I don't care if this film has poor camera quality or out of sync voice overs, it's a no-budget masterpiece that can never be duplicated. Personally, I think this film brilliantly captures common cliches into an absurdist framework, and every other form of bizzare humor makes this film a parody of itself. Maybe I have all of these great things to say because I'm a loyal fan of Bill Hicks, but even so it is worth a viewing if you can actually find a copy.
8 Reviews
Hilariously Brilliant...A Little Taste Of What Hicks Would Become...
meddlecore14 January 2008
At just over half an hour, Ninja Bachelor Party is a hilarious short film which was written, produced, shot, directed, and starred in by the legendary Legendary Bill Hicks and his two Texas buddies Kevin Booth and David Johndrow. I wouldn't listen to the other reviews on IMDb, this film is really quite brilliant and has Hicks written all over it...an amazing example of how great a performer he would become.
The film, follows Robitussan addict Clarence Mumford who dreams of becoming a Ninja Warrior. After having his dreams rejected by his parents, walking in on his girlfriend in the middle of an orgy and getting his ass kicked, Mumford- played by Kevin Booth- seeks out a guru, Dr. Death- played by Hicks- from whom he can learn the ways of the ninja. During a Robitussan binge Mumford is visited by a true Ninja Warrior in a dream- so he decides to head to Korea. Part of his training includes smoking magic mushrooms which sends him on trip that results in a revelation (one which shows how Hicks had developed the philosophies which would greatly influence his later comedy very early). After completing his training he returns to Texas to seek vengeance on the men who stole his girlfriend and kicked his ass. The remainder of the film is a vicious slapstick stunt-filled martial arts spectacle, one of the finest ever captured on film for sure.
The voices are all done in voice-over, most of which are done by Hicks and Booth themselves. They are often out-of-sync which makes it pretty funny, like a true martial arts dub. The film was shot in Austin and Houston over a few years by the group of friends, and it really is well done considering their experience and resources. And to top it all off, you get to hear some original musical tracks written and performed by Hicks himself!!
The film, follows Robitussan addict Clarence Mumford who dreams of becoming a Ninja Warrior. After having his dreams rejected by his parents, walking in on his girlfriend in the middle of an orgy and getting his ass kicked, Mumford- played by Kevin Booth- seeks out a guru, Dr. Death- played by Hicks- from whom he can learn the ways of the ninja. During a Robitussan binge Mumford is visited by a true Ninja Warrior in a dream- so he decides to head to Korea. Part of his training includes smoking magic mushrooms which sends him on trip that results in a revelation (one which shows how Hicks had developed the philosophies which would greatly influence his later comedy very early). After completing his training he returns to Texas to seek vengeance on the men who stole his girlfriend and kicked his ass. The remainder of the film is a vicious slapstick stunt-filled martial arts spectacle, one of the finest ever captured on film for sure.
The voices are all done in voice-over, most of which are done by Hicks and Booth themselves. They are often out-of-sync which makes it pretty funny, like a true martial arts dub. The film was shot in Austin and Houston over a few years by the group of friends, and it really is well done considering their experience and resources. And to top it all off, you get to hear some original musical tracks written and performed by Hicks himself!!
A must-see for any fan of Bill Hicks or Kevin Booth
tharper10116 June 2005
Ninja Bachelor Party is undoubtedly the crowning achievement of Sacred Cow Productions, a group of comedians and assorted nuts originally headed up by the late Bill Hicks.
With nothing to do with a bachelor party but plenty to do with ninjas, it is the story of loserly Robitussin addict Clarence Mumford's quest to be a ninja warrior. Not everyone will understand the finer points of some of the humor, but the hilarious voice-overs and the practice of recycling scenes are undeniably funny. The climactic fight scene is great fun, with plenty of poorly-executed slapstick and general ridiculousness. Ninja Bachelor Party is a joke all the way through, including the credits. At half an hour long, you can't afford not to try it out.
Just don't expect to take much away from this film... not recommended for mature audiences.
With nothing to do with a bachelor party but plenty to do with ninjas, it is the story of loserly Robitussin addict Clarence Mumford's quest to be a ninja warrior. Not everyone will understand the finer points of some of the humor, but the hilarious voice-overs and the practice of recycling scenes are undeniably funny. The climactic fight scene is great fun, with plenty of poorly-executed slapstick and general ridiculousness. Ninja Bachelor Party is a joke all the way through, including the credits. At half an hour long, you can't afford not to try it out.
