1990s Controversial Infamous Flop Is Now Part Of Criterion
In a shocking turn of events, the highly coveted distribution company The Criterion Collection has announced plans to add the 2001 flop Freddy Got Fingered to its expansive library of cinema classics. The film, which served as a comedic vehicle for comedian Tom Green, was panned by critics, shunned by audiences, and a commercial failure. Despite the film’s poor reception and common frontrunner for the title of ‘worst movie of all time,’ Freddy Got Fingered has become something of a cult classic in recent years, with the rise of absurdist comedy in modern trends.
Tom Green Was Popular At The Time
Tom Green wrote, directed, and starred in Freddy Got Fingered after the success of his off-the-wall television venture The Tom Green Show. The series would see Tom Green taking to the streets to do things like throw plastic baby dolls at passing cars, flash his bare butt at random pedestrians, and attempt to interview strangers while using an adult toy in place of a microphone. In many ways, the show served as a precursor to modern shock-humor programs like The Eric Andre Show, Loiter Squad, and Billy on the Street.
Freddy Got Fingered Brought Tom Green To Theaters
The same influence can not be said of Freddy Got Fingered, which ironically seems to have no fingerprints on any modern cinematic outing. Still, the film has gone down as one of the most fun ‘so bad it’s good’ watches, in the same vein as Tommy Wiseau’s The Room. Despite the cult following the movie has inspired, it’s still shocking to see a distributor like The Criterion Collection taking on the task of rereleasing the film, especially after the financial failures it suffered upon its initial release over 20 years ago.
It Would Not Be Made Today
Freddy Got Fingered follows a middle-aged slacker named Gord with lofty dreams of being a successful cartoonist. After failing numerous times to get a job and move out of his parent’s home, his father begins to berate him verbally for his carefree lifestyle. In retaliation to his father’s rude words, Gord publicly accuses his father of abusing his younger brother, Freddy, by means that you can surely surmise from the film’s title.
Absurdist Humor From Start To Finish
In the movie, these unfounded claims are immediately believed by everyone who hears them and played for laughs, as Gord’s adult brother is sent to a home for abused children. Obviously, a great deal of the humor present in Freddy Got Fingered would appall modern audiences just as much, if not more so, than when the film was initially released. Still, there is a great mix of juvenile humor throughout the movie which may appeal to the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it attention span of many TikTok users.
The Criterion Collection
For those of you who have never seen Freddy Got Fingered, or those due for a rewatch, the film is slated to join The Criterion Collection next month. Just be sure to invite over a few of your film-snob friends before throwing the film on so they can clutch their pearls at the demise of art as we know it.
