Writer-director Jason Park firmly enters comedy with the male stripper story Rhino King. James (Brandon Dunlap) is in a rough spot in his life. His marriage to Sarah (Brooke Ray) is crumbling as he’s an unemployed house husband, while her career is on the up and up thanks to a promotion. Making matters worse is the fact that Sarah is having an affair with her boss, Michael (Min Keon Kim). But thanks to prodding from his eccentric yet wealthy best friend, Jeff (Park), James is hired as a male stripper. He quickly finds success thanks to his impressive physique but cannot tell his estranged wife about his newfound high-paying gig.
The film has its charms, to be certain, and those will be addressed shortly, but unfortunately, there are a few flaws that need to be discussed. The first problem is Ray as Sarah. She’s not very convincing when she’s berating James for just sitting on the couch all day. Her chemistry with both Dunlap and Kim is so-so, at best. But this might not be the actor’s fault, as her performance might be a victim of the terrible ADR. For the entire 80-minute runtime, the lip movements are delayed by a few fractions of a second for all the characters speaking. While that isn’t a long time, it is enough to be distracting. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, Sarah is the character this affects the most often.
“…James is hired as a male stripper…but cannot tell his estranged wife…”
But if one can overlook those flaws, then Rhino King is an affable time. For starters, Dunlap is likable yet easily believable as a loser. Kim seems genuine and enticing. But it is Park who is the break out here. He’s hilarious and charming. From his goofy dancing to his chemistry with Dunlap and his romantic side with the soon-to-be missus, the man was born to be on the screen. Plus, between this and Pizza Boy Rick, he’s proven to have quite the range.
Story-wise, the rivalry between James, whose stage name is Rhino King, and “house favorite” Derek (Christopher Deon) is tons of fun. The drama revolving around James and Sarah’s crumbling marriage becomes quite engaging after the affair comes to light. Jeff’s b-plot with his significant other is cute enough to be a film unto itself.
Rhino King is a charming, though flawed, affair. The poor dialogue sync is distracting and possibly hinders Ray’s performance; otherwise, she’s miscast in an otherwise well-acted film. But the story is interesting and funny, and Dunlap gets to show off his rippling muscles. However, the real star is Park, who finds the right balance between drama and comedy. More importantly, though, as an actor, the man is a comet of energy just ready to burst onto screens.
"…hilarious and charming...the man was born to be on the screen."
