I really wanted to like this film, which is supposedly based on a “true rock and roll story.” Anything about an obnoxious British rocker named Claw (Jon Jacobs) and a singer fresh out of rehab (Michael Kastenbaum as Mic) teaming up so that they can write a hit while at a mountain retreat has got to have some merit. Throw in some gun-toting Christian
fundamentalists, and it can only get better. So why did this actually get worse as it progressed?
There isn’t much to complain about when it comes to the Claw character. He’s a cliche, but it works because that cliche is often very true. Sure, Claw is a parody of an out-of-control rockstar, which does become annoying after about a half hour, but the real problem is with Mic and the other characters.
Mic doesn’t have a personality. His character is empty, and it appears that either Kastenbaum has no acting talent or Kevin Hynes can’t write or direct. Since the film’s other characters are equally dull, blame should probably be placed with Hynes. He tries to make these people fit into a movie that obviously centers around Claw, but seems afraid to do so. And then there is the plot.
The story straddles the fence between drama and comedy, and is never really able to pull off either very well. Its “funny” moments lack any serious laughs, and its drama comes off as plain ridiculous. Perhaps Hynes was trying to make a film as manic as Claw. Maybe he got in over his head. Either way, the film fails on nearly all fronts and should be banished to the memory hole ASAP.
