Kenny (2008)

I can only imagine if this film had been left in the hands of a lazy screenwriter trying to make a quick buck at the expense of characters and comedy. You can see Larry the Cable Guy being hired to play the titular role and the movie being completely crass and childish. This film takes a more believable story about this underdog and his, literally, shitty job and the pride he takes in what he does, even if it may "disgust" other people. It's a business that MUST exist because it's one of the only things we all have in common. But it's also a job that people treat with contempt, especially those involved with it as seen in the film. So it's a far more human approach to this type of story than most would've done, and I applaud that. Because it would've been really easy to make this movie all poop jokes with no heart and identity, but they chose to tell a good story with an immensely likable lead character and seeing how he deals with every day life doing the job he does. It's really easy to root for Kenny. The guy works hard and all he gets, figuratively and literally, is treated by shit. And yet, in spite of all that goes wrong for him, he still maintains a jovial attitude and that's an admirable trait. So it's very easy to get behind him. If there's a problem with the film is that, structurally, at least until he gets to Nashville, the film isn't put together well. You do get to see Kenny at various jobs and the troubles he gets into, but it's not until Nashville where the movie reveals any semblance of an actual story. There's the theme of underdog pride running throughout, but it's not implemented into the story until much later. I really liked this movie even if it isn't as funny as you'd think, but it is a charming little movie about a man who's just trying to do his best.. This is a well-written and well-acted movie, I don't really have much to say about this film, but I really liked it nonetheless.

This is another movie that manages to be sweet despite its subject matter. I think it's all about tone. This is about a loo plumber and how he's treated by the world. It's strange to see how the guy's job colours (and doesn't) the rest of his personality. I guess the moral of this story is that every job that exists needs to be done, and no one is defined by what they do for a living.