Two best friends (Kate and Chloe) embark on a cross country trip back to their hometown to attempt to win a pageant that eluded them as children.
Director:
Chris Nelson
From metacritic.com
Related lists from IMDb users
Title: Ass Backwards (2013)
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| June Diane Raphael | ... | Kate | |
| Casey Wilson | ... | Chloe | |
| Jon Cryer | ... | Dean | |
| Vincent D'Onofrio | ... | Bruce | |
| Alicia Silverstone | ... | Laurel | |
| Brian Geraghty | ... | Brian | |
| Bob Odenkirk | ... | Pageant MC | |
| Paul Scheer | ... | Strip Club Owner | |
| Sandy Martin | ... | Qwen | |
| Marcia Jean Kurtz | ... | Barb | |
| Lea DeLaria | ... | Deb | |
 |
Meg Hatton | ... | Little Kate |
| Ursula Parker | ... | Little Chloe | |
| Kaylyn Slevin | ... | Little Laurel | |
| Deanna Cheng | ... | Lizbeth (as Deanna Raphael) | |
"Ass Backwards" is an irreverent female buddy comedy about two childhood best friends who are pushing the age of 30 and not quite where they thought they'd be in life. When they run into their former beauty pageant nemesis, they decide to go on a road trip back home to recapture the pageant crown which eluded them as children. On the road, they face some hard truths about themselves and each other as they encounter spring breakers, strip clubs, a women's militant group and their favorite reality star. This heightened comedic awakening leads us into an unforgettable third act finale that is the girls' homecoming and final reckoning with their past, present and future. Written by Maya Entertainment
As other users have said, there's an obvious Romy & Michelle vibe (nothing wrong with that) - but where that film had heart, likable characters, and actual jokes, this one has absolutely none of that. The two main characters are abrasive, unlikable and interchangeable - their motivations and intelligence level seem to change from scene to scene. This is an almost Andy Kaufman-esque piece of anti-comedy - scenes drag on and on with awkward silences and nothing resembling jokes or even attempted jokes. I might have laughed once - it's an absolute chore to sit through.
I like Casey Wilson and June Diane Raphael in other projects, but after this and Bride Wars, they need to take a break from screen writing. This makes Orci-Kurtzman scripts look like Charlie Kaufman or Tarantino.
The only way this can be redeemed is if Raphael does an episode of "How Did This Get Made?" (the bad-movie discussion podcast she co-hosts) devoted to this movie. She's usually the most likable, level-headed person on the show, who seems to actually want to discuss the shortcomings of the movie instead of just crack easy jokes; any insight into how this movie went so, so wrong would be fascinating to listen to.