Title: Hell Baby
Directed by: Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon
Starring: Rob Corddry, Leslie Bibb, Keegan-Michael Key, Robert Ben Garant, Thomas Lennon, Rob Huebel, Riki Lindhome, David Wain, Michael Ian Black, Kumail Nanjiani
Running time: 98 min, Unrated, Available on DVD and VOD
Special Features: Gag Reel & Deleted Scenes
Jack (Rob Corddry) and Vanessa (Leslie Bibb) just moved into a new-old home in New Orleans and are expecting twins. F’resnel (Keegan-Michael Key) their overly friendly neighbor tells them that they just moved into what the locals call “Maison du Sang” (House of Blood). Jack soon begins to notice some weird happenings in the home as well as some drastic changes in Vanessa’s behavior including drinking wine by the barrel and smoking. Two inept cops with a penchant for creative name calling (Rob Hubel Paul Scheer), harrass Jack when Vanessa’s therapist dies horribly and an obese elderly woman constantly goes missing and turns up randomly around their house. Vanessa’s naturalist sister Marjorie (Garfunkel & Oates’ Riki Lindhome – kudos for going full frontal) comes to the rescue to attempt to cleanse the house for the baby’s arrival when things take a turn for the weirder. Then two Vatican dispatched priests (Robert Ben Garant & Thomas Lennon) show up for the exorcism of their careers to dispel the evil within the house and the unborn.
I’ve been a fan of The State ever since it was originally aired on MTV which I had recorded nearly every episode on VHS and watched over and over until the tape almost wore out. Reno 911 was great too, but didn’t have the edginess I fell in love with. Hell Baby with Lennon & Garant at the helm did not disappoint me. Sure the majority of the film is pointless and tends to run on tangents but that’s the beauty and genius of it. The cable guy (Kumail Nanjiani) sitting in a circle getting high with Marjorie, F’resnel and Jack and then attempting to drive was one of the best scenes in the film because they just let the visual joke run wild for what seemed like an insane amount of time, but it kept me laughing. The best line in the film is Corddry yelling “I’m so sick of getting startled!” which I wanted to tweet, but was afraid I’d miss something while typing.
The DVD boasts 40 minutes of extras and you get your money’s worth. The deleted scenes are plentiful (10) and the gag reel goes on for over 5 minutes. The one extra I didn’t care for was the 8 minute long Raw Dog Comedy bit where Lennon & Garant are chain smoking in the car while listening to the comedy station. Lennon’s French inhaling was impressive though.
Hell Baby is one of those films where you either get it or you don’t. I found it hysterical and would recommend it to anyone, regardless if they don’t like the genre or not. If they hate it, f— their opinion for not knowing what’s funny.
Total Rating: A
Reviewed by: JM Willis
