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Robert J. Lee (left) and Michael D. Friedman star in Return of the Jackalope.
The mockumentary has virtually become a genre in and of itself. Made famous by films such as This is Spinal Tap and Zelig, it has also jumped genres with horrors films such as The Blair Witch Project and the thriller, with Series 7: The Contenders. So, this genre has a pretty rich history.
And to be honest, I’m kind of tired of it.
Mockumentaries get a little repetitive, because the concept has been so overdone in recent years, with nothing really new. That’s not to say that I don’t get entertained by them. Last week’s In Memorium was a refreshingly intriguing horror. And this week, Return of the Jackalope proved cleverly entertaining, as well. Sure, I might be getting worn down by this type of film, but it still manages to keep me watching.
Return of the Jackalope has echoes of the classic The Making of …. ‘And God Spoke’, one of the most brilliant comedic mockumentaries ever made. In Jackalope, Richard McCovey Jr. (Michael D. Friedman, who also co-wrote/co-directed the film) takes over the rights to the infamous horror flick, “Curse of the Jackalope”, from his father who spent Richard’s college fund to buy the film. “Jackalope” is infamous for being the lowest-grossing film of all time, earning a measly $17. He then sets out, to comedic effect, to reunite the film’s cast and crew in order to market the film at a special 10th anniversary screening.
The humor here is sometimes bizarre, sometimes hilarious. Friedman is perfect as McCovey, whose southern drawl and sunglasses guide us through the story as he makes a documentary about reuniting the cast. From literally prying the film from his father’s cold, dead hands, to dealing with gangsters in order to raise the money needed to rent a movie theater, he’s the perfect protagonist to carry us through the film. Return of the Jackalope also brilliantly mixes in commentary from real celebrities such as Star Trek: Voyager’s Garrett Wang (a.k.a., Ensign Harry Kim) and Ernie Hudson (Winston from Ghostbusters), along with others from both movies, television and the comic book industry, who comment on the fictional “Curse of the Jackalope” and its makers. These moments elevate Jackalope into a finely crafted mockumentary with the right amount of realism mixed with absurd fictional incidents.
Where Jackalope does suffer is being a little too long, and perhaps a little unfocused. The film supposedly charts McCovey’s attempts to locate the different stars from “Curse of the Jackalope”, but skips around a lot and inserts one too many clips from the “Curse” film. As a result, the mockumentary seems occasionally adrift. When it is on point, however, Return of the Jackalope is a terrific satire.
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