#709 – Cornman: American Vegetable Hero (2001)

Cornman: American Vegetable Hero (2001)

Film review #709

Director: Barak Epistein

SYNOPSIS: Cornman was just an ordinary man until he was exposed to some mysterious corn-based chemical. Now he is a superhero fighting the legions of the evil Dr. Hoe with his corn-based powers…

THOUGHTS/ANALYSIS: Cornman: American Vegetable Hero is a 2001 superhero film. Starting off with an introduction to the film by Lloyd Kaufman, you can probably tell (if the title doesn’t give it away) that this is a satire of superhero movies on a shoestring budget. Featuring Cornman, who stabs people with corn, and his sidekick Butter Boy, who pours hot butter on his enemies. They face off against the evil Dr. Hoe and his henchman for some reason, whose powers are no less absurd. There’s barely any semblance of plot in this film, just a series of vaguely connected scuffles and bickering. As mentioned, the film has next to no budget, and it looks like a good portion is filmed in someone’s backyard, and no proper audio equipment means that you can’t really hear the actors a lot of the time. The humour is mostly crude, and gory, but still manages to make some funny jokes: there’s one point where the director stops the film and decides that the actor playing Cornman isn’t the right fit, and replaces him with a more muscle-bound one. The content and comedy is alright, but it’s delivered by actors who can’t really act, which will enhance or diminish your experience based on what you expect from the film.

The practical effects focus on a fair amount of gore and people getting stabbed by vegetables and heads exploding, and it’s all pretty silly. The soundtrack is a mix of punk/alt/ska from local bands that again plays into that homemade feel of the film. There’s a sense that the film as a whole is just some guys goofing around, but there is definitely some thought and consideration put into the jokes , and they land fairly well a good amount of the time. There’s nothing overly memorable or remarkable about Cornman, but it does at least do a good job of writing good jokes and utilising practical effects, even if a coherent story is non-existent. Far from the worst no-budget satire I have seen.