Ghastly Love of Johnny X, The (DVD Review)
19 May, 2013 By: Ashley RatcliffPrebook 5/21/13; Street 6/18/13
Strand
Sci-Fi Musical
Box Office $0.001 million
$24.99 DVD
Not rated.
Stars Creed Bratton, Will Keenan, Paul Williams, Kevin McCarthy, Reggie Bannister.
Get ready for a madcap adventure with The Ghastly Love of Johnny X, a film that throws in everything but the kitchen sink. There’s a heavy science-fiction bent, a tale of romance, a touch of musical theater and even a smidge of horror.
The film opens with the trial of space-age badass Jonathan Xavier, or Johnny X (Will Keenan), who is located in some faraway galaxy. The snarky, leather-jacket-wearing guy and his doting crew of lackeys are sentenced to live on Earth for repeated civil disobedience.
A year later we find Johnny’s ex-girlfriend, Bliss (De Anna Joy Brooks), on the run from him in a desert town, with his Resurrection Suit held for ransom. The electrically charged suit has the power to control anyone’s body, and Johnny has been using it for his own selfish desires.
However, that all changes when he discovers eccentric musician Mickey O’Flynn (Creed Bratton of “The Office”) in a bad state, hours before he’s slated to perform his highly anticipated farewell show, brokered by his sleazy tour manager, King Clayton (Reggie Bannister).
The story gets further complicated when we learn of Johnny’s hidden connection to Mickey and see that Clayton’s nephew, Chip the soda jerk (Les Williams), has fallen for Bliss. Oh, and there are a few lackluster musical numbers interspersed throughout.
Ghastly Love appears to have a bit of an identity crisis, as the different genres are presented in a haphazard manner. Though some may view this hodgepodge as a selling point, I found it caused confusion.
However, solid performances from the cast compensate for those shortcomings. It’s Keenan’s show the entire film, but Brooks and Bratton are golden in their respective roles. The campy black-and-white film is also the final movie role for the late Kevin McCarthy.