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And it is, often.
But where we might expect escalating lunacy, Mantzoukas and director Fidell bring … something else.
Its not subtlety, exactly; Richard is too big a character for that.
But his broadness isnt that of a one-note funnyman.
He whipsaws between depths of brazenness, fury, self-loathing, and abject embarrassment.
He fixes the engine, then asks the boy for a ride.
Learning that Nat wants to be an artist, he questions him about his artistic philosophy.
Everything else is bullshit, and I am at war with bullshit.
In fact, Richard himself might be settling in for such a ride as well.
That is not exactly what happens.
And each narrative disaster seems to result in variations on self-debasement, followed by renewed bluster on Richards part.
Soon, its the 19-year-old Nat who seems to be taking care of this overgrown, 35-year-old man-child.
The humiliations ofThe Long Dumb Roadare often as dramatic as they are comic.
Richard fondly recalls, and regrets losing touch with, his high-school sweetheart, Sharon (Casey Wilson).
Nat proposes they go visit her.
But theyre also intent on blowing it up.
But the film never stops loving these characters.
Fidell stays true to that knifes-edge feeling throughout: She never tries for pat resolutions, or easy conclusions.
