Fat City, New Orleans (2011) User Reviews

Pretty amateurish, and not at all like Fat City in 1979.

[TxMike · 15 June 2012]

There is a valid reason to see this movie, but not the reason most will guess. How do you learn to appreciate really good writing, acting, and cinematography? It helps to occasionally watch a really bad one, and "Fat City, New Orleans" is a good "bad" one to watch. Everything in it is amateurish, painfully so.

Most will not realize, "Fat City" is an area of Metairie, adjacent to New Orleans but not part of New Orleans. It was a very popular night spot in the 1970s. I lived in that area from 1973 to 1986, so I am very familiar with it.

Stephen Mouton is from New Orleans, by his age (born 1961) he was a teenager in 1979 and his writing and directing this film was perhaps his homage' to that era. But his biography says he is also a Clinical Psychologist, and it appears that he should stick with that profession, he doesn't seem cut out for writing and directing.

There are a few minutes total of scenes around New Orleans and the Lakefront, probably "stock" footage they purchased, but the film certainly was not shot in New Orleans, nor do any of the characters sound like they were from the area. There is a focus on the drinking age of 18, which it was. But all in all a very good example of a very poor movie.

And the movie closes with a perfect example of this. In the last scene the family ... mom, dad, son, daughter, and girlfriend ... are sitting at a table and the set-up looks like something kids put together for their family performance.

Did I mention this film is really amateurish?

Really Bad Movie

[whtnthwrld55 · 1/10 · 8 February 2012]

Live in and know Fat City. This is the worst movie I have seen in years. Makes the old Porky's seem like an Oscar winner. I just keep realizing that I will never be able to get my time back. The acting is very staged and not at all professional. The film work makes my father's old super-eight filming look like Eastwood directed it. The script should have been left as a book report for the 10th grader that wrote it. Those that funded this very bad movie will not have to worry about the awards. It will make a nice tax right-off for someone. It is very difficult to even find a redeeming thing to say about this film. Wait, some of the shots of the French Quarter in the opening were very nice. I bet it was stock footage that was used because it does not seem to match the rest of the mess. So sad, the movie just destroys the city. Go to New Orleans and Fat City on your own and don't watch this really bad film.

No Redeption

[sparklebat23 · 2/10 · 18 July 2013]

I forgot early on that this movie was supposed to be a comedy. It is at no point light hearted enough to be comedic in a fun way, and never cognizant enough of the awfulness of the main character to be a dark comedy. And the main character is truly horrible.

He's the self centered jerk, spoiled rich kid, never going anywhere stoner, hopeless alcoholic, and shameless cruel womanizer all in one. Whatever charisma he supposedly has that keeps anyone as his friend or attracts girls to him is completely hidden from the viewer. By the time I was considering turning off the movie I was too invested in seeing something horrible happen to him to turn away.

But nothing horrible happens. All of his messes are cleaned up, everyone loves him, he never has to show or gain an ounce of humanity or humility. He's on top of the world at the end of the movie and there is no lesson, no catharsis of any kind. So something horrible did happen, to me!!!

I feel sorry for all the characters in the movie for having this person in their life and thinking he's OK. I feel really sorry for Sean Carlin. The kid has a great, friendly, and seemingly comedic screen presence that seems completely wasted here.

Baffled

[gbutch21 · 1/10 · 1 February 2013]

I have never been more baffled than I was when I realized I sat through this whole film. I mean how did this get made, let alone get on Netflix?! It is like a kid that dropped out of his first year at community college got his rich parents to fund a movie for him and his friends. I am half a semester through a script writing class and I could write literally a thousand times better than this. Nothing happens in this movie, no plot at all, and everything that does happen could happen now days. The director must be a hypnotist, there is no other explanation for how I sat through this. Please anyone explain to me how this film was made, maybe I am missing something.

are you kidding?

[reachingtokyo · 1/10 · 27 September 2013]

I don't know why I left this movie on until the end. Where do I start. The Main characters just get high and drink and giggle and mack on chicks the whole time- so to start with there is no plot to speak of. There is no story, no special moments, no script. The father seems rather homosexual and the mother too young to be his mother and they both just seem like 2 of his friends- bad casting. Its supposed to be about some place in New Orleans? Ho did the movie show that in any way except for stating several times the 18 year old drinking age. Its really not worth reviewing so this is more like a warning don't waste your eye sight.

Good depiction of society and youth

[barrykerry · 10/10 · 20 April 2012]

I really enjoyed this funny "coming of age" type film! Watching this film, it struck me how close to reality the characters were, especially Paul, a modern day Casanova and not unlike today's metro sexual! I thought the dialog was snappy and smart and loved the look of the film. As someone who has lived a large part of my 35 years in the Fat City area I would like to thank the filmmakers for documenting the Fat City area of New Orleans since there is very little literature / media about the area and its perspective from teenagers growing up in the area. See this film, it is a great way to experience time in an area long forgotten and seldom shared!

Different and fun

[robert-nichols72 · 8/10 · 26 April 2012]

I just read one of the previous reviews and I don't know what they were talking about really. I myself like movies based on what they are. Going in to see most movies I know what I would be seeing. So I don't expect to see Shawshank Redemption when I am seeing Transformers. On that note I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I liked the tone & the vibe of the cast and energy that they had.It definitely made me wish I was there during this time. I thought the main characters were funny, but in a good way. This is one of those movies that would be good to watch with a bunch of friends and a couple of beers. I liked the music played and thought that was important in setting the correct tones in the end especially!

What a fun and well done film!

[pinningtonm · 9/10 · 24 April 2012]

Boy did I have a good time watching this movie. Fat City seems like the perfect place to be during the 70's. As a movie buff I definitely have high standards when it comes to any movie about the past, since it has to seems real and accurate. Director Stephen Mouton did a great job at making a film that was not just fun, but I felt like I was there living it. I wasn't there living it up like these characters did during the 1970's because I wasn't born yet, but man I really wish I had. They all seemed to be doing it right. The acting was well done, and there were some very important scenes where you can tell the acting had to be good or it wouldn't have worked. I give this a 9 out of 10.

I liked a lot about this!

[roryshilehf · 8/10 · 27 April 2012]

Well from the get go I though the movie was good. I liked the fashion and of course the way they made it look like the past. I like seeing movies from the sixties and seventies. Some are great, some are definitely not. I think the main difference is location, script, and director. Of course the main cast is important, but it has to feel real first. As a whole I thought that they pulled of the feel part greatly. I know so many young actors who are in movies like this, but I enjoyed this one a lot. It was very enjoyable and there were parts in the beginning that kept me enthralled big time. I really do recommend this movie to anyone from the area the film is from, or anyone who was a young man during the time and era.