If you happened to be in New York City around 2016 (or at least were aware of the shows that were being produced around the time), and had a penchant for theatre of the absurd, you likely encountered F***ing Identical Twins, a two-man show written and performed by Aaron Jackson and Josh Sharp, who put together quite a bizarre revue in which they tell a story that is most appropriately described as a more perverted version of The Parent Trap, in which they play twins who were separated at birth, and who find each other later in life and decide to find a way to get their parents back together after they split up years before. Of course, there are many complications along the way that makes the experience all the more difficult for our protagonists (starting with the fact that they are playing identical twins, but look nothing alike), who seems to be undeterred by any of the bizarre occurrences that come about in the wake of their mission, determined to achieve whatever outcome they have in mind. Not particularly cinematic in its original intention, the show has been repurposed into a film version and retitled as Dicks: The Musical in which Sharp and Jackson adapt the material and hand it over to Larry Charles, perhaps the only working director outside of John Waters who seems to be daring enough to be able to bring this demented concept to life. An outrageous and provocative comedy that is relentless in its attempts to explore a subject that is beyond taboo, Dicks: The Musical goes further than any rational person would think possible, and any moral individual would be willing to accept – and for this reason alone, it’s difficult to not appreciate this film and its willingness to be grotesque simply for the sake of causing a reaction, which is as good a reason as any to find value in this film and everything that it represents, even if it is the more macabre side of contemporary art.

Dicks: The Musical is a return to a kind of independent filmmaking that wants to make the audience feel uncomfortable and disconcerted, which doesn’t seem like it is proactive until we realize that there is an entire artistic movement behind creating such off-kilter experiences. It may not be widespread, but there is a steadily growing portion of the audience that loves this kind of alternative comedy, where the humour is extracted from taking a simple concept and infusing it with so many bizarre details, and then making its way to the bleeding edge of decency, peering into the void and being more than willing to go past the point of no return if it means that they can elicit some kind of visceral reaction. Obviously, it is all done within reason and there is nothing necessarily dreadful about the kind of material the film is working with, nor its manner of executing these ideas – but this doesn’t stop us from being unable to fully process a lot of what transpires on screen, especially when it is clear that the people behind this film are relishing in knowing that they have stirred a reaction, which seems to have been the entire purpose of this film. Dicks: The Musical is a masterful example of how to skirt around controversy without actually giving those who are inherently against its existence any ammunition to imply that it represents the decline of art, and the entire film feels like an attempt to taunt the overly conservative corners of society in the hopes of getting them to rally against the film – after all, all publicity is good publicity, and this film feels like it would be more than thrilled to promote itself with some of these radically negative reviews from the exact groups that are against its existence. There is virtue in pushing boundaries, and Sharp and Jackson are intent on ruffling quite a few feathers without any hesitation, which leads them to walk a very narrow boundary between provocation and outright moral indecency, but they do find the tact in between the moments of madness.

One of the great benefits of independent cinema is that it allows artists to have a strong sense of control over a production, giving them the chance to craft it in the way they see most appropriate. Had this show been handed over to a bigger studio, we may have seen an attempt to recast the two leads with recognizable actors, especially since neither Sharp nor Jackson had any film acting experience, and this was likely their introduction to a vast majority of viewers. While they are certainly not the most polished of actors, they still possess an incredible screen presence, the kind that may not suggest them to be particularly versatile as a whole, but rather enough to hold our attention as we follow these characters through this strange version of the world. They’re both incredibly funny and bring a sense of chaos to the proceedings, which is wildly entertaining. It is difficult to imagine how their careers will develop after this point (they’ll hopefully continue writing since this is their strongest gift), but there is still something special about their performances here. However, the main attraction in Dicks: The Musical is not the two leads, but rather the actors they cast to play their parents – even they made it quite clear that this wasn’t designed to be a vehicle for them, but rather a chance to work with Megan Mullally and Nathan Lane, two comedic icons that don’t even need an iota of an introduction, since they have more than proven themselves as some of the most gifted performers to have worked in the past few decades. To call their performances in this film brilliant is an understatement – Dicks: The Musical is 85 minutes of pure anarchy in which these two respected veterans are asked to push themselves further than ever before, and yet they seem to be relishing in the opportunity. They are both known for their incredible character work and tendency towards precise, sharp showmanship, and this film gives them some of their best work in years and reminds us of their unimpeachable talents that are inexplicably rarer, despite their willingess to take risks. We can only hope that more writers to inspired to work with both Mullally and Lane (who also has a phenomenal performance in Beau Is Afraid this year), who deliver every moment they are on screen.

