Holy Hell, I’m not lying when I say that E.T. & O.J. made me laugh out loud for almost the entirety of its three-minute-and-twenty-one second running time. Alec Castillo, who is currently listed on IMDb as an intern for the Adult Swim TV movie Harvey Birdman: Attorney General is the mind behind this short trip into the darkest side of comedy. He’s also created another short video for YouTube called Wiz Kid that is worth checking out as well.
It makes sense that Castillo came from an Adult Swim background when you watch E.T. & O.J. The subversive nature of a lovable pop culture icon teamed with a once-loved, now-hated sports star-turned-murder-suspect is prime Adult Swim material. The early Simpsons meets “Pepe the Frog” style animation of E.T. & O.J. makes the whole experience even more hilarious and creepy.
“…it is the evil portrayal of Elliot’s best bud, E.T. that really makes this short film special…”
E.T. & O.J. is about beloved Steven Spielberg alien, E.T. hanging out with Naked Gun co-star and suspected murderer Orenthal James Simpson. Simpson is portrayed similarly to how he was in Ryan Murphy’s first foray into American Crime Story by Cuba Gooding Jr. Which is helpless and most importantly, clueless. As O.J. said in that show, and in real life “I’m not black, I’m O.J.,” in E.T. & O.J., he says “They’ll trust me, I’m O.J.” Yeah, right, dude.
While O.J.’s likeness and behavior is a little bit par for the course, it is the evil portrayal of Elliot’s best bud, E.T. that really makes this short film special, and maybe a little horrifying to the more sensitive among us. Damien from The Omen or David from Alien: Covenant come to mind.
I highly suggest you watch E.T. & O.J. on YouTube if you’ve been on board for the evolution of animated entertainment for adults. It’s smart and weird and certainly very unexpected. I’m looking forward to seeing what else Castillo can do. If this short film is any indication, there’s probably much more dark comedy in store.
E.T. & O.J. (2018) Written and directed by Alec Castillo. Starring Jeremy Berges.
8 out of 10 White Broncos
