Buddy

Buddy (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key) teaches his friends about saying I'm sorry in Buddy (Distributed by Roadside Attractions and Saban Films)

The horror/comedy Buddy takes the evil kids show host trope and pushes it to its ultimate limit. The basic concept is “what if Barney the Dinosaur was a murderous psychopath.” It has so much fun with its insane premise, running headfirst into the blood, surrealism and uncomfortable dark humor. It perfectly captures the look and feel of a 90’s kids show, with a large mascot singing, dancing and learning with a diverse group of overly cheerful children. When his dark side comes out, it is a disturbing anachronism that fits with what came before it.

The filmmakers don’t stop at a one-note joke. They actually take the time to flesh out the world and mythology. Not so deep that it overwhelms the setup, but deep enough so that character decisions carry some weight. It is a wild, midnight movie kind of experience, meant to be seen with a raucous crowd in the mood for something weird. It is ridiculous and very entertaining.

Buddy is a magical unicorn who helps his young friends learn important, grade-school-level, life lessons and then has dance parties. Underneath, there is something very wrong with Buddy. The kids are in terrible danger.

Buddy (91 minutes, without the end credits) sounds like an amusing 5-minute sketch comedy segment. A funny idea that has no substance to it. Yet director/cowriter Casper Kelly constantly finds new, crazier, places to take it. He keeps escalating, putting his characters into ever stranger situations. At no point does he treat anything as a joke, which just makes it all funnier. It is a horror movie about a supernatural monster terrorizing a group of kids, but the killer is an adorable tv mascot. That is the first section. Then Kelly expands his world, devising new angles for satire and world-building. Though people will, rightfully, focus on the premise, this is clever throughout.

The look of the movie goes from low-budget children’s show to low-budget fantasy as the kids try to get away from the demonic unicorn. Kelly plays with the sets in a way that is both funny and creepy. He clearly decided early on in production that too far didn’t exist. Every time the concept seems to have hit a wall, he cuts a hole in it and keeps going.

While the kids find the right balance between being cookie-cutter stereotypes and being absolutely terrified, the adult cast is great. Keegan-Michael Key does a hilarious Barney impression as the voice of Buddy. Patton Oswalt is also quite funny as the voice of a backpack. Cristin Milioti and Topher Grace appear in what is essentially the “serious” subplot that provides the emotional heart of Buddy. Their earnestness in the face of bizarre circumstances gets some intentionally awkward laughs.

Even the bleak punchline of an ending is successful. Casper Kelly got everything he possibly could out of an idea that felt worn-out thirty years ago, coming up with a presentation that feels original and inventive. He shies away from nothing, making a bloody, comically violent, very funny movie. He created a world where anything can happen and placed the most twisted things he could think of into it. Maybe this says something about me that I didn’t want people to know, but Buddy is some of the most fun I’ve had at the theater all year.

4 out of 5

Cast:

Delaney Quinn as Freddy

Keegan-Michael Key as the voice of Buddy

Caleb “C.J.” Williams as Wade

Patton Oswalt as the voice of Strappy

Cristin Milioti as Grace

Tristan Borders as Oliver

Madison Skyy Polan as Hannah

Directed by Casper Kelly

Written by Casper Kelly and Jamie King