Don't mess with Petey Wheatstraw

Woodyanders

Comedian and martial artist Petey Wheatstraw (a typically dynamic performance by Rudy Ray Moore) gets murdered by his rivals Leroy and Skillet. Petey makes a deal with the devil (smoothly played by G. Tito Shaw) to be resurrected so he can get his revenge, but in exchange has to marry Satan's hideously ugly daughter.

Writer/director Cliff Roquemore keeps the enjoyably off-the-wall story moving along at a constant pace, maintains a blithely absurd and zany tone throughout, derives plenty of laughs from the hilariously tasteless and outrageous sense of go-for-broke dirty humor (the choice offensive watermelon jokes are especially sidesplitting), and tosses in the expected hysterically terrible and unconvincing kung-fu shenanigans for good wacky measure. Leroy Daniels and Ernest Mayhand are total hoots as the dastardly duo who dare to cross Wheatstraw. Nat Dove's funky score hits the right-on groovy spot. We even get a complete corker of a surprise ending, too. An absolute loopy riot.

score 8/10

Woodyanders 2 June 2020

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5792788/