Freddy Got Fingered

Freddy Got Fingered (English OV) – celebrating its 25th anniversary with its first-ever cinema screening in Austria.

Almost exactly 25 years ago, Tom Green—a comedy icon of the early MTV era—was given the chance to unleash himself on the big screen. It was a time when successful comedians were routinely brought to cinemas in an attempt to squeeze every last cent out of the cash cow. 20th Century Fox hoped for a mainstream comedy hit in the vein of American Pie: a crowd-pleasing comedy aimed at the broadest possible audience. But Tom Green was—and still is—anything but ordinary. Even in his television appearances, he pushed the boundaries of what was considered comedy: walking his trash on a leash, unexpectedly repainting his parents’ house, or broadcasting the removal of his cancerous tumor live on TV disguised as a comedy special. Green was an anarchic comedian in the purest sense—someone who carried on the Dada tradition of Andy Kaufman and adapted it to the Y2K era. So what does an anarchist do when handed several million dollars to realize his cinematic vision? Break every rule there is to break.

In Freddy Got Fingered, Green plays Gord, an aspiring cartoonist and overgrown man-child on a journey of self-discovery—while constantly clashing with his father (delightfully over-the-top: Rip Torn). What happens during this bizarre coming-of-age odyssey is difficult to put into rational words, and at the time of its release it confused audiences and critics more than it entertained them. The film took home five Golden Raspberry Awards, which Tom Green proudly accepted at the ceremony after rolling out his own red carpet and playing an irritating harmonica.

Twenty-five years and many bland studio comedies later, the tide has turned. Many now see a spark of genius in this mad chain of bizarre and sometimes boundary-pushing sketches—a deliberate meta-game with familiar storytelling tropes and character constellations from American comedies. At the very least, it is a film designed to get on the audience’s nerves: a relentless assault on the senses that, in its fully intentional stupidity, radiates a Dadaist charm that feels ahead of its time. Freddy Got Fingered was probably the first recorded shitpost—long before the meme age arrived. And to this day, one thing is certain: it is a film like no other.

But beware: enjoy at your own risk!