Ronnie (Michael St. Michaels) runs a disco walking tour along with his browbeaten son, Brayden (Sky Elobar). When a sexy, alluring woman named Janet (Elizabeth De Razzo) comes to take the tour, it begins a competition between father and son for her attentions. It also brings about the appearance of an oily, slimy, inhuman maniac who stalks the streets at night and strangles the innocent-soon dubbed the Greasy Strangler.
Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie! Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie! Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie! Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie! Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie! Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie! Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie! Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie! Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie! Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie! Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie! Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie!
Yeah...The Greasy Strangler is an incredibly messed up film. Looking like something inspired by Napolean Dynamite, Little Britain, or watching an episode of the Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! on repeat, the purpose of the film seems to be to try and leave the audience feeling as awkward as possible. To that end, it does a commendable job; I wouldn't go as far as to say that it creates an overwhelming sense of shock, but there is certainly unsettling nature to it.
The film seems set on trying to push boundaries, and yet it ultimately falls short. From a visual standpoint, everything appeared skewed and off-putting; from the body-types portrayed, to the frequent nudity, and the overarching lack of awareness of all people involved to the absurdity going on around them. The nudity and sexual proclivities of Big Robbie, Brayden, and Janet are the source of much awkwardness (they call him Big Robbie for a reason, and he shows off that reason at every opportunity), but the thing about shocking an audience, is that it needs to be unexpected. Once it is expected, it is no longer shocking, no matter how depraved the action or visuals are.
This is one of the biggest downsides of the film; the lack of content. The 93-minute film feels like there is only enough content for half an hour, with jokes and set pieces constantly being reused and lingering for much longer than expected. Whether it's watching two people swing their arms yelling out loud "Hootie Tootie Disco Cutie!" for several minutes at two different points in the film, listening to a man struggling to pronounce "potato" for five minutes, or a combination of scenes that take up at least 10% of the film and include the old man swinging his large penis around, the type of wit on display or slow, and as dry as it comes.
The actual "greasy strangler" story arc feels more of a side plot than the main arc, but it does lead to some of the more creative and interesting scenes of the film. The over-the-top senseless violence is cartoonish in appearance and adds some levity to what should otherwise be a much darker tone (as it does involve murder).
With such an aimless narrative and incredibly repetitive comedic elements, The Greasy Strangler will no doubt appeal to some, but completely bore others. Mårten Tedin does a competent job with the cinematography alongside Jim Hosking's direction with visually vibrant shots intermingled between these detailed, drab living environments. Cinematography is vital in films such as these, where the majority of the film is comprised of conversations between two people. Keeping that sense of movement, with varied lighting, and camera angles largely belay that sense of monotony that is written into the script.
The absurdity of the film makes it a fun and entertaining film to watch with friends, acting as a source of conversation afterwards, but the lack of direction in the story and a complete fracturing of narrative integrity by the end means the film lacks a big payoff.