FLUFFY MOVIE, THE

 

Director: Manny Rodriguez and Jay Lavendar
Writer: Gabriel Iglesias
Cast: Gabriel Iglesias, Ron White, Tommy Chong
Studio: Open Road

“The Fluffy Movie” opens with a staged sequence that evokes Eddie Murphy’s earlier stand-up movies. Then, it delves into Iglesias’s stand-up. I have to say that while I like the interesting turns that Fluffy’s career is taking, I’m not a fan of his material. The guy borrows many jokes from his Aloha Comedy Special while not offering up anything new here. Plus, there’s a bit of behind-the-scenes documentary going on. A little bit of focus goes a long way.

The stand-up concert movie is a dying subgenre. Iglesias starts breaking new ground when he compares the dating habits of gay and straight dudes. Plus, there are some moments when he talks about going to India. All the while, I’m left wondering why this wasn’t a special for premium cable. There’s something about stretching this to feature length that makes me wonder if this project was pure ego or if Iglesias thought something was really there.

Not all comedians can carry material for this long and it’s a testament to those that can make concert movies work. Hell, even Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor stopped doing these kinds of things. But, they got into these movies because there wasn’t an adult market or premium cable home large enough for their material at their point. Even though George Carlin had been doing the exact same schtick since HBO’s inception. There’s an attempt towards the end of the film to get emotional. Balancing Iglesias hanging elements of his family back together and battling with his weight, you almost feel bad for the guy. It’s just that everything is set up in a jokey way, that you’re not sure if you are still in the comedy or in the documentary phase of the film.

RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!