Circus Redickuless

Imagine MTV's Road Rules without the budget, glamorous cast, network standards and practices, or extreme sports angle, throw in a circus gimmick, and you'll have Circus Redickuless, an amusing chronicle of the world's lamest "punk rock" circus, featuring such "attractions" as an amateur puppeteer, a guy who's pretty tall, and a dog who leaps up whenever anybody blows bubbles. Led by small-time hustler Chicken John, the show also features a rock band called The Other, and frequently threatens to fall apart at the seams thanks to show cancellations, endless flat tires and mechanical problems, lack of money, and Chicken's stubborn refusal to drive more than 35 mph or let anyone else take the wheel. Director Phillip Glau, who went along for the ride simply because it seemed like a crazy thing to do, is effectively evenhanded, giving the understandably frustrated band time to air their substantial grievances, while also allowing Chicken to expound upon his disappointment that his fellow travelers aren't as skilled as he at hustling people for money. By the movie's end, just about everyone has lost faith in their frontman save for Chuckles, the female clown whose constant piercing of her cheeks as part of the show has led to an inflammation that she covers up by wearing underwear on her head. Still, it seems the show will go on, albeit perhaps with a name change: when Chicken is asked how exactly the act qualifies as punk, he responds "I gotta stop calling it the punk rock circus. . . cause I can't answer that question." It's equally hard to classify the film, as punk or anything else, except to say that it beats any of MTV's "reality" programming by a mile.