Normally, this would be where we discussed the deeper meaning of this film and suggested that Dicks: The Musical is secretly a heartwarming tale of family and brotherhood that touches on profoundly moving themes. However, while there is a way to reconfigure the conversation to the underlying message, the truth is that this is a film that is simply deranged for the sake of it and that there isn’t any nuanced underlying message beneath the surface of the film. It is a wacky, off-the-wall musical comedy that is as vulgar as it is obsessed with making the viewer profoundly uncomfortable. Tonally, the film is very odd – it is an outrageous comedy with a few interludes of melodrama, which are intentionally heightened to create a sensation of excess, and the maximalist sensibilities of the writers are brought to screen beautifully in terms of both the design of the film (everything from the costuming to sets is incredibly detailed) and the songs, which turn Dicks: The Musical into an absolute spectacle of sheer absurdity. We realise while watching this film that it is foolish to expect every work of art to have a deeper meaning or to be artistically resonant – some are just allowed to be outrageously daft. You would struggle to find a modern comedy that is more scatterbrained and indiscreet than this one, which is only more appealing to those who have an appreciation for alternative comedy and its tendency to sometimes be ludicrous beyond measure. The most endearing aspect of Dicks: The Musical is how it authentically captures the original intentions that the writers had when conceiving of the story – there isn’t any attempt to elevate the material to be more complex or fit into any known category, but rather it takes the form of two young artists with a penchant for the ridiculous making a film and forcing audiences to experience their bizarre sense of humour – there is even a blooper at the end when Sharp begins giggling and says that he cannot believe they got away with this story. It is difficult to not appreciate the sheer gall of this film, which is much more enthralling than a more conventional production.

You would be forgiven for not knowing quite what to think of Dicks: The Musical, or having conflicted feelings about it as a whole. Unsurprisingly, this is a film that is divisive by design. There is something profoundly off-kilter about this film, and we find that many of its qualities could either appeal to a specific group of viewers or outwardly repel them, which is the exact reaction that Sharp and Jackson seemed to be looking for when conceiving of the material. Assembling a coterie of similarly demented artists to help them bring this show to the screen, they create one of the year’s most outrageously funny and deeply disturbing films, a musical comedy that both pulls us out of our comfort zone and pushes us to the very edge of our sanity, making us question how anyone could conceive of something that is simultaneously so reprehensible and brilliant. No one asked for this film, but sometimes the best works of art are those that seem singularly unnecessary since they prove how there is always a place for new ideas, even if they are drawn from a considerably bizarre source. How we react to this film depends on how far we are willing to suspend disbelief and just surrender to the madness that fuels this film – its dark sense of humour and tendency to veer towards the most perverse kind of comedy is bound to be polarizing, and it is entirely possible to have strong feelings on either end of the spectrum when it comes to unpacking this film. It is morally ambigious and relishes in its lack of ethics, and even when some of the most shocking material is implied rather than explicitly stated (although there isn’t any shortage of quite graphic moments scattered throughout the film), we can feel quite conflicted. Yet, Dicks: The Musical is a wickedly entertaining film, one that isn’t only an assault on the senses but a string of heinous crimes against both human morality and logic in general. Nothing quite makes sense in the film, and it is beyond deranged, yet we simply can’t resist its charms, and even as an acquired taste, we’d be foolish to dismiss it as anything less than a singular vision from a pair of brilliantly demented writers who put together a film that gleefully courts controversy and is willing to go further than just about any film we have seen in quite some time, which is cause for both celebration and perhaps an investigation into the perverted minds of these genius artists.