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Melvin (2009) Review

A nerdy high school kid called Melvin (Leif Fuller) is killed after a prank goes horribly wrong. Years down the road he decides to use poor Norton Pincus (Patrick O’Driscoll) as his means to exact revenge on those who wronged him. What we see over the course of the movie is blood, guts, beer and mayhem as Norton tries to work out just what is going on and how he can stop it.

Well Melvin is another independent flick, loaded with bombast and an unscrupulous devotion to demoralizing just about… Everything. It follows in the vein of countless Troma movies over the years, if you’ve never seen a Troma flick this would be a good place to get you initiated into the style. For those that have seen Troma you’ll know what i’m talking about, no explanation needed. In fact Lloyd Kaufman makes a cameo appearance in this one as the seedy killer in the ‘in-movie’ feature Night of the Driller (perhaps an homage to Night of the Living Dead and Driller KIller?), which further iterates the point.

Melvin has gore, maybe not as much as we’d like to see but it does have it. Being an indie movie though the effects and general production values do mean that things can look a little naff at times but generally, for indie standards, Melvin is fine. I would’nt say Melvin is a scary movie to be honest, it’s geared very much in the fun vein, it’s all about the laughs and your gonna need a dark sense of humour at that (which we have).

The storyline can be a little confused at times, the chronology of the events and characters is delivered in a very spliced and disjointed fashion meaning you never really know what is going on (not until the end anyways).The characters are very stereotypical in that you have your nerds, your punkish assholes, your caring feminine part, etc etc. It does work though and even though it may not be that original, it is fun.

Ultimately i’d recommend (whole heartedly) fans of Troma Movies to grab Melvin, i’m sure you’ll get yer kicks out of it. I really can’t sum it up any better than that, if you like Troma, you’ll like Melvin; especially if you’ve got friends and beer. If you don’t like Troma then this is one you may want to catch on TV one day.

Synopsis

Melvin Udall (Jack Nicholson) is a successful writer of romantic comedies who is also a obsessive-compulsive germaphobe. When his neighbor Simon Bishop (Greg Kinnear) is hospitalized, Melvin is forced to take care of Simon’s dog, Verdell. Although he is initially reluctant, Melvin soon forms a bond with Verdell, and starts to see the world in a different way.

Melvin’s life is turned upside down when he meets Carol Connelly (Helen Hunt), a waitress at a local restaurant. Carol is everything that Melvin is not – she is kind, spontaneous, and easy-going. Despite their differences, the two start to fall for each other. However, just as things seem to be going well, Melvin’s OCD starts to get the better of him, and he begins to doubt whether or not he can really be with Carol.

Can Melvin overcome his fears and find happiness with Carol? Or will his OCD always get in the way? Melvin is a heartwarming and hilarious film that will leave you cheering for the underdog.

Movie Details

Director: Henry Weintraub
Writer: Henry Weintraub
Actors: Lilly Maher, Yonatan Schultz, Ben Chinburg, Hudson Hongo
Release Year: 2009