Guns on the Clackamas

I have long been a huge fan of the weird cartoons of Bill Plympton, so when I heard he wrote and directed a live action film, I was excited to see it. “Guns of the Clackamas” is a mockumentary about the production of a fake film. This is exactly the sort of film that the terrific “…And God Spoke” was and so I was excited to see the Plympton film even more. Sadly, however, “Clackamas” was not a particularly enjoyable film. In fact, the longer I watched it, the more I disliked it.Let me give you some more background information about my taste in movies. In addition to “…And God Spoke”, I have really loved the mockumentaries made by Christopher Guest. “Best in Show” is one of my favorite comedies ever and while not a hilarious film, I adored “A Mighty Wind” and its gentle parody of a PBS-style reunion concert. So, when I say I really disliked the Plympton film, it is NOT because I dislike the genre–it’s because the film just isn’t funny. The idea is to use quality actors and writing to make a film that mocks cheesy films and looks real–not make a cheesy film with non-professional actors that is as bad as the film you are purporting to parody.Dull and there are simply other films that have done this much better.