"They're wonderful and horrible at the same time": Q&A with movie mocker and Raspberry Brother Jerm Pollet

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"They're wonderful and horrible at the same time": Q&A with movie mocker and Raspberry Brother Jerm Pollet

POSTED: Friday, August 14, 2009, 3:46 PM

Filed Under: Interview | Movies

MOCK-UPS: The Raspberry Brothers,
including Jerm Pollet (left)

The Raspberry Brothers concept is simple: Take familiar films that are worthy of ridicule and riff off them in a way that plays upon the collective memory. Jerm Pollet, along with his fellow Raspberry Brothers (a group of talented comics and comedy writers that includes Penn alum Johnny McNulty), is in from NYC tonight to serve up two noteworthy '80s films ' Footloose and The Karate Kid ' for mockery. When they play the 941 Theater tonight, all you need to do is sit back and drink while they sit up front with microphones in hand.

CP: What's the history of your show?
JP: I was doing it since 2000 at The Alamo Draft House ' a great atmosphere for our show; they serve a lot of beer. Very fun place. So for about seven years in Austin and in the last year in New York City at Chelsea Cinemas. Just as we did in Texas, we're starting to expand slowly while checking out other cities.

CP: Speaking of bad movies, I recall an evil black puppet movie I reviewed. Definitely funny at times, but it left me feeling robbed of an hour and a half of my life.
JP: That's where we come in. We're sort of like The Avengers. You can't take those minutes away. We take them back.

CP: Mystery Science Theater 3000 did a lot cheesy sci-fi and lousy serials from way back, while you guys take on more contemporary films.
JP: The nice thing is we're not restricted by copyright law since we're doing it live. Hell, I'm sure the producers of some of these films are happy we're paying the screening rights. Doing newer movies [including Snakes On A Plane], it's great to take some of the Hollywood egos down a notch. Anything that takes itself too seriously is fair game.

CP: So perhaps a send up of Michael Bay's explosion plot arcing/shitting on everyone's childhood is in order?
JP: Yea, not to mention this overuse of Megan Fox. There are these robot machines and then this girl's tits show up. Is she fucking the robots?! But I guess it's all about reverting back to your comfort zone. Regressing back into early childhood and beyond.

CP: What is it about '80s movies that you're going after through Footloose and The Karate Kid?
JP: There's a kind of naivet' or innocence about them. It's the fact that writers were getting away with such corniness. And both movies were big sellers in the same year, with '84 being the 'doomed' year. George Orwell come to life. Something about that time, that idea, and writers doing the same thing.

CP: But this is Karate Kid we're talking about. 'Sweep the leg!'
JP: It's not like I want to insult someone, in a way I applaud their attempts. They're wonderful and horrible at the same time. Do you remember the famous scene where Mr. Miyagi catches the fly? You can see the string connected to it. Why didn't they try harder? Sure, no CGI back then, but there wasn't clear string or a way to mask it? And Pat Morita is a great actor, but his accent slips into this horribly racist[laughs] thing that you can't ignore.

CP: But with CGI we get films like Transformers or that awful remake of Beowulf.
JP: [pauses] It is candy isn't it, but in a way, if you think about, it's that reversion again. Think of how big Megan Fox's or Angelina Jolie's tits are when we're in the theater- we're all suckling.

CP: Well done[laughs]. Didn't notice the string you mentioned in Karate Kid. Anything else you guys caught?
JP: Yea, you see the same extras walking by in both directions and you're forced to yell at the screen. [Aside] Keep in mind we watch these movies 10-15 times while preparing.
These movies were also made at a time when product placement was wholly new, with both of them being sponsored by Coca-Cola. We'll notice a Coke can being slammed down on a table right in front of the camera, but it wasn't readily picked up back then. Nikes are everywhere in Karate Kid, along with Volkswagens. Every car in the movie is made by VW. The films are sloppy but also kind of loveable. You feel kind of like a big brother helping the little guy out.

CP: What about Footloose then?
JP: The morals, in both films actually, are very heavy handed: new kid comes to town and he doesn't fit in, he gets picked on, and he flips the town on its head. Both movies are your feet helping you save the day. Kevin Bacon uses his dancing to overcome his anger while Daniel-san uses his kicking to express himself, with both films dealing with [the absence of] father figures. Mr. Miyagi is Daniel's surrogate father; there is no father figure in Footloose. And then they both get the girl. They fit in finally, but the real answer is get the girl. Go to the boobies. [pauses] I swear there are some good fart jokes in there as well; it's not all Freudian analysis. And besides, you're not gonna see much boobs in either movie. . I mean, Elizabeth Shue [in Karate Kid] fills a sweater, but I guess I shouldn't say that since she was 15 at the time'
CP: It's cool.
JP: Awesome, thanks.

CP: How have audiences responded and has anything changed since moving the show east?
JP: We made a lot of jokes about Republicans in Austin that didn't go well, but went well in NYC. The show has definitely gotten better since coming to NYC. It's the people, their sophistication, and the wealth of theater in the city. It made us come up with better jokes, to get more into the psychology of the moment and the films themselves. And the comedians are really good. I went to the Upright Citizens Brigade ' a well established troupe ' and did some scouting on numerous occasions.

CP: Do you ever have problems with the crowd? Any heckling?
JP: Generally people aren't heckling us. At times they're going after the films just as we are, but we usually keep it under control by playing drinking games and through short crowd interaction bits.

CP: Drinking games, you say?
JP: Everytime someone says 'Ren'' DRINK! Everytime you see a VW in Karate Kid ' DRINK!

CP: And that's without dropping the aforementioned caveat to the audience about VWs being all over Karate Kid?
JP: Of course.

The Raspberry Brothers, Fri., Aug. 14, Double Feature, 9pm, The Karate Kid, 11:30pm, Footloose, $10 each, $15 for the Double Feature, 941 Theater, 941 N. Front, 215-235-5603, 941theater.com.

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