Just don't expect to take much away from this film... not recommended for mature audiences.
Come on, guys, let's be honest -- it's really bad.
MovieAddict201617 March 2006
I saw this film because it was a labor of love by Bill Hicks and his best buddy, Kevin Booth. They filmed it over a number of years with home video equipment and it (clearly) had no budget at all.
However, looking it up on IMDb I am surprised to find a 7.3/10 rating, and I know this must be due to the Bill Hicks cult fans out there voting "10" for this without even seeing it.
Look, Bill Hicks or not, this film stinks! I'm not trying to bash it for no reason - I have plenty. First off, it's just not very funny. The quality is so poor and most of the "jokes" are just lame things. Oh, wow, the audio is dubbed poorly and out of synch, and they re-dubbed in post-production to make it look like a foreign ninja movie! Haha that's so clever! Well guess what? "Kung Pow: Enter the Fist" did the same thing years later and was trashed by critics. What's the difference here? Nothing -- except its budget is even lower and therefore the fake dubbing is even more annoying.
Is Bill Hicks good in this? Not really. He plays a ninja expert who teaches some helpless addict kid to beat people up. Oh my, I'm bursting a gut laughing just thinking about it.
NOTE: IMDb reviewer "ganryu" has replied to my review with one of his own. He mocks my comparison of this film to "Kung Pow" and claims that if I liked that film it's no wonder I didn't like this.
Obviously ganryu cannot read or comprehend because he would have realized my comparison with Kung Pow - which I never said I liked here - was only to point out how much more annoying the fake-dubbing effect is on a lower budget production. Ganryu even goes so far to point out Kung Pow had a $10,000,000 budget and Ninja Bachelor Party did not - which is ironic since this was my entire point in the first place - Kung Pow was annoying to begin with, so just imagine how much more annoying seeing the same thing is on a shoestring budget.
Maybe ganryu should study English.
However, looking it up on IMDb I am surprised to find a 7.3/10 rating, and I know this must be due to the Bill Hicks cult fans out there voting "10" for this without even seeing it.
Look, Bill Hicks or not, this film stinks! I'm not trying to bash it for no reason - I have plenty. First off, it's just not very funny. The quality is so poor and most of the "jokes" are just lame things. Oh, wow, the audio is dubbed poorly and out of synch, and they re-dubbed in post-production to make it look like a foreign ninja movie! Haha that's so clever! Well guess what? "Kung Pow: Enter the Fist" did the same thing years later and was trashed by critics. What's the difference here? Nothing -- except its budget is even lower and therefore the fake dubbing is even more annoying.
Is Bill Hicks good in this? Not really. He plays a ninja expert who teaches some helpless addict kid to beat people up. Oh my, I'm bursting a gut laughing just thinking about it.
NOTE: IMDb reviewer "ganryu" has replied to my review with one of his own. He mocks my comparison of this film to "Kung Pow" and claims that if I liked that film it's no wonder I didn't like this.
Obviously ganryu cannot read or comprehend because he would have realized my comparison with Kung Pow - which I never said I liked here - was only to point out how much more annoying the fake-dubbing effect is on a lower budget production. Ganryu even goes so far to point out Kung Pow had a $10,000,000 budget and Ninja Bachelor Party did not - which is ironic since this was my entire point in the first place - Kung Pow was annoying to begin with, so just imagine how much more annoying seeing the same thing is on a shoestring budget.
Maybe ganryu should study English.
Timeless tale of romance and martial arts
dan-mccrmk17 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This is the story of Clarence Mumford, a struggling dreamer / Robitussin addict who's only hope in life is of one day becoming a great ninja. His parents discourage him, his girlfriend cheats on him, and he is constantly getting beat up. Then one day, when his resolve reaches its lowest, he is contacted by a powerful sensei from Japan who tells him he must travel there and learn the art of the ninja from him. So he goes, and after one of the most brilliant montages ever, hes able to return home a ninja, though like a lot of kung-fu films he still doubts his true ability. To become a master ninja he must conquer his self doubt, and in fitting fashion there is a showdown in which he proves himself, and wins back the woman. All of this is embellished around superb acting, action packed choreography, a disregard for continuity, and a highly stylized joie de vivre thats quite personal, fans of Hicks know what I mean.
