Scumbag: Written Review

Scumbag

Written Review

Hi everyone and welcome to MyIndie Review Vlog, the show that gives you spoiler-free reviews of indie films. My name is Asaf Angel from MyIndie Productions.

Today’s review is of the 2017 Comedy-Drama, Scumbag, written and directed by Canadian-American indie filmmaker, Mars Roberge. Thank you, Mars, for sharing your work with us.

Phil, portrayed by Princess Frank dreams of being a famous DJ. Living in the city with his girlfriend Christine, played by Debra Haden, he joins the bullpen at a telemarketing company comprised of a group of crazy, extravagant and sometimes dangerous individuals. Scumbag is the nickname they gave each other as toner salelsmen, or ‘Toner Pirates’ as they like to call themselves. Pretty much the most eccentric bunch of people you can imagine, from the womanizing ‘player’, the promiscuous receptionist, the mentally unstable cowboy, the sarcastic and teasing veteran Scumbag, to the novelist of questionable erotica and many, many more.

Almost without noticing, Phil gets sucked into the outrageous lifestyle and activities his fellow scumbags partake in. Drinking, doing drugs and attending high-energy parties becomes a nasty habit, one that makes our leading man spiral out of control, and jeopardize his relationship with his Christine.

This film is wonderfully chaotic, with a very (very) large cast of interesting characters, it doesn’t give you a chance to catch your breath, and much like Phil, you might find yourself sucked into the Scumbag world.

A strong notion viewers might get from this film, is its whole ‘rebelling against conformity’ attitude. Almost all the characters in it are living for the moment, refusing to grow up and embrace what society expects of them. Their world revolves around having a good time and accumulating memorable experiences. I must say, there is something incredibly uplifting about that.

Having said that, it also feels Roberge did not just build this story for the sole purpose of rooting for rebellion. He has us invested in Phil, and doesn’t shy away from showing us the dark side of this devil-may-care lifestyle. Phil not only suffers the consequences of what he does, but it also seems that his values are challenged and he’s actually changing for the worse. Seeing a character overwhelmed by an appealing, yet very destructive lifestyle, makes for a very interesting experience, mainly due to the fact that while measuring Phil’s choices with our own set of values, we might find ourselves both judging him and sympathizing with him at the same time, which makes the viewing adventure quite a roller-coaster ride.

To sum up, this is a fun, wacky film and an extremely impressive achievement. Production value is fairly decent. There is a ridiculously high number of characters, including a lot of familiar faces. Making an appearance are the likes of Ron Jeremy, Nina Hartley, Penny Arcade, quite a few musicians and many more. The amount of locations is absurdly high as well. It is really apparent that a massive amount of hard work and great passion went into this project. Mars Roberge and all involved are to be commended for this feat.

Scumbag gets an 7.5/10 on the Look At Me I’m A Film Critic scale!

Until next time, keep supporting Indie Film. My name is Asaf Angel, I thank you for tuning in to MyIndie Review Vlog.