Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.
Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
amosduncan_2000 It may actually be a plus that the director takes no moral viewpoint about the material, but it is disturbing that no one really sees the ugly moral, if not legal, ramifications of the exploitation of the two drunks. Yes, it is difficult not to laugh at any colorful alcoholic, as comedians have alway known, and the recent suppression of such humor may only add the laughs we are indulging in when we hear these two. The pranksters, of course, went way past that and harassed them with prank calls, still, it could have been viewed as edgy, if caustic, humor. Those who went crazy for this stuff, however, are the type of people who kick a cripple, and watching the attempts to turn this fad into a big Hollywood payoff is car wreck time, you want to look away but you can't. It's funny that the identity of the big name comic who wanted to do the movie is protected, the two losers are granted no such compassion or dignity. Indeed, the director displays no real interest in them other than as push pin dolls for comic derision. Who were they, really, and how did they get to such a desperate state of life? To ask these questions might have spoiled the fun of deriding them.
Robert W. Shut Up Little Man is certainly not groundbreaking. I think in the hands of a more talented documentary maker they could have told something fascinating and parts of this are but its told in sort of a silly plodding way. However, the story itself is actually really fascinating. This was truly a story that, if encouraged by the internet, would have been viral in seconds. But this was years before the internet, before mass communication like emails and cell phones, and actually spread and became viral via the Sanfrancisco underground and audio tapes. Remarkably I had never heard of this story but it is kind of neat to watch and see everything unfold and the best part for me was seeing them trying to re-connect with the subject of this viral project. The project is of two alcoholic (and I think mentally deficient) neighbours who would become verbally abusive and scream horrendous and darkly funny things at each other. Even a film was made based on these two men which I had never heard of but hopefully will see at some point.Mitch Deprey and Eddie Lee Sausage are the two guys who started the viral sensation. Granted the entire beginnings of this is very juvenile but I feel like Mitch and Eddie were still, twenty plus years later, still sort of juvenile about it. The two men in the apartment, Raymond and Peter, have a very serious problem and yes listening to them is often funny, in the same way that if you heard your neighbours arguing especially like this you would listen in because its human nature, much like reality TV is now such a craze. Still the film does try and touch on how ultimately very sad the entire situation is, and Mitch and Eddie even seem to get emotional at point when re-visiting Raymond and Peter's lives but I wonder how sincere it is.This is writer and director's Matthew Bate's first full length documentary and he does a good job. The film is easy to watch and covers all aspects of the legend that was Raymond and Peter. It covers the gambit of things that happened to these seemingly simple recordings. I just don't think it delved into the true significance of how profound this event was in history. Decades before internet, or reality Television this set the bar for what people loved to see, hear, and experience. Its fascinating and worth seeing. 7/10
Charles Drummond I tried as hard as I could not to laugh at the recordings of two drunks hurling abuse at each other. It was impossible, my moral code failed beneath the sheer brilliant beauty of the dialogue that takes place. Some of the lines from Peter and Ray are pure comedy gold, I wish I could remember as many of them as possible.The film itself is very well made, weaving together exciting visual eleemnts to accompany the auditory subject matter. There is a distinct nod to Erroll Morris in the Interrotron, to-camera style of interviews as well as the re-ennactment of the scenes taking place inside the Pepto-Bismol Palace.This film is a riot, great for fans of the tapes and those who know nothing. Highly recommend.
Steve Pulaski It's difficult to believe that simple recordings of unorthodox arguments had the ability to go viral in the 1980's. It may seem unfathomable, but Tribeca's new documentary Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure assures us that it happened. In 1987, two young punks named Eddie Lee Sausage and Mitchell "Mitchell D" Deprey moved into a bright pink, low rent apartment (eventually coined the "Pepto Bismol Palace") and were consistently bothered by their next door neighbors loud, inane arguments that would happen throughout hours of the night.The neighbors were apparently on a life long welfare and alcohol binge. They were bigoted and homophobic Raymond Huffman and openly homosexual Peter Haskett. Though it appears them living together was a contradiction in itself, sources claim that the two were close friends when sober. Which, as we can assume from watching the film, wasn't too often.Peter and Raymond would argue like a married couple, using profanity so explicit it may be questioned why they weren't thrown out. They would exchange insults back in forth with Peter usually yelling "shut up, little man!" at Raymond. After growing weary of the yelling, and after an attempt to stop them did not work, Eddie and Mitchell decided to tie a microphone to a ski pole and raise it out the window so they could record their neighbors' mindless rants for their personal record. They recorded them to a cassette tape, and the newly discovered mechanism of evidence and defense eventually became used for enjoyment and curiosity. They continued doing it for the logical reason of human nature; to see how far they would go next time. The result makes for a surprisingly entertaining documentary. Just like the documentaries F**k and Winnebago Man, it proves that the topic of swearing, if taken seriously and effectively, will produce a very interesting breed of films.What makes this documentary so interesting was it shows how things went viral before computers. What if the "Shut Up Little Man" recordings had Youtube under their belt? They would've spread uncontrollably, but due to the primitive technology, it took longer for them to be heard.The film was made for two major reasons; the first being because, at one time, three separate films from three separate groups were trying to make a film on this subject, including Eddie and Mitchell, and all were rejected or stuck in development hell. And the second reason because one big question lingers over Eddie and Mitchell's heads "do they owe Peter and Raymond anything?" Both men died in the nineties, but is it fair to market their recordings for a profit without giving them something in return? It's a little late, but the duo do the best they can to try and make amends. This involves tracking down a third member of some of the infamous recordings. To say what happens when they meet him would be criminal. Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure is funny, engaging, and genial. There's nothing to really be biased about, which is why I believe the documentary didn't feel like a burden at all. Just like with Winnebago Man, things could've quickly spiraled into a whirlpool of mindless swearing and inconsistencies. Luckily enough, the film doesn't get preoccupied with ridiculous, directionless comments which is a lot more than can be said about some of the actual recordings.Starring: Eddie Lee Sausage and Mitchell Deprey. Directed by: Matthew Bate.
