‘Rats!’ Review: Absurdist Suburban Nightmare Suggests Comic Surrealism Is Also Bigger in Texas
variety.comDennis Harvey Film Critic The same appealingly anarchic, punk-scented strain of indie comedy that made cult favorites of “Repo Man” and the more recent “Dinner in America” also marks territory for “Rats!” Maxwell Nalevansky and Carl Fry’s debut feature is a sustained goof whose nonsensical progress scores higher for energy and attitude than wit, let alone substance.
Truth to tell, the humor here is frequently at a pretty crass level that might induce mere eye-rolls if less deftly handled.
But the writer-director duo lend it all a certain deadpan panache that’s diverting even when the material is less than inspired.
At its best, often spiked by gleefully gratuitous gore, this very tall Texas tale trades in a kind of snarky absurdism likely to leave suitably jaded viewers in stitches.
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