There are few movies that I've watched that earn the moniker, "Better than I thought it would be." I would love to have a sit down with the writers of Bad Milo, Benjamin Hayes and Jacob Vaughan, to hear the story of how this story came to be from beginning to end. Honestly, when you sit down to watch a movie about a demon that lives in a guy's intestines, you wouldn't think the words, "Not a bad little flick," would be the first ones to pop in your head.
The Premise
Duncan is having a lot of unusual stomach ailments. After his wife urges him to seek professional help, Duncan learns that his high stress problems have given life to a demon living in his intestinal tract. The good news (and the bad news) is that Milo the Demon is more than willing to take care of the people who are causing the stress in Duncan's life.
My Take
Duncan is a nice guy that is allowing everyone to walk all over him. At work he is being pushed around, at home he is being coerced into having a baby, and he has a difficult relationship with his father. All this stress has led to severe stomach issues. Little does he know that these stomach problems are actually an intestinal demon that makes its appearance to kill whatever is ailing Duncan while he is passed out. The problem of course arises when Milo, the demon, wants to do away with Duncan's wife, Sarah.
Ken Marino plays Duncan. I don't think I have ever seen a movie where an actor has had to spend so much time on the toilet, let alone pretending to strain and cramp and eventually letting loose a butt monster that he has to bond with. It is as if Marino played the straight man to Milo's crazy antics and he did it really well. It was equal parts appalling and humorous when he was cuddling with Milo on the couch during a very touching bonding moment.
Duncan has two women in his life, his wife and his mother. Gillian Jacobs plays the wife, Sarah, and Mary Kay Place is Beatrice, Duncan's mother. Both women are ready for Duncan to start a family but Duncan is worried about being a good father because of his strained relationship with his dad (Stephen Root). Duncan learns that he doesn't have as much control over Milo as he thought when Milo goes after what he loves most, his wife Sarah.
The Verdict
Bad Milo earned the reputation, "Better than I thought it would be." I admit that I went into this not expecting much but got more back than I ever thought I would. It was funny, cheesy, silly, full of fake blood splatter, charming, and had a pretty cute butt monster starring in it. For a comedy-horror movie, it wasn't half bad. I give Bad Milo 1 good courtesy flush.
