Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008)

August 19, 2018

Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman

Written by: Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich

Starring: Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head, Alexa PenaVega

Budget: $8,500,000

Quote: "I'm the monster. I'm the villain. What perfection. What precision! Keen incisions, I deliver. Unscathed organs, I deliver. Repossession, I deliver. I'm the Repo! Legal assassin!"

Trivia: Rotti was originally supposed to cough up blood onto his handkerchief after Amber reveals her botched surgery face to him, but actor Paul Sorvino refused to cough up blood. As a result, the handkerchief remains clean during the scene.



I read a few of the critic's reviews for this film and they are pretty brutal:

• "The film is bad -- not good-bad, tacky-bad or fun-bad, just plain awful and nearly unwatchable. - Mark Olson, Los Angeles Times
• "The Genetic Opera is weak on a couple of things a musical needs: music and lyrics." - Kyle Smith, New York Post
• "The grim finality of the ensuing pietà suggests the last act of Hamlet or, rather, Hamlet 2--so embarrassing that, for the first time, I wanted to avert my eyes from the screen, although that might have also been because Repo! appears to have been shot with a cell phone." - J Hoberman, Village Voice
• "Misery is enduring this Rocky Horror Paris Show." - Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Luckily I didn't find any of this to be true. The film is bizarre: A horror musical about a dystopian future where organs can be repossessed for delinquent payments. But, there is something really endearing in its weirdness. Repo! simply does not give a crap whether you like it or not. It is loud, brash, campy, and damn fun. Admittedly, the film, by all rights, should probably never have been made. There was almost no way that it was ever going to recoup the $8.5 million budget that the film cost. Unfortunately not a big enough audience for this type of film. But I wish there was!

The film has an incredibly cast of actors: Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas and Romeo + Juliet), Paris Hilton (yes, THAT Paris Hilton... who despite winning a Razzie, I thought she did a fine job), Bill Moseley (House of 1000 Corpses, Devil's Rejects, and Chop Top from Texas Chainsaw Massacre II), and Anthony Head (Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show). There are numerous other less known actors (at least less known to me) who also do a great job in the film. There performances are a little exaggerated, but isn't the what draws people to musicals and theater? The grandiose of it all.

It's easy to draw parallels between this movie and The Rocky Horror Picture Show and there are some similarities in style but this film certainly carves out its own niche and stands well on its own. It has songs that are catchy. Most are goth/industrial influenced but there are also a few teen angst punk songs. Joan Jett even pops out of nowhere to play guitar on a teenage power pop song.

The film also has a fascinating plot with a social & political message. It is a Black Mirror look at the rising power of corporations, the stranglehold they have over democracy, and the increasing authority they have over our lives and bodies. Also, while I love The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Repo is an actual horror movie. I mean it is gory and disgusting. The mutilations and organ removals and excessive amounts of blood. Don't let the music fool you, this is a horror movie!

The movie is certainly not for everyone, but I loved every minute of it. The best horror musical since Cannibal! The Musical.