You could easily be forgiven while watching Nicholas De Fina's fine animated feature LeSeurdmin if you started thinking to yourself that you must've stumbled across some bastard cousin to a Family Guy or a South Park or, if we're thinking cinematically, something along the lines of an altered universe Deadpool.
The truth is, though, that LeSeurdmin is both familiar and a decidedly original vision, a freakishly hilarious animated feature for adults with intentionally rudimentary animation and realistically obscene characters that will leave you laughing and wanting to watch it all over again even as the closing credits roll by.
Peter (Lizard Man) LeSeurdmin, voiced by Drew Current, is a perpetual life fuck up with a dead end job and a relationship on the way out after the damn near alcoholic Peter got a bit too trashed in front of his girlfriend's (Rasheeda Moore) parents and wreaked his own special kind of havoc. With the girlfriend out the door, Peter is left to his own devices.
Oh, and what devices they are.
When special rare lizard brew turns him into a serious medical marvel, aka hella better than he was before, Peter is a superhero who attracts the attention of the Grillmaster (Sam Pink) and his M'Onions. Yes, it's silly. Yes, I'm laughing even as I write this down.
The truth is that even as a film critic focused on the indie world, I simply don't review a ton of animated features. While I have regular submission of animated shorts, for whatever reason my animated feature world consists of Disney, Pixar and those awesomely lovable Minions.
Yes, I really love the Minions.
While the first thing you think of with LeSeurdmin may very well be its television cousins, the film works as an 80-minute feature and writer/director De Fina uses the entire time wisely and creatively. If you've seen the stylistic choices of some of television's animated sitcoms, then you likely have an idea of what to expect here. If you're wanting Pixar, this ain't it.
LeSeurdmin goes off in a morally offensive direction, yet De Fina seems to have a solid instinct about going just far enough without becoming so offensive as to turn off his audience. These characters are a blast, the vocal work is solid throughout, including the leading trio of Drew Current, Rasheeda Moore and good ole' Sam Pink, the latter who also contributes the film's original music.
If I ever have a child, I'm naming him Sam Pink. Or her.
You can already rent LeSeurdmin for yourself by clicking on the trailer above this review. I mean, seriously, why wouldn't you? For $2.99 you can watch an entertaining animated feature and support an up-and-coming filmmaker. Win/Win.
While LeSeurdmin won't satisfy everyone, the massive popularity of adult animation and potty mouth superheroes should be a pretty strong indicator that there's a whole lotta people looking for more reasons to laugh than the current state of politics in America. It's different, but LeSeurdmin is the kind of different that'll make you laugh your ass off, feel guilty, then laugh your ass off again.
What are you waiting for?
© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic
