Kick-Ass

A high school teenager wonders why no one has ever tried to be a superhero. He buys a suit and begins patrolling the neighborhood looking for ways to stop crime. His first attempt leaves him stabbed, beaten, and naked. As he continues his endeavors, mostly in hopes of impressing a girl, he once again finds himself outmanned and out-skilled. Nevertheless his pitiful efforts have inspired a subculture of copy cat vigilantes.

In the movies there is this mysterious little thing called tone. Say it with me – TONE. Kick Ass missed the boat on tone. One might say tone deaf. This attempt at combining Superbad with Pulp Fiction does not mix well – you know like oil and water, it just doesn’t work. The balance is gauche and slightly uncomfortable. Granted there are some funny moments, you’ve all seen them in the commercials, but the story in general jumps back and forth between two genres that never come together in a cohesive satirical way that is able to make fun of itself.

It is jarring and unnerving as it catapults the characters back and forth between teenage angst and acutely graphic mature violence. Again this is not Kill Bill, with over the top, cartoonish exasperated action. It is not a satire. The audience seemed unwilling to be pulled into the comedy because they were constantly on edge waiting for the next blood bath.

Awkward.

** Rentable

Rated R (for language, violence, blood and gore)