The Ultimate Ultimate (2012) – Review

Where to watch The Ultimate Ultimate

4 Stars

What’s a guy to do after his girlfriend dumps him and he’s forced to take a sabbatical from his job? Take a trip to Deer Beach of course. At least that’s what Frank convinces his best friend Joe to do. Apparently there’s a yearly orgy of deers at the beach, hence the name. In the vein of Clerks, the downtime is the story here. The guys never get far from their hotel room, and yet they find a strange adventure in their companionship. A vulgar mix of witty dialogue peppered with movie references makes The Ultimate Ultimate an incredibly enjoyable laugh riot.

Joe’s one part Steve Stifler, one part Randal Graves and all douche-bag. Frank’s a dumber version of Joe. Together these guys are a couple of assholes, but we love them anyway. We love them because they make us laugh. Just as all Hollywood good guy douche-bag characters, we relate to their hateful rhetoric and disdain for everything around them, because what they really want is the exact opposite of their complaints. The Ultimate Ultimate smartly plays off this idea and turns it on its ear by the end of the flick.

Joe Benarick and Frank Aguirre (the actors who portray the characters Joe and Frank) have a great repertoire that seems to extend beyond the screen. I’ve already made the Clerks reference a few times, but this amateur film owes a lot to the directorial debut of Kevin Smith. Smith proved that being funny and creating characters that people can relate to are far more important than image quality and professional grade film tricks. Benarick, who wrote, directed, starred in and edited The Ultimate Ultimate, follows in Smith’s footsteps to great effect. It’s clear that this film got made because these guys love movies. These characters don’t go for more than a few lines without mentioning or reenacting a scene from some flick.

With all its flaws I still gave The Ultimate Ultimate a perfect four star rating. That’s because while it’s technically and horribly imperfect, it’s very entertaining and often laugh out loud hilarious. After the first viewing I couldn’t get Benarick’s Joe out of my mind, and after several repeat viewings I’m confident in saying this guy will be a star one day. The talent is evident, and once the production value catches up more people will agree.

The Ultimate Ultimate is a dirty gem I recommend to any vulgar comedy fan, bonus if you like movie references. This has quickly become a favorite for me and I’d be more than willing to return to these characters and this world in a better retooled version, just as Smith made a return to the world of Clerks. This is the type of movie only certain people will “get”, and it’s great to trot out with a couple of beers when that company is over.

Director: Joe Benarick
Stars: Joe Benarick, Frank Aguirre