Rats! is a bizarre coming-of-age comedy/crime film from director-screenwriter duo, Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky. In 2007, gonzo occurrences are happening in Fresno, Texas. The FBI is on the search for a killer, who leaves disembodied hands from his victims across this small town. Agents Nelvin (Reynolds Washam) and Clark (Heath Allyn) investigate the crimes from their surveillance-equipped vehicle. Raphael Pinsky (Luke Wilcox), an emo community college student, is arrested for tagging by a deranged cop, Officer Williams (Danielle Evon Ploeger). Instead of jail time, he is assigned community service where he meets Bernadette (Khali Sykes), who yearns to leave Fresno and move to her uncle’s farm in Iowa.
Williams coaxes Raphael’s distraught mother into sending him on a sting operation. She believes his cousin, Mateo (Darius Autry), is running a narcotics operation and has ties to Al Qaeda. A buxom reporter, Shay Burrata (Ariel Ash), is also investigating the strange criminal activity in Fresno, and this is her desperate ploy to be on Channel 7 news. While Mateo is a suspect, little does everyone realize that a good natured neighbor, Jeremy Pillows (John Ennis), is hiding a sinister plot.
“…gonzo occurrences are happening in Fresno, Texas…”
Carl Fry and Maxwell Nalevansky take the audience on a fever dream into the early 2000s. The film has the humor of Jennifer’s Body, raunchiness of White Chicks, and non-sequitur logic of Fred: The Movie. It bursts with the edgy energy of a Hot Topic store and punk attitude of alternative rock. The chaotic vibes of Fry and Nalevansky’s film are enhanced through gnarly effects by Robert Kern III. Alison Moses does an excellent job curating a great alternative rock score, which is super nostalgic and takes me back to the days of listening to KROQ in my parents’ car. Dakota Millett’s art direction and Carmen Hilbert’s cinematography brings a grungy-neon flavor of this decade to life!
The cast bring their A-game to this zany and grotesque storyline. Danielle Evon Ploeger dives into her role with her psychotic performance as Officer Williams. Fry and Nalevansky have a future indie classic ready for today’s audience craving originality, and the duo’s screenplay is filled to the brim with wild visuals. I just love the film’s edgy spirit and its embrace of early 2000s pop culture. Rats! is a delirious thrill ride with a perfect mix of absurd comedy and WTF moments.
"…a delirious thrill ride with a perfect mix of absurd comedy and WTF moments."
