'Poop' Movie Disappoints

Connecticut-Based Movie Flops On DVD, Even With Locals

By: Stephen Ortiz

Posted: 3/18/08

First off, do not buy "The American Poop Movie." Don't rent it, don't download it and if by some chance someone gives it to you as some sort of gift, be offended and punch them in the face.

If that doesn't say enough to you about how terrible this film is, then read on and prepare to be convinced - this is a bad movie.

Now you must be thinking, "There's got to be some sort of saving grace, it can't all be entirely terrible." Well there isn't. Almost. Before the title was changed, this was "The Connecticut Poop Movie" because, obviously enough, the movie takes place in state. The director and writer of the film, Joe Kingsley, is a UConn alum and used his experiences at the university as the basis for his film, so much so that he also used shots of the university in the movie. The film sports brief footage of Towers and Northwest residence halls and also Mirror Lake.

The movie also briefly features the "See Sammy" Girl, Kirsten Babich, probably the only reason why this reviewer sat through this. Looking back, her five lines really weren't worth it.

"The American Poop Movie" revolves around Russ (Ross Kidder) who is a graduate from Connecticut University, or Conn. U. as it's referenced to (see what they did there), who worked for the student channel Conn. U. TV (again), and after graduation is left hoping to join the major broadcast channel CSB (sigh). Oh, and it references to the student newspaper, the Campus Daily. Beyond that, there's not much else to the movie. The plot is a tired cliché of boy-trying-to-get-back-with-an-old-love-and-at-the-same-time-trying-to-find-his-place-in-the-world.

The jokes are immature, and not even in a good way most college students looking for dumb laughs would enjoy, but in the tasteless, unnecessary way. In one scene, after a night of partying, Russ awakens in a jail cell. He and the police officer talk about how he's hit rock bottom, and just before he's released, the officer grabs Russ' crotch and says, "Remember, rock bottom."

Another problem with the movie is Kingsley's obscure view of thinking that women take their clothes off at parties for no reason other than just to walk around and socialize topless. Even in the high school bonfire party scene, as the camera pans between different crowds of kids, there are a few random girls in there talking with others without shirts on, if only to have Russ' friend Dirk (Randy Tobin) get really excited.

And then there's the obscure title that really has little to do with the film besides the fact that it is certainly crap, and it seems that most, if not all, of the actors are American citizens. It was probably just a way to fool people into thinking that this was part of the "American Pie" series - not like that's a much better alternative.

The special features included on the disc are standard fare - a few meaningless deleted scenes, some outtakes and the trailer - nothing to write home about.

Kingsley and his crew take their first shot at making a movie and miss the mark by a lot. Let's just hope that a sequel isn't in the works.

Contact Stephen Ortiz at

Stephen.Ortiz@UConn.edu.