Relaxer (film)

Relaxer is a 2018 American comedy film written and directed by Joel Potrykus.[1][2] It stars Joshua Burge, David Dastmalchian, Andre Hyland, Amari Cheatom, and Adina Howard.[3] Set in 1999, it tells the story of a man playing Pac-Man in a living room.[4] The film premiered at the South by Southwest on March 9, 2018.[5] At the 2018 Fantasia International Film Festival, Joshua Burge won the Best Actor award for his work in the film.[6][7] It was released in the United States on March 22, 2019.[8]

Relaxer
Directed byJoel Potrykus
Written byJoel Potrykus
Produced byAshley Young
Starring
CinematographyAdam J. Minnick
Edited byJoel Potrykus
Music byAlan Palomo
Production
companies
Distributed byOscilloscope Laboratories
Release date
  • March 9, 2018 (2018-03-09) (SXSW)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

In 1999, Cam (David Dastmalchian) gives his younger brother Abbie (Joshua Burge) an ultimate challenge. Abbie is not allowed to leave the couch until he goes beyond the level 256 of Pac-Man.

Cast

Production

The film was shot in the garage of a house owned by production designer Mike Saunders' parents.[4] It took four months to build the set.[4] The film's premise was inspired by Luis Buñuel's The Exterminating Angel.[4]

Release

The film had its premiere at the South by Southwest on March 9, 2018.[5] It was also screened at the Fantasia International Film Festival,[9] the Traverse City Film Festival,[10] and the Vancouver International Film Festival.[11] It was released in the United States on March 22, 2019.[12]

Reception

As of October 2021, the film holds a 68% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 34 reviews with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Relaxer is bound to strike many viewers as unpleasant, but this thoroughly unique comedy will strike a chord with fans of defiantly unsettling cinema."[13] At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[14]

Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a grade of A, describing it as "a grotesque downward spiral, both hilarious and mesmerizing, but above all elevated by its insights into the depraved final gasp of the analog age."[15] Calum Marsh of The Village Voice stated that the film is "funnier, nastier, and more abrasive" than Joel Potrykus' 2014 film Buzzard.[16] Nick Allen of RogerEbert.com said, "through its precise filmmaking and whirlwind script about one loser who never gets off the couch, it's a magnetic, five-senses experience for slacker cinema."[9] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter said, "the claustrophobic, one-set film clearly invites metaphorical readings — but its allegories will play best to viewers who can stomach the idea of spending eternity on a couch playing Nintendo."[17] Carson Lund of Slant Magazine gave the film 3.5 stars out of 4, calling it "a showcase for [Joshua] Burge and his exceptional features, from his beady eyes to slender frame."[18]

Joshua Burge won the Best Actor award at the 2018 Fantasia International Film Festival.[6][7]

References
  1. "Summer Movies 2018: Here's What's Coming Soon to Theaters". The New York Times. May 4, 2018. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  2. "Relaxer". Sydney Underground Film Festival 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  3. Thiessen, Brock (February 7, 2018). "Neon Indian Returns to Contribute Music to New Film 'Relaxer'". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on October 15, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  4. Kohn, Eric (June 27, 2018). "Joel Potrykus Passed on Directing a Sequel to 'Project X' to Make a Wacky Y2K Movie in a Garage". IndieWire. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  5. "Relaxer". South by Southwest. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  6. "Fantasia 2018 Announces Award Winners!". Fantasia International Film Festival. July 24, 2018. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  7. Sherman, Jenn (July 24, 2018). "'Dans La Brume', 'Cam' among award winners at Fantasia 2018". Screen International. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  8. Crust, Kevin; Cooper, Matthew (January 11, 2019). "Winter movie preview: 'Captain Marvel,' 'Miss Bala,' 'Dumbo' and nearly 200 more new releases". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  9. Allen, Nick (July 18, 2018). "Fantasia 2018: Relaxer, Mega Time Squad, Room Laundering". RogerEbert.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  10. Sharf, Zack (June 29, 2018). "Traverse City Film Festival 2018 Lineup: Michael Moore Brings 'RBG,' 'Support the Girls,' and More to Michigan". IndieWire. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  11. Mack, Adrian (September 29, 2018). "Mangoshake, Pac-Man, and the glorious weirdos of VIFF". The Georgia Straight. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  12. Colburn, Randall (March 8, 2019). "A Pac-Man marathon devolves into an existential hell in the Relaxer trailer". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  13. "Relaxer". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  14. "Relaxer". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  15. Kohn, Eric (March 9, 2018). "Milk Vomit and 'Pac Man': Joel Potrykus' 'Relaxer' Is a Masterpiece of Depraved '90s Nostalgia — SXSW 2018 Review". IndieWire. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  16. Marsh, Calum (June 18, 2018). "BAMcinemaFest Asserts Itself — Once Again — as a Wellspring of Risk and Discovery". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  17. DeFore, John (March 9, 2018). "'Relaxer': Film Review | SXSW 2018". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
  18. Lund, Carson (June 28, 2018). "Relaxer". Slant Magazine. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
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