Feeling curious one fine day during her youth at college, Amy does something she’ll end up regretting for the rest of her life. It’s hard to conjure up a review without describing this heinous sexual act in full detail because it’s a secret that plays an integral role throughout the film. Bob(cat) Goldthwait returns to the feature-length director’s chair for the first time since 1992’s epic masterpiece of clown versus rodeo clown, “Shakes the Clown.”
Amy (Melinda Page Hamilton) finally found herself a good man whom she’ll do anything for to be with. It’s the first man she’s ever really loved so she makes the choice to be brutally honest with him. To be this straight with him means she’ll have to tell him about that one lonely night in college. But this guy also has his secrets (he confesses that one time in camp, he played “shoot the cookie” and lost…) only Amy’s is far worse.
Before she decides to drop this nugget of information, she decides to take him home to meet her quirky parents and drug addict brother. Her mother, a religious fanatic, tells Amy that sometimes it’s okay to keep stuff away from your husband. While she absorbs the information, the thought still lingers in her mind.
So she finally breaks down and tells him while not realizing her brother is in the same room. Then the film becomes a sort of “Meet the Parents” style comedy, only much more perverse and twisted.
If you’re familiar with Goldthwait’s comedic routines, you should know what to expect here. Although the film mostly relies one singular joke, there are enough witty situations throughout to keep the laughs coming. “Stay” mostly lacks cinematic vision, as the direction utilizes similar set-ups found in any primetime sitcom, which discourages any room for comment.
With that said, however, “Stay” is a nice little film that marks a big step-up for Bob Goldthwait. It may not be the best looking movie ever made but he has learned how to extract some decent performances out his actors (especially since some of the material is so oddly disgusting).
