Movie Review: Knuckle Draggers

If you are looking for a movie with male bonding that doesn’t resort to crude humor, but rather opens up some real dialogue about love and the differences between the sexes, then see “Knuckle Draggers.”

Knuckle Draggers examines the trials and tribulations of several relationships. You’ll see the married couple who doesn’t have enough sex, the guy who takes his smart and pretty girlfriend for granted, the guy who is in love with the girl who doesn’t love him anymore, and the guy who is single, but claims to have the differences between men and women figured out.

The central drama revolves around Ethan (Ross McCall) and his breakup with Heather (Jennifer Alden). The audience is immediately let in on the main problem of their relationship; she wants the big house with the white picket fence, but Ethan can’t even provide his half of the rent for their apartment. Ethan comes home one day to discover that Heather has left him and taken all of her belongings, which leaves their apartment empty. Ethan isn’t alone though because his older brother, Kyle (Paul J. Alessi) happens to be visiting.

Ethan and Kyle are the odd couple. Ethan is sensitive and caring – the modern man. Kyle’s views of men and women are derived from various caveman theories. In some bizarre way, Kyle’s philosophies about life and love seem to have some twisted underlying truth. It might seem as though Kyle has it all figured out, but it is clear that his almost-angry view about love is coming from a place of hurt and that maybe he also has a thing or two to learn about love. Kyle’s teachings about love also provide a great source of humor for the film.

What I really appreciated about Knuckle Draggers is that it didn’t try to make one sex superior above the other. Women are not the all-knowing sensitive beings. Men are not actually knuckle-dragging morons, immune to emotion of any kind. The movie uses the stereotypes about the rules of love and twists and turns them in the most clever ways.

What I didn’t expect from Knuckle Draggers is how smart the movie is. The dialogue moves smoothly throughout the movie allowing the audience to remain fully engaged in the action. It was so refreshing to watch a movie about relationships with characters that weren’t static.

Just as in real life, everyone has a lesson to learn about love and Knuckle Draggers gives men and women both something to think about and discuss.

Genre: Comedy

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Trailer

Movie Website: KnuckleDraggersMovie.com

Actors/Actresses: Ross McCall, Paul J. Alessi, Amie Barsky, Danielle Nicolet, Justin Baldoni, Jennifer Alden, Omar Gooding

Our Verdict:

“Knuckle Draggers” tells an intelligent story about love using some of the oldest philosophies about the subject. Men and women will both enjoy this movie – and have plenty to discuss afterward.