Stingray Sam is not a hero. He just does things that folks don’t do that need to be done. Cory McAbee’s latest cinematic offering is a sci-fi/western/musical/comedy. Got that? It offers up something for just about everyone, and McAbee’s incredibly engaging story, not to mention the beautiful black and white photography, makes it just about the most fun you’ll have in the independent theater this year.
Playing out in six segments, ‘Stingray Sam’ tells the story of…well…Stingray Sam (McAbee), a one-time outlaw who is just trying to make it as a lounge singer/endorser for Liberty Chew Chewing Tobacco. Enter the Quasar Kid (Crugie…that’s the guy’s name. Crugie), Stingray’s former accomplice who has an offer for Stingray. He must accompany Quasar to help retrieve a kidnapped, little girl, and all of Stingray and Quasar’s past offenses will be forgiven. The adventure begins.
The film plays out like six, consecutive episodes of a sci-fi serialized TV show. Each episode has the same intro theme, along with the same opening credits and the cast members who appear in that episode. Each episode has a title card. Each episode has wonderful narration strewn throughout by the incomparably stellar voice of David Hyde Pierce. Each episode even has a single song played somewhere within it by McAbee’s band, American Astronaut. On top of all of this, each episode grows in its brilliance.
The first few episodes are hilarious, and they get funnier as we go along. Stingray and Quasar run into brilliantly crafted, eccentric characters. Whether its a secretary who calls out numbers in completely random order or a planet full of pregnent men or the first bred clone who is treated like royalty, the characters in ‘Stingray Sam’ are incredible and, equally as much, hilarious. McAbee and Crugie also bring the funny in ample amounts. However, the funniest aspects of these earlier episodes are the songs. The soundtrack for ‘Stingray Sam’ is a must-listen, and most of the songs are sure to play out just as comically the fiftieth time as they do the first. The song “Fredward” is a real standout, and features a seemingly endless barrage of names. It makes sense when you see it, and I don’t want to give away too much about the intricacies of this particular song. Let’s just say, you’ll know what I’m talking about halfway through listening to the song.
McAbee also incorporates some magnificent collages into each episode, each one going over some important backstory to the overall narrative. They are as intricately written as they are executed. John Borruso deserves much credit for his work on the animated collages found in ‘Stingray Sam.’
Credit must also go to Scott Miller. His camera work and usage of stark black and white is nothing short of breathtaking. It honestly gets some getting used to be following such a goofy storyline through the lense of such profesional looking colors.
As the story progresses, the film actually takes a more dramatic turn. Once Stingray and Quasar rescure the kidnapped girl, played sweetly by McAbee’s daughter, Willa Vy McAbee, the chuckles subside and the emotional outlook begins to take over. It’s not even a sudden jolt in the film’s overall narrative. McAbee does a great job of seemlessly moving the tone from one to the other. A later moment of the film where Stingray and Quasar sing a lullaby to the girl is just about the most genuinely sweet scene seen in years.
And that is what makes ‘Stingray Sam’ such a success. For all of its facets, all of the different feels to the film, McAbee and crew don’t let any of them feel short-changed. The sci-fi, the western, the comedy, the musical, and the dramatic aspects of the film are all executed with equal care. They all blend together perfectly well, as well, each flowing through or alongside the other to create the perfect mixture of them all.
‘Stingray Sam’ is the type of film that moviegoers looking for something a little bit different will absolutely adore. Original in all of its aspects, and genuine in all of its execution, it is the best sci-fi/western/comedy/musica/serialized story ever told. That might not be saying much, but don’t let that fool you. ‘Stingray Sam’ is absolute fun. Now, if I can just get those darn songs out of my head.
