Golden Cocks and GILF Bordellos: FITFL is Sweet, Sweet Ozzie Trash
Awww, the sweet taste of Trashploitation… one of my most beloved genres of them all. From the films of John Waters to modern outings like Dolly Deadly, I cant help but love them all. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of pretty bad iterations of this subgenre staple, but when it is done well it can be one of the most fun viewing experiences around. Fags in the Fast Lane is the newest addition to this specific genre and it is a great representation of what you can do with a tiny budget and a ton of heart. I will quickly address the elephant in the room and admit that I instantly found the title off-putting. Titles like this can feel intentionally “edgy” and desperate, but still didn’t deter me from checking it out. Oh well, who the fuck asked this white, straight dude anyway?
Now that I’ve got that off my chest, lets talk about what this movie is all about. We follow a rowdy gang of homosexual heroes that seem to serve as protectors of this absurdist version of Australia. The gang beats up gay-bashers and helps to protect the leader’s mother’s GILF filled bordello – did I mention that our hero’s name is Beau, but goes by the aptly titled moniker of “Cockslinger”? When one of these randy Grandmas steals the golden cock from his mother, they set out on a quest to recover the dick and save the day. This wacky road trip brings our heroes in contact with everything from Elvis Impersonators to crazed mutants and ends in one of the most ridiculous showdowns in Ozploitation history.
Its plain to see that I enjoyed this self aware indie film, but I do have to mention a few things that almost lost me. The first twenty minutes can be a little tough to endure. The introductions take a little long and can feel like a slog while we wait for the boys to set off on their adventure. Once on the road, the film sailed through its lean runtime and kept me laughing the whole time. The most impressive thing about this film is how it handles its modest budget. There is fantastic use of miniatures that helps establish new locations and help to set the tone of each new interaction. A lazier filmmaker would have just shot the damn thing in the woods (the international waters of low budget filmmaking) or just outside of the same two or three buildings. Each new place we visited, there were impressive sets and something distinct that never let the story blur into unrecognizable chaos.
The other star of this film is the writing. Say what you want, but comedy is tough to pull off without a budget. It is hard to make people laugh when you aren’t familiar with the actors and Fags really pulled it off. The humor is low brow and sleazy, but never felt cheap. Australia is known for creating some of the best exploitation films in cinematic history and Fags in the Fast Lane continues this tradition and does it in its own fantastic way.
Fags in the Fast Lane will be available on June 1st!
