“In a way, “Shakespeare’s Shitstorm” is essentially critic-proof. However, the high(?) point of the film is the climax, as it bears a strong reference to the climax in Brian Yuzna’s “Society” (1989) and Kaufman lays the message of the film in such a jaw-dropping way, it can only be described as profoundly Frankenstein-esque. The gore gags are hilariously low-fi, lowbrow and laugh-out-loud involving swordfish impalings, deaths by rooster phallus and cine-literate homages like the elevator doors from Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” (1980). The gags are intergalactically inconsistent ranging from inspired (woke white supporters claiming that they helped a black person by campaigning for him to play Yoda) to insipid (so many sight gags involving shit) to esteemed (the many Shakespeare references, including characters that are not even relevant to the source material) to just downright weird (the use of medication that can temporarily cure entitlement called Safespacia ) but when one throws everything on the wall, some of it is going to stick. With the film wailing on white privilege (amusingly named as a sickness known as Entitlementia ), racism (where white people can’t even stand the fact that African-Americans are saying the n-word), film criticism (the film includes critics critiquing the film itself) with a sledgehammer approach, the film does have a good rate.
You’re going to need it.”īut Kaufman is armed with tons of material for his next polemic in terms of what is seen as offensive in the world and he goes off, guns blazing. Just be ready to take a shower after the film ends.
“Shakespeare’s Shitstorm” is a lot of deranged fun that will satisfy fans of bad taste cinema.
And while the story is packed with the themes of the source material like revenge, family, musical interludes (including a song where Miranda professes her love via sexual perversion), play-within-a-play (through a TV show format of Shakespeare criticism called Breaking Bard) and betrayal writer/director/star Kaufman smothers all of that in Troma goodness(?) that the fans will love but casual audiences will need not apply. Much like “Tromeo and Juliet” being an adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet”, “Shakespeare’s Shitstorm” is a remarkably accurate adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”.
Through a series of intricate planning, a strong sense of patience and gallons of whale laxative, a shitstorm – again, stay with me here! – ensues and rains on the gathering and washes the ship on to the coast of Tromaville, making it the perfect time for Prospero to enact his plan of revenge. Meanwhile, a gathering of the same evil, greedy pharmaceutical execs from Avonbard – guess the inspiration for that name! – are having a party on a cruise ship travelling to North Korea. Despite his humongous wealth (amusingly given away as $225 million), Prospero buys a crackhouse from a bunch of prostitutes and seeks refuge there to bide his time until the opportune moment. Kaufman stars as Prospero, a talented yet increasingly unhinged scientist, who is exiled away to Tromaville, New Jersey with his blind daughter Miranda ( Kate McGarrigle) thanks to his carelessness in cultural appropriation, his double-crossing sister (also played by Kaufman) and greedy pharmaceutical execs headed by Big Al ( Abraham Spencer). On that note, when you go into the latest film from Troma with a title like that, you know you are in for one wild ride. “Shakespeare’s Shitstorm”(2020) – not a typo that is the actual title – is writer/director Lloyd Kaufman’s return to William Shakespeare territory after “Tromeo and Juliet” (1997).
What can you expect from a film produced by Troma? Well, you can expect lots of bad taste, non-PC humour, gallons of bodily fluids, extreme lashings of blood and gore, blunt social commentary, metatextual filmmaking and over-the-top acting that can only be described as pre-stroke. Year: 2020 Runtime: 93 Minutes Director/Writer: Lloyd Kaufman | Lloyd Kaufman, Brandon Bassham, Gabriel Friedman, Zac Amico, Doug Sakmann based on the play “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare Stars: Lloyd Kaufman, Erin Patrick Miller, Abraham Sparrow, Kate McGarrigle, Debbie Rochon, Amanda Flowers, Frazer Brown, Dylan Greenberg, Teresa Hui, Monique Dupree, Lisa Gaye, Ron Jeremy, Catherine Corcoran, Leesa Rowland, Julie Anne Prescott, Genoveva Rossi, Tommy Pistol, John P.