A group of middle-aged strippers take a particular gig in the hopes of saving their troupe and maybe making enough money to remain in the business. The client for this gig has a particular need for them.
Written and directed by Marc Coleman, Members Club starts off mostly awkward and a little funny, then things go into high gear once the main group get to their potential last gig and it becomes possibly the most hilarious film of the year. Yes, it takes a specific type of sense of humor for this film, but if the trailer makes it look like it could be your type of film, it more than likely will have you in stitches. The writing here is, as mentioned, awkward at first, but that is the point. The awkwardness here is something that is part of the story, the characters, and the whole film really. This is one of those films that has uncomfortable moments which the viewer doesn’t know if they should laugh or worry at first, then things get more and more off, and it all becomes just right. Yes, the most off way of telling this kind of story is the right way here. This is one of those films that allows you to mostly turn off your brain and just laugh while also having some horror elements.
The cast here is what some would like to call brave for putting themselves out there, but really they seem to be a bunch of fun lads willing to go the extra mile for a laugh from their audience. There is a bit of a touching sub-story here which allows these men, one in particular, to get in touch with their emotions and bring the film up a notch from plain horror comedy to a horror comedy with heart. The performances here are solid and hilarious, these guys have great sense of timing, and they are more than willing to just go with the flow which really brings the viewer in before things go south for their characters and their humor changes along with the story. This one of those ensemble casts type of films where everyone has to work just right to keep the mood up and fun. Dean Kilbey as Alan is particularly funny and his character is the one that gets that lovely emotional arc, giving him a bit more meat to his character which he makes the most out of. Jade Johnson as Trish steals more than a few scenes and Peter Andre randomly shows up and somehow it makes sense. Any 1990s teen girl with an interest in pop music at the time will likely be quite entertained here (and those who have followed his reality tv career of course).
Technically speaking, the film looks great, the cinematography works well and makes great use of the lighting here allowing the dark scenes to be more than watchable. The main point here is the special effects which are great. The *redacted to avoid spoilers* looks fantastic and pumps up the insanity the second they show up on the screen. The work here is clearly mostly practical effects, and these practical effects are on point.
Members Club is a hilarious horror comedy with that special British brand of humor that some will adore, and others will hate. It’s fun, it’s well acted, well shot, and the special effects are on point. It’s also one of those movies that goes by very fast and keeps you connected and involved to make this a truly fun ride.