Review of The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (2009) by Johnny T — 26 Apr 2011

A cheerfully energetically and very vulgar comedy. The Goods motors along choking out enough lowbrow laughs to make for an agreeably nutty late summer ride. This film is so crass and so lowbrow its hairline is level with the carpet underlay. And yet, and yet, I must hang my head and confess I did laugh a fair bit. The film is randy and rough-hewn even by the standards of its genre. I could claim to have found it tasteless and mirthless, but that would be a lie. The humor comes not from the picture's setup but the absurd behavior of its characters. Mr. Piven does an able variation on Ari Gold, the caustic agent from Entourage. In many places it's genuinely, absurdly funny--crass, sleazy and morally questionable, yes, but still funny.

VERDICT: "Full Price" - My second highest rating (Positive to Mixed reaction). This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theatre to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent.