Some people in this world just can't get a break. And that would seem to be the case for Flappy the Clown.

It's no big secret that Brian O'Halloran plays the gas station clerk in Clerks. If you ask me, his acting was pretty good there, even though comedy in general is not typically lauded as a haven for the Big Actors. Well, Brian gets a chance at a more dramatic role here in Vulgar. And ironically enough, he's doing it in a clown suit.

Flappy the Clown (whose real name is Will Carlson) brings in around $5-600 a month ("so in other words, 4") and it's hardly enough to cover his rent, food and housing for his ailing (but extremely mean) mother.

One day, he gets this idea to do a little variation on the clown theme. He will dress himself in drag and crash bachelor parties when they're least expecting it, as "Vulgar". But in the end, it doesn't prove to matter very much.

The first "bachelor party" he is summoned to turns out to not be a bachelor party at all, but a group of three guys who are sicker than sick. Will (as Vulgar) gets things done to him, from the physical to the perverse, that you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. To make matters worse, the guys are videotaping the whole event.

Alas, life has to go on, and so it does. Finally, after Will has managed to regain his composure, he gets a lucky chance to save a girl's life, and as one thing leads to another, Will finds himself the star of a massively successful kids' TV show. Of course, you know it's only a matter of time before those three guys come back into the picture.

While the acting is commendable, especially that of O'Halloran and his cohort (also director) Bryan Johnson, most of the others are about as memorable as Monday. Jerry Lewkowitz is ridiculously over-the-top as the "leader" of the three evil guys. It's like he's trying to be funny, but there's a certain point where if someone is sick enough (as in, sick enough to take a blowtorch to a living man while he can't move), I just flat-out won't laugh at them, and his character is well beyond that point. Ethan Suplee and Matthew Maher are slightly more bearable as the other two guys. Debra Karr's unsympathetic mother adds nothing to the movie but more sympathy for Will, as if we needed it.

The script has its moments, with humorous references to Barney and little comebacks that will elicit a chuckle. But there are also a whole lot of really bad lines like "I'm gonna make hate to you." Or worse yet, "Gentlemen, the hole has arrived."

Ethan Suplee gets my vote for the funniest moment in the movie, when he accidentally shoots himself in the face.

More often than not, it feels like they are more concerned with showing off "Hey, we can do drama!" than they are with making an actual movie. There's really no reason that Vulgar needed to be made at all, but I'll give it this much -- I did like the ending.

The DVD contains a photo gallery, a sloppy bunch of deleted scenes preceded by jabber from the same five who took part in the commentary. Strangely, only three of them talk. There are also five Film Festival rejection letters for your reading pleasure, as well as a 36-minute segment called "In Defense Of Dogma" which is extremely interesting. Makes me want to see Dogma for myself.

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Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age