The violent rantings and ravings of legendary alcoholics Peter and Raymond have kept thousands of listeners amused for years and even went on to inspire a stage play called “Shut Up Little Man!” Now, after many have tried, a film version of these drunken outbursts has finally been made and the end result is…well…less than exciting.
The entire 74 minute running time of this film takes place in the squalid apartment of Raymond and Peter as, scene after scene, they berate one another with all of the cunning wit of a kindergartener who’s had one too many juice boxes. They spit their venomous rage back and forth at one another with very little else going on. For some, this is gonna be the longest 74 minutes they’ve ever endured.
The original recordings of the real Peter and Raymond, which were made by their neighbors for the purpose of evidence just in case these two drunks wound up killing one another or someone else, are highly entertaining as you simply can’t believe that two people can sound so hideous. The recordings are both funny, as the two babble drunken nonsense at one another, and a little disturbing as you wait for the sound of a skull getting cracked or a knife puncturing flesh. And even though the performances in this film are rabid enough to do Peter and Raymond justice, they’re still only that…performances. Peter and Raymond weren’t comic masterminds. They were just a couple of drunks who were completely insane and it’s fun to listen to them because they were real…this was no bullshit. Watching actors, on the other hand, slobber all over a shitty apartment and telling each other to “shut up” over and over and over and over and over and over and over…and over again kinda loses something.
The effort is appreciated, but I think maybe a film about the entire phenomenon surrounding Peter and Raymond would’ve been vastly more interesting – from the neighbors tape recording the brutal fights, to the recordings building a cult following across the world…etc. Simply reproducing the epic fights of Peter and Raymond in live-action movie form doesn’t completely cut it.
Some may find “Shut Yer Dirty Little Mouth!” amusing, most likely fans of the original recordings, while others may think to themselves – why the f**k are they watching this when they could’ve stayed home with the family, significant other, roommates, pets and put up with the same kind of bullshit…on a smaller scale of course, cuz Peter and Raymond are the kings of domestic abuse.