The dialog is all over dubbed, and the OST pushes the story along backed to a cliché 80's glam sound. What is not too love about this movie?... I used to think Hitchcock was a master, then I saw what Bill Hicks could do.
The dialog is all over dubbed, and the OST pushes the story along backed to a cliché 80's glam sound. What is not too love about this movie?... I used to think Hitchcock was a master, then I saw what Bill Hicks could do.
A bunch of guys have a day of fun with the video camera.
Tiler30 May 2001
Not quite slapstick but nearly entertaining, Ninja Bachelor Party is your best last resort for a dying party or boring summer afternoon. The plot meanders, the mostly intelligible voice-overs are funny, and the almost steady camera work will make you wish you had Dramamine®. A must see that will leave you scratching your head as to just exacly WHY it's a must see.
A cinematic tour de force, non-stop roller-coaster thrill ride, etc.
ganryu-31 June 2006
I didn't just give it a ten because Bill Hicks is god-like, no sir. This short film is one of the most god damned hilarious pieces of cinematic literature I've ever seen and it is also just enjoyable to watch as well. When I finally came across it, I had to watch it at least every other day, it became the thing that motivated me to get up in the morning. And it's not even good in a so-bad-it's-good sort of way. No sir, it's good in the not-bad-no-it-really-is-good sort of way.
Another reviewer said it wasn't funny at all but then he made a comment about how Kung Pow also tried to use bad dubbing to a humorous effect and critics didn't like. All I have to say is if Kung Pow is his idea of a funny movie, no wonder he didn't like this. Also this movie had absolutely zero budget so the bad dubbing has a bit more of an authentic feel to it than Kung Pow, which had an estimated budget of $10,000,000. I didn't really get his comparison there, of a recent movie that had TV commercials and everything to an old obscure short film made almost entirely by two people, so I wouldn't pay attention to him if I were you.
So you should see this movie, it's good.
Another reviewer said it wasn't funny at all but then he made a comment about how Kung Pow also tried to use bad dubbing to a humorous effect and critics didn't like. All I have to say is if Kung Pow is his idea of a funny movie, no wonder he didn't like this. Also this movie had absolutely zero budget so the bad dubbing has a bit more of an authentic feel to it than Kung Pow, which had an estimated budget of $10,000,000. I didn't really get his comparison there, of a recent movie that had TV commercials and everything to an old obscure short film made almost entirely by two people, so I wouldn't pay attention to him if I were you.
So you should see this movie, it's good.
Once you start it, you might as well finish it.
galileo_kerouac14 November 2002
Okay, so this film is about 30 minutes long and follows the story of a recovering Robitussin addict who wants to be a ninja. This isn't a good movie, but it's funny as hell... well, it's funny as hell if you watch it in a group. We rented it not knowing what to expect (it didn't even have a real box) and ended up watching it like 5 times over.
What can I say, the songs were sort of catchy.
However, I must warn you that the movie title is misleading--there isn't a bachelor party in the whole movie. This film was shot in Austin, TX and it took over 10 years. It took this long because the producers/writers/actors didn't take it very seriously (and neither should you). The plot changed so much over the ten years that the shooting they had done over the years didn't make sense together. Even though they're speaking English, the whole thing is still dubbed over.
If you're still thinking of watching this movie (please don't spend too much, I think you can get it for $3 at their website), pay attention so you can catch refrences to Shatsi and everything the airline says is funny. Lastly, read all the credits; most of them are fake and funny.
What can I say, the songs were sort of catchy.
However, I must warn you that the movie title is misleading--there isn't a bachelor party in the whole movie. This film was shot in Austin, TX and it took over 10 years. It took this long because the producers/writers/actors didn't take it very seriously (and neither should you). The plot changed so much over the ten years that the shooting they had done over the years didn't make sense together. Even though they're speaking English, the whole thing is still dubbed over.
If you're still thinking of watching this movie (please don't spend too much, I think you can get it for $3 at their website), pay attention so you can catch refrences to Shatsi and everything the airline says is funny. Lastly, read all the credits; most of them are fake and funny.
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