THE FP is one of those movies that most likely will put a lot of people off just by watching the trailers for it. To call it “unconventional” would be an understatement, though there’s a lot of hilarious and brilliant stuff going on under the surface… if you ‘get’ it. Being a child of the 1980’s and fan of that era of cinema, I immediately understood what’s happening here. THE FP does a pretty solid job of paying homage to and straight up parodying classic competitive fare like the ROCKY films, street dancing movies like BEAT STREET and BREAKIN’, and throws a dash of flicks like THE WARRIORS in for good measure (James Remar actually narrates the opening). The end result is a rather insane (albeit familiar) look at the MTV generation of cinema. I got it, and I liked it.

The story opens in a world, not unlike the one we all know, but in which a Dance-Dance Revolution type of game called “Beat-Beat Revelation” defines turf wars, and battling cliques take out their frustrations by out-dancing one another for territorial victory. Brothers JTRO (Jason Trost) and BTRO (Brandon Barrera) take up a challenge, and while JTRO ends up winning, BTRO literally dances himself to death going against the cocky L Dubba E (Lee Valmassy), expiring dramatically in JTRO’s arms. This results in JTRO swearing he’ll never play the game again. Cut to a year later, JTRO is now working in a lumber yard of some sort, and living the life of a loner. His old friend KCDC (Art Hsu) comes calling, warning him that things got really bad after he left. Through some rather hilarious exposition, we learn that L Dubba E’s rise to power has affected alcohol distribution, which in turn affects drug use, and even the homeless situation. Long story short, KCDC wants JTRO to come back and knock L Dubba E out of power. Enter BLT (Nick Principe), who takes up the role of trainer in hopes of getting JTRO back in fighting… uh, dancing shape. There’s also the issue of JTRO’s former flame Stacy (Caitlyn or “Caker” Folley) now being under L Dubba E’s rule, and JTRO wanting to help her get back on the right path.

All the classic conventions are there in THE FP. An underdog walking away from “the life” after a traumatic incident, being asked to return to make things right, rekindling an old flame, and training for the big comeback day. THE KARATE KID, OVER THE TOP, perhaps even RAMBO… they’re all poked fun at here. The interesting thing is it’s all done in an ultra-serious manner. THE FP knows it’s a parody, but never plays it silly, rather keeping a serious tone which (in my opinion at least) is part of what makes it so much fun. This film, the way it’s shot and acted, and even the clever casting choices, almost feels like a long lost cable movie from 20 or so years ago. If you remember the days of Canon or New World Pictures, movies like RAD and REPO MAN, you’ll surely understand what the filmmakers were going for.

It’s written and directed by brothers Brandon and Jason Trost, with Jason playing the lead. These guys seem to get the eras they’re poking fun of, and do it in a lovingly subtle way. Even the score by George Holdcroft periodically evokes the essence of John Carpenter or Harold Faltermeyer music from years ago. But what ultimately makes this throwback tribute work is the cast. Art Hsu is consistently funny as KCDC, the gansta talking sidekick to JTRO who genuinely seems to love his friend like a brother. Nick Principe has fun playing the always-serious trainer BLT, and it’s nice to see him get some face time after mostly only seeing him in the LAID TO REST and CROMESKULL movies where he’s wearing a skull mask the whole time. Caitlyn Folley and Brandon Barrera appear to have walked right off the set of 1980’s gang movies, effectively playing their roles with classic sensibilities and familiar stereotypes. Folley especially has the perfect look for this, almost as if she could have been an extra in a John Hughes film years ago. Jason Trost is also great as JTRO, channeling a young Kurt Russell in some parts, and perhaps a young Sylvester Stallone in others – he’s a strong, silent hero that works in this setting rather well. But totally stealing every scene he’s in is Lee Valmassy as L Dubba E. The mohawk-wearing, gold-grilled baddie is always amped up and loudly energetic, and may just be one of my favorite screen villains of recent memory. He’s the perfect foil for the piece, and excellent in his performance.

THE FP is definitely not for everyone, and chances are (sadly) this current generation of young adults are most likely not going to understand the purpose of a movie like this. If you grew up watching MTV and cable movie channels, and sat through tons and tons of bad movies on VHS (or even beta), you’ll absolutely ‘get’ this film, and hopefully appreciate them making it. I for one found it a blast to sit through, and all the way to the end chuckle-inducing. Hopefully this will be the start of great things for Drafthouse Films, the theatrical division of The Alamo Drafthouse theaters. THE FP is a whole lot of fun if you’re in the right mindset, but could be rather frustrating if you’re not. If you’re still confused, find someone in their 30’s or 40’s to watch it with… and at least you’re likely to hear them laugh.

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