Patch Town (2014)

Simply A Masterpiece

Overrated and overhyped

Excellent adaptation.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

A film that mixes Eighties nostalgia, fairy tale fantasy, shady industrialism and Christmas magic, Patch Town is a film that "normal" people will likely not enjoy. It's undoubtedly a weird one and you've gotta be a little eccentric yourself to get the gist of its imagination and creativity. I felt that the CGI was rather out-of-place in such a quaint and retro styled film, however it does work quite well on some occasions. And my only other complaint is that as a musical, it has corny songs popping up during the most important scenes in the story which takes away from the pace of the film. Either way, still an amazing and yet criminally underrated and obscure one.The story follows Jon (Rob Ramsay), an overweight factory worker who lives in a housing project with his beloved wife and an illegally obtained baby, Daisy. (the film Eraserhead comes to mind). Jon used to be a doll and his "mother", Bethany (Zoie Palmer) regarded him as an imaginary friend in childhood. Jon dreams of a real life with his family in the real world, however Patch Town is controlled by Yuri (Julian Richings), a strict, standoffish and yet very depressed and forlorn man who has taken over his father's business and is the primary villain in the story. Yuri wants a family of his own just like Jon, however Yuri is ruthless and ends up deciding to have his lackey, Kenny, kidnap Bethany and her young daughter, Avery, as a surrogate family for himself. Meanwhile Jon and his wife (Stephanie Pitsiladis) hitch a ride with Sly (Suresh John), a former doll who now offers asylum to those who wish to escape. Jon attempts to get a job playing a shopping mall Santa Claus, however when he discovers that Kenny has stolen Bethany's daughter (Kayla DiVenere), he plans to rescue her and reunite with Bethany in the process.Excellent story, scenery, soundtrack, but best of all was the acting. Ramsay is hilarious as Jon, being the kindhearted and yet naive hero hanging out of the back of a transfer truck, high on a sugar rush and shouting "CANDY!" at the top of his lungs. Suresh gives the film a dose of comic relief as Sly, a man with the personality of a shifty used car salesman but who really wants to help Bethany. Yuri was an exceptionally interesting corrupt corporate villain, however I ended up just feeling sorry for him when he starts crying and saying that all he wants is a family, and they give him electroshock memory removal. Pretty sad. Pitsiladis as Jon's loving and strong-willed 1950's-dressed wife, does an amazing acting job, and of course Palmer as Bethany, a skeptical woman who doesn't want to believe that her doll came to life, is very talented, too. Patch Town reminded me slightly of Eraserhead, and Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Its humor is based more on subtle imagery and funny quotes, which is refreshing since most films like this today are vulgar and full of sex jokes and swearing and crude humor. Patch Town might scare really little kids but it's still a film that adults and older children can both enjoy. It deserves a much better reputation and I hope it gets it.

Had amazing time watching Patchtown !A movie which mix all kind of genres in one, and so hard to put in a "case genre" thanks to the diversity it offers. It's kind of a musical tale but dark, and in the same time touching, and with a lot of humors ! Your feelings are never settled and challenged during the whole movie and I loved that :)Being a huge fan of Zoie Palmer, I bought and wanted watch this movie, first of all for her. She offers us again here an other side of her huge talent with the incredible performance as Bethany. And if I knew a bit some of the others actors, I discovered better in this movie their work, and discovered new ones too. Rob Ramsey is indeed so amazing and so touching (also what a singer !) as Jon, as Julian R. just brilliant .., and Suresh John made me laugh out loud whit the hilarious Sly :) And sooo happy to see the wonderful Allana H. in the cast too ! Well, just a big Bravo to the whole actors, team, crew, on the amazing movie there which is Patchtown !!To watch and re-watch !

If you grew up in the early 80s, you may recall the popular children's toy, the Cabbage Patch Kids. This film creatively transforms a classic children's toy from a sense of innocence to a sense of deception and manipulation. It has elements of Tim Burton's eccentric style with a totalitarianism system. I thoroughly enjoyed the dark humor, quirkiness, visual effects, and musical aspects of this film. Also, I was impressed with the camera angle and movements. This film has moments that are heartwarming and heartbreaking, but it is balanced out by applying humor from it. The audience will be drawn to certain characters in the film, where each character has a unique personality. All-in-all, I recommend this film to others. It's fun and entertaining. Let the imagination fly !

This is a very weird movie indeed. The humor and tone is kind of all over the place. Someone compared it a bit to early Gilliam and they might not be off too much. While this is uneven, it still delivers many times. It's kind of amazing and has great ideas. Those help recover some of the rough patches that lie on the way ahead (no pun intended), so that the viewer won't mind too much.The effects are good, but you have to like the way the characters are made of course (Tim Burton was mentioned too in that commentary by another user). While its a wild story, it still is predictable enough and does include clichés. That's the uneven part for you, like it or hate it