DVD Review: Down and Out with the Dolls (B)

Down and Out with the Dolls (2001)
Directed by Kurt Voss
Starring: Zoë Poledouris, Kinnie Starr, Nicole Barrett, Melody Moore, Coyote Shivers and Lemmy Kilmister
MPAA: R
Grade: B

Review by Bobby Nashville

Looking at the DVD case for Down and Out with the Dolls I knew there would be no middle ground: I would either love or hate this wacky comedy about a girl punk rock group. I was right. Down and Out with the Dolls rules.

An all-girl rock band in Portland, The Paper Dolls try to keep their lives from derailing, as their careers start to take off. Kali, Lavender and Reggie recruit local star Fauna to be their lead singer, but the band spends more time fighting than playing. They are signed to a label, but their celebration party goes too far and they end up at each other's throats.

I know this doesn't really sound like a comedy, but it is, trust me. The gals are parodies of musicians in the vein of Spinal Tap and their naive enthusiasm for the music (Reggie at one point says "I just wanna rock!") is infectious. The icy on the cake is the casting of Motorhead's Lemmy as a bizarre guy that lives in the lead singer's closet. Nice touch.

Kurt Voss is best known as the co-writer of Allison Anders' indie film Things Behind The Sun and the director of the cheesy Poison Ivy sequel Poison Ivy: The New Seduction. Down & Out with the Dolls takes the angst of the Anders' film and blends in the cheese for a Spinal Tap style concoction. Again, this is a film that you will either love or hate. Give it a try if you are a fan of Allison Anders and Spinal Tap.

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