I’m going to go on record now as saying that Troma and Lloyd Kaufman deserve a big-time documentary; something that gets at the roots and gives a full history. You know, like a historical record of greatness. This film, however, is not that documentary.
Billing itself as a “shlockumentary,” “King Kaufman: Passion of Lloyd” is arguably less the documentary Troma and Lloyd deserve, and more what you could expect if you gave a fan a camera and some facetime. Amateur at best, the doc has its heart in the right place, but the followthrough is less than impressive. Sure, you could argue that such a sentiment is perfectly in line with a documentary about Troma, and the DIY nature makes perfect sense and is not what I’m criticizng but… more could’ve, and should’ve be done here.
As I said, Troma and Lloyd deserve a big-time, expansive documentary. Troma’s success as an independent company, the careers it has fostered and pioneered… all of that needs to be explored more. While “King Kaufman” may mention Trey Parker and Matt Stone, for example, getting their Troma start with “Cannibal! The Musical,” it would’ve been great to then, I don’t know, actually talk to Trey and Matt and get their thoughts. Hearing James Gunn speak at length about Troma and Lloyd is entertaining and insightful, but he shouldn’t be the majority of the opinion expressed.
Again, this comes across as a fan project utilized simply as an excuse to hang around Lloyd. And, fine, I get and appreciate that, but it doesn’t progress much beyond said fandom. Simply, if you want to know more about Troma and Lloyd, you’d be better off reading Lloyd’s books and watching some Troma films then watching this.
