his act involves marveling at how quickly his new microwave can cook food, and the punchline suggests that if he gets on it, he can learn quickly. Go, Mitch Hedberg. Trevor is the new kid on the block, and he’s not going down without a fight.
Unable to buy food and without a penny to his name, Trevor spends his days setting things on fire in his house and eating whatever cheap TV shows he can find. The only friend she has is fellow comedian Dennis Spicer (Gary Bosek), and their relationship is very contentious. In fact, Trevor once “sold” a bunch of comics to Dennis, for which he did nothing. Dennis never pays Trevor for this, and the jokes bomb because they all look like that little microwave I mentioned.
As Trevor’s health continues to slowly decline, he slowly loses his grip on reality. Instead of burning tissues in his apartment, he starts a fire in the street. He starts carrying a baseball bat everywhere he goes. He makes a deal with the devil, who turns out to be a guy in a devil costume who works at a fruit stand that only sells vegetables, for reasons that are never explained.
Despite all this, Trevor refuses to give up because he needs to fulfill his lifelong dream of not having a real job. If only his jokes weren’t so bad.
A Pyromaniac’s Dream
Reportedly recorded for less than $5,000, A monkey it’s about as low budget as we get. For a frame of reference, you can check the 2019 one Relaxationalso starring Joshua Burge and written and directed by Joel Potrykus. What is good about it A monkey that it doesn’t need a big budget to pull off what it’s trying to achieve. It’s a simple story about one man who doesn’t want to give up even though it’s painfully clear that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a successful, or unsuccessful, comedian. The fun comes from watching him tirelessly refine his “jokes” while the giant Steve Martin poster in his apartment seems to exist only to tease him.
Whether you want to laugh at someone else’s expense or watch the world burn, A monkey it is currently streaming for free on Tubi as of this writing.
