[img]7|left|||no_popup[/img] The brothers Butler return with a sense of humour that, like a dirty martini, is bone dry, liable to kick your teeth in, and generously dosed with comical vulgarity. In the format of their latest venture, a web series called Larry and Burt’s Gut Rot (http://www.subprod.com/?p=219), it works especially well, better even than in their compelling but somewhat unfocused film effort The Notorious Newman Brothers.

Liberated from the demands of a feature film, the ten-minute episodes allow the Butlers to set up scenarios and keep things relaxed without worrying about grinding the pace to a standstill. Scenes can linger as needed for comic and deliberately uncomfortable effect – think of Ricky Gervais’ comic timing. When, for example, pizza delivery guy Larry is stuck at a customer’s apartment and drawn into a drawn-out discussion of the man’s adulterous and pornographic wife, one feels amusement and sympathetic discomfort at poor Larry’s predicament. It’s just the sort of Seinfeldian set-up, minus the navel gazing, that is well suited to the Butlers’ study of two lowly guys with enough girl and job troubles to qualify for a total life makeover. Performances occasionally suffer from that rough “indie” quality, but the Butlers’ camera work is always top-notch and the grimy tone is spot-on. Overall, the series draws absurdity and pathos from the most ordinary of bad situations, and the lack of melodrama highlights the relatable Everyman quality of our two put-upon heroes.

Where the Butlers intend to go with all of this, however, is the question. It’s too early to bring down the gavel on anything other than the series’ immediate appeal. With only two episodes so far, the Butlers have only begun sketching out a series they hope will make Larry and Burt “underground heroes a la Batman & Robin, without the physique, costumes, or wealth.” Yet the wry, humane observations and energetic direction, complete with hilarious fake commercials for “Upper Crust” pizza, are reason enough to look forward to future installments. Larry and Burt’s Gut Rot has the makings of a cult web series, with the added benefit of beer and pizza as the ritual, even sacrificial, foods of choice.

Entertainment: ** (out of two)
Craft: ** (out of two)

Written and directed by Jason Butler and Brett Butler. Starring Jason Butler and Brett Butler. To view the episode, visit Substance Productions’s website (http://www.subprod.com/?p=219)

Frédérik invites you to visit his blog, www.inkandashes.net.