If you watch Eastbound & Down, then you know Kenny Powers (Danny McBride) would be nothing without his endearing sidekick Stevie Janowski (Steve Little). With one of the first Rough House Productions (producers include McBride, David Gordon Green, and Jody Hill), they have given Little a lead role. In Todd Rohal‘s The Catechism Cataclysm, Little plays a priest, Father Williams, who embarks on a canoeing adventure with a childhood idol, Robbie Shoemaker (Robert Longstreet).
With a tagline of “God will fuck you up,” this low-budget comedy delivers. It is the oddball, irreverent style one can expect from those involved. With Little being one of my favorite elements in Eastbound, it is wonderful to see him carry his own as a leading man. Partially funded by Kickstarter and shot in only 12 days, Rohal employs some impressive directing techniques as he weaves in separate fables told by our characters. As the journey down the river continues, the film gets progressively weirder. I loved the direction it took, especially in the final moments. Alongside Cedar Rapids, this is one of the best comedies to come out of Sundance this year. Raffi Asdourian and I recorded our thoughts, which you can watch below.
