Rap World

Despite the chaotic, unhinged and utterly frenzied energy that is to be expected of Conner O’Malley’s work, there is an underlying pathos within this story and its direction that makes these rather trashy, aimless, and hilariously pathetic men’s lives authentic in a way that is remarkably profound, avoiding the sardonic observations on human nature present here from becoming a drudgery of nihilism. There is an honest, real warmth beneath the layers of overstimulating editing and rapid-fire jokes; a brotherhood that one finds in the real world, uncomfortable and intense and raw, and separate from the artifice of connection that more mainstream movies portray. It makes me feel seen, in a strange sense, because I too have been in some of these deeply awkward situations, and can see strands of my own life interwoven with that of the characters in a way few films have really achieved. It’s a great time capsule of the late 2000s, of which its references to the time brought both cringeworthy nostalgia and great humor for me. The finished song at the end of the film is the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while. Great stuff.