Cinemavenger

   The funniest, nastiest movie reviews anywhere.

Addicted to Fresno

Two full years and counting into the Rona Zone, things are starting to get weird. Ok, maybe not "starting." Movie studios still aren't sending ol' Cinemavenger free screeners, and you should all start an email campaign to right that terrible injustice. Theaters are still off limits because fuck getting Covid, especially during this movie tire fire time of year when the only place you'll find more shitty flicks than a movie theater is on a streaming service.

Speaking of which, I just jammed out to a free trial of Paramount+, and the funniest thing about it was that it took less than a week to run out of movies worth watching. I did stumble across an indie flick I'd never heard of before, Addicted to Fresno, and it reminded me of two things. First, Judy "No Fear" Greer is one fucking amazing actress. Second, indie movies may miss as much as they hit, but the world needs them lest every film become a Marvel - or worse, DC - jawn.

You would almost certainly recognize Greer, or at least her voice. She's been getting work on the reg since the late 90s and has appeared in big budget fare, including some of the aforementioned Marvel movies, lots of arthouse stuff, and a slew of TV shows. She voices one of my favorite characters on Archer, the crazy and crazy rich Cheryl/Carol/Cherlene/Cristal/Carina Tunt. And she's one of the funniest and prettiest women you'll find on any size screen.

In Addicted to Fresno Greer plays Shannon, a sex addict forced to live with her marginally more functional sister, Martha (Natasha "Romanoff" Lyonne). Lyonne is another outstanding actress who you'd also recognize even if you're not sure from where. The "poster" for the flick also features Aubrey "Toll" Plaza, but don't let that fool you. Plaza, like Ron "Office Space" Livingston and Molly "SNL" Shannon, is only in a handful of scenes. 

Despite the title, Fresno takes it on the chin . . . and in the mouth . . . and up the ass as character after character bags on the city. The movie suffers from the usual indie ailments (scattered plot, pacing issues, etc.), and all the characters are standard issue indie quirky. But as fucked up as Shannon is, you can't help but root for her, and that's all the ol' Greer magic.

February 25, 2022