Windy City Heat

Most people can enjoy a good practical joke. A joke that friends devise to make fun of the victim can really test the sense of humor of the target. Over the years there have been numerous television shows that take this premise to often ridiculous extremes. It may have started with the old Candid Camera series and extends today to Punk’d and Comedy Centrals puppet oriented prank telephone call show Crank Yankers. It was the comedians behind Crank Yankers who came up with one of the most involved and longest duration pranks ever. The film of this endeavor is now out on DVD, Windy City Heat. In this take off of reality shows the perpetrators of the hoax take years to devise and execute this prank. Supposedly it is a decade long practical joke but consider the people involved there are some well founded doubts as to whether this is a real joke or just a massive set up for the audience.

As the story goes Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Carolla, Daniel Kellison and Doug DeLuca decided to play an elaborate joke on their dim witted friend, Perry Caravello. He has aspirations of making it big in movies but it appears that he has few talents and even fewer working brain cells. In on the joke, as is everyone but the lamentable Caravello, are Don Barris and Tony Barbieri. They meet with him and convince him that he is going to be the next big thing in films. They tell Caravello that they are going to producer a film called ‘Windy City Heat’, an action film where he will play the leading character, Stone Fury. They even make Caravello believe that he beat out such luminaries as Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, and Robert DeNiro for the role. Now any sensible, actually any sentient person should know that something is up at this point but Cavavello’s hair is apparently not the only thing in complete disarray. As the old saying goes he is a man a few bricks short of a load. Like the people in the first few episodes of American Idol he is so convinced of his our talent he is easily fooled into believing that this is a real offer. Another give away that completely goes over Cavavello’s head are the names of the cast and crew. He doesn’t seem to get it when he is introduced to his co-star Susan B. Anthony (Lisa Kushell) or the film’s producer John Quincy Adams. Perhaps Cavavello was more interesting in things other than attending his American History classes in school. Dane Cook who is now getting a lot of attention in film is shown as a crew member who just happens to be named Roman Polanski. Anyone who knows anything about film would have certainly become suspicious when the director turns out to be Bob ‘Bobcat’ Goldthwait, known for the Police Academy flicks not any project that would seriously be considered by DeNiro. Caravello believes that he is the next Marlon Brando and feels that he finally is getting the big break that he so richly deserves.

As if the joke isn’t bad enough with everyone laughing behind Caravello’s back they plotters also heap every sort of physical abuse and humiliation they can think of on their victim. In one scene Caravello has to crawl out of a garbage dumpster. BobCat states that he needs to look dirtier so the crew heaps mounds of cow manure on the confused ‘star’. Naturally, in order to get the right shot the scene has to be repeated time and time again. When he requests a stunt double they tell him that he has to do his own stunts although a double will be used in the love scenes since they are far too precarious for him to do. When Barris and Barbieri land supporting roles they are lavished with extravagant gifts such as a Rolex and motorcycle. Caravello is advised not to ask for anything out of the ordinary so he winds up with a nice little toiletry set. Caravello even thinks that he has the privilege to meet the President of Show Business played with the required pomp and grandeur by Geoffrey Pierson. Caravello is asked to guard a table with food on it intended for some important Japanese potential investors. Caravello takes this seriously and is very upset when Barbieri crashes into it. Of course Caravello is blamed for the investor’s pulling their financial support out of the film. I don’t think Brad Pitt would ever be asked to do lunch table guard duty. Why Caravello thinks that this is a normal part of staring in a film is unbelievable.

Caravello has to be the dumbest man that ever managed to walk upright. In order for this film to work effectively the audience has to have at least some sympathy for the victim. Caravello is completely unsympathetic. What we get to see is a man who is so wrapped up in him self and what he thinks the world owes him that no emotional connection to the audience is possible. He looks like a mess, he acts like an idiot and no one in their right mind could ever see themselves being in his plight. It may just be that this is exactly what his ‘friends’ were thinking when they came up with this plot. It is difficult to imagine that the planning stage of this joke did not include copious quantities of sort of illicit, mind altering substances. With friends like this who needs enemies.

Naturally, there is a bit of controversy surrounding this film. Director Bobcat Goldthwait has stated in public that this movie is 100% real. He claims that everything done to Caravello was done without his knowledge. The scope of the joke is just about staggering. For a joke to take eleven years to plan and execute shows more than a little determination. There is little doubt that the strange and often perverted minds of Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carolla could come up with such a plan but Caravello has to be the perfect patsy for it to work as shown in the film. No matter how you feel about the film someone is the target of a big joke. What you have to decide while viewing it is whether its Caravello or the audience. The gags they play are puerile and often sexually rude. Personally I did laugh but usually it was just because of the outrageous nature of what is happening.

No matter what conclusion you reach concerning the validity of the film Paramount has done a very good job of bringing it to DVD. The full screen video is inconsistent mostly because of the various hidden cameras employed to gather the footage. Overall it has the feel of any one of the hidden camera shows out there. The Dolby 2.0 audio also suffers from the same limitations. There are some extras included for the die hard fan. There is the ‘Reveal where the gang shows Caravello the final product of his humiliation. There is an acerbic commentary track included that is most definitely not for the kids in the house. They have also included some never before seen footage of gags that didn’t make the final cut as well as some extended and deleted cuts. This is a strange and oddly funny flick that would be best viewed with friends over some beer and pizza. Just make sure the children are sleeping over somewhere else.

Posted 9/26/06