Bubbles and the Shitrockers get hired to tour Europe. Of course, in pure Trailer Park Boys style, things go really wrong.
Written by Mike Smith and directed by Charles Lightening, this new Trailer Park Boys film is not as great as expected. Perhaps putting any sort of expectation on this film was a mistake but given that the film is a Trailer Park Boys one, seeing more of the other boys besides Bubbles should not be too high of an expectation. As it is, the film here is about Bubbles with Ricky and Julian taking a backseat, staying behind for the majority of the film, coming in only when Bubbles calls them and calls on them which leads to the film not feeling as much as a Trailer Park Boys film as one might want. Yes, the film opens in the trailer park, and we get to see the residents, the shenanigans, and the nonsense, but soon Bubbles takes center stage and it’s all about him. Not a bad thing in general, but Ricky and Julian are missed when they are not a part of the story. The writing here is by the actor who plays Bubbles, and this is a Bubbles movie, for better or for not as great (it’s not the worst, so it’s not “or for worse”). The writing mostly feels like a Trailer Park Boys episode, but something is missing, and the big-name cameos don’t really feel like they fit super well while also not being bad.
The cast here brings in Mike Smith as Bubbles, Robb Wells as Ricky, Joh Paul Tremblay as Julian, and Patrick Roach as Randy, straight from the trailer park and ready to be their usual ridiculous selves. Of course, as mentioned before, half of them don’t get as much of a part of the story as many will want to see. Their performances here are good, they are playing characters they have been playing for so many years that they are almost second nature to the actors. These are the boys, and the boys are these guys. The rest of the cast is interesting, but those most folks will take notice of are Billy Bob Thornton as himself getting a lot of screen time, so he’s not a cameo here, but he plays a tour version of himself. Joining him but more as a cameo is blank blank (not going to spoil it here) who is very much the version of him that has been seen in interviews with a bit of cinematic flair.
With all this said, the film looks good with some great cinematography by Daniel Lightening (and team) that allows the viewer to feel like they are on the road with Bubbles and the Shitrockers, going through the joys, the pains, and the nonsense with them. The cinematography keeps in style with the series but with a cinematic flair. The look works for the story, it works for Bubbles, and it works for the film. There are also what looks like drone sequences which look really good here and do not overtake the film.
Overall, Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties feels more like a Trailer Park Boy than a Trailer Park Boys movie. Yes, the gang is all there (or just about) but it’s all about Bubbles which leads to losing that special balance between the boys, that special something when they are all involved in one or another. The film does bring them all in at the start and later in the film which does work, but something here doesn’t feel right. The film is entertaining, but that magic of the boys is not fully there unfortunately.