Movie Night : The Corndog Man

Oh my, I'm really loving this Netflix. I know, I know, shit is old, but I don't even have a bank account, so give me a break. Last night I discovered this gem of a movie, The Corndog Man. Relax, relax! No need in you getting so excited that you gotta change your pants! THIS IS NOT A MOVIE ABOUT CORNDOGS! I REPEAT, THIS IS NOT A MOVIE ABOUT CORNDOGS!

Although, that's what immediately made me watch it. Sometimes I start jonesing for foods from my child hood or something I used to eat years ago. So I'll start looking around my hood to find it and realize something strange. Mexicans don't eat Cheese Whiz? Blacks don't eat beef jerky?

So then I'll have to make the pain in the ass trip, (like 3 trains), to the mecca that is Pathmark (also my former employer, loooong story). It is a huge building on Atlantic Avenue that has just about everything. So of course, they had corndogs. In boxes of 14 or some other weird number. The first night after the purchase I ate 7 of them over the course of the evening. Yeah, I really love me some corndogs.

I also love movies. Alot. That's pretty much all I do seeing as I have no friends and have no problem talking/arguing to myself for hours. So you see the reason for the excitement from the movie title, Corndog Man. The only thing better, I think, would have been The Corndog Whiskey Man. But then I probably would have had a heart attack. Click through for an awesome clip from the movie regarding guinea pigs and review. Also, the link to watch it streaming online. DVD quality, of course. No Netflix needed.




The film features Noble Willingham, a name you may not recognize, but may know his face. He was in Paper Moon and The Last Picture Show as well as appearances on Quantum Leap and a ton of other TV shows. He also ran for congress in Texas, but lost. So, in short, he wasn't much of a success in acting or politics, but he knocks it out of the park in this one. I feel the character wasn't that far from himself in real life. Think Mickey Rourke and the Wrestler.

The film follows the now deceased Ace Barker (Willingham) as a boat salesman for Triple K (KKK?) Marine in South Carolina. He's obviously a top notch salesman, that is until he begins to receive non stop phone calls from a man who doesn't make clear his purpose until the latter half of the movie. The phone calls are so incessant they ruin his life. Coworkers just sit round and watch and tally their sales gained versus his lost, with smiles on their faces while watching some fat office girl piss in the bathroom. (Dont ask, the movie is pretty weird) Why Ace doesn't make a greater effort to stop them by involving authorities, I don't know. Hey, it's a movie with the word corndog in the title so forgive and move on.

The caller claims to be his son. He also has the greatest voice and accent I've heard in awhile. According to an Imdb reviewer:

Corndog Man is loosely based on two series of prank phone calls. The classic Red and the Tube Bar calls from the 1970s and a less well-known series of calls to Allied Motors made (I believe) in the late 80s. Comments about blue britches and snappy dressing are right out of the Allied Motors tapes as is Ace Barker's phone answering technique. Many stories circulated about the ultimate fate of Red from the Tube Bar in Jersey City, this film is a witty southern version of one of those tales. Source

The southern dialect themed one liners are awesome. The plot is there as is the mystery and it's funny as hell at times. Watching Ace turn into a shell of a man is both satisfying and heart wrenching. So call up your girlfriend and tell her to bring her two kids over from a previous marriage. Stock up on corndogs and whiskey and make it a family movie night!


Rating: The Corndog Man











VERY NSFW LANGUAGE, BEWARE, CLIP STARTS AUTOMATICALLY AFTER CLICKING LINK

To watch the clip From The Corndog Man: "Where's My Guinea Pig?"
Click HERE. (Slow to load, but it works, also need Flash)


Watch it streaming at the link that follows from Lycos. They have an interesting feature that allows you to watch it with others online. I propose the drinking game of taking a shot every time he says "daddy." Enjoy. Watch The Corndog Man online. It's also instantly playable on Netflix if you're rich.

All other MOVIE reviews are HERE.