Originally shot in 1994 by a group of NYU Film School alum, The Deviants marked the feature debut of John Mikulak (the director who would go to make the outstanding funny-but-true documentary The Man Who Would be Polka King), only its release got mired in red tape
until now, thankfully. True, the plot invites cries of "Been there, seen that." In this unrated comedy, six blissfully reckless friends come together for a lost weekend wedding reunion of drinking, bowling, and fighting, but end up getting a cold dose of reality as well. Rather than The Big Chill Pill, however, think: Mondo Brasho. The Deviants comes as a welcome surprise because of its unique blending of shopworn genre with love of cult comedy. Unapologetically sophomoric and campy, albeit with tongue firmly in cheek and black humor in full effect, The Deviants excellently presents characters having Quarter-Life crises as if they had been documented by John Waters (the film even features a performance by '70s era Waters veteran Jessica Dublin). Also, some weapons-grade artistry shines through. Made amid the '90s independent film wave, the film (and yes, that's legitimate 35mm--not digital, thank you) nearly got released by Sony Pictures Classics before cold feet came into play. Their loss. The Deviants is a free-wheeling and madcap time capsule that's just now being opened, playing out with more edge, coolness, and skill than most of the fluff Kevin Smith tried to pawn off as juvenile comedy (Ah, Mallrats! Ah, humanity!). Always fun, rarely serious, and oftentimes reverential and parodic of homecoming/reunion flicks in one fell swoop, The Deviants more than holds its own among the Sundance Generation.
Review of The Deviants
