• Release year: 2025
• Director: Mark Hensley.
• Producers: Mark Hensley and Katy Mahard.
• Screenplay by: Mark DaPonte.
• Cinematography by: Mark Hensley.

Shotgun Commentary: hilarious, dark, and perfectly chaotic.

Review

Clown-N-Out in Valley Village is a bonkers film full of hilarious misunderstandings and incredibly entertaining characters. If you’re into the whole “web of narratives” vibe of films like Pulp Fiction (1994) or Snatch (2000), you will certainly enjoy this low-budget, high-quality feature.

The highlight

The story follows mainly two people: Elaine (Katy Mahard) and John (Joe Heck). The first is a suicidal, failed actress; and the second, a talentless party clown. They meet when the latter breaks into the former’s house with the intention of stealing from her, but their story will soon turn significantly more complex and amusingly dark. All the male characters in the story have the same goal, while the two women featured in it remain ignorant to their schemes, yet thrive nonetheless.

One of the most remarkable traits of this film is precisely that, especially for female audiences who happen to love action movies. As part of that particular section of the audience, yours truly can confirm first hand that this is, indeed, a 21st century action movie. A film where female characters are relatable, hilarious, and REAL, rather than damsels in distress or decorations without meaning.

Elaine is the key player in the narrative, and it shows. She is imperfect, contradictory and genuine. The kind of woman who could easily be your neighbour or friend, exceptional in her averageness. Like millions of people nowadays, she feels crushed by life, by a future she didn’t subscribe to and a succession of hopeless events that feel like kicks when you’re already down.

Leading cast

Mahard gives life to this tragic, fascinating woman with all her might. Despite the surreal situations that follow her character, Mahard delivers a contained performance, highlighting the most intense moments with accuracy and precision rather than bringing the whole thing over the top. Her work makes Elaine thoroughly likeable and easy to empathise with. After all, we’ve all had to figure life out at one point or another. Hell, some of us are in a perpetual quest to do so. So her experience, brushes with death aside, won’t be entirely foreign to anyone in the audience.

As for her counterpart, Heck, in the role of John, he embodies the character in a more carefree way. John isn’t a person to be taken seriously despite his struggle. He is more of a catalyst for the film to keep moving, and a funny sidekick that dances in the thin line that separates funny from deranged. Heck makes great use of facial expressions and gazes to support his performance, keeping it extra enough to be amusing but far away from getting annoying.

Final notes

The film has no big flaws to point out, merely a less than satisfactory sound edition. However, this minor defect is nothing when measured against the thrilling story. Especially once one takes into consideration the clear signs of care that show up throughout the film.

Sometimes, it is obvious that the filmmaker really does care about the story they are telling. This is one of those cases, and it comes through thanks to the details like Elaine’s justification for taking pills to kill herself when she had a perfectly functioning gun with her. The tiny speech she gives about it actually reflects real-life statistics, her justification being one that most women are hardwired to have due to growing up in the patriarchy. Small details like this bring this quirky action film to a new level of quality.

All in all, Clown-N-Out is the kind of film you’d recommend to anyone who loves action comedies and dark humour. It is straightforward, clever, and respectful of its audience’s time. A film made with love and consideration for everyone involved, from the creators to the spectators.

Clown-N-Out had its last appearance in The Valley Film Festival, but will be available on Amazon Prime Video in October!

Advice to take from this movie:

• Don’t take the easy way out, think of your haters and the satisfaction of messing with them just by breathing.
• Always have a good neighbour handy.
• Do you know where your nearest shovel is located? Find out. You never know.

What’s your take? Have you watched Clown-N-Out in Valley Village? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