I think that we all want to be a total badass at some point in our life. Unless of course you are already a badass then you should probably avoid this subversive documentary that chronicles a true badass, lest you question your own badassery. With that said, this is a weird ass movie about a guy who is a legend around Austin, TX for living the fringe life of society, while dabbling in guinea pig contests and diving into trashcans.
A renaissance man from the Austin underground, infamously sex-addicted Chad publishes a magazine and fronts bands, abuses cocaine while dealing weed, and writes and lives his own hilarious brand of humor as this father, felon and man-about-town must finally grow up when a crisis befalls his estranged family. (Source)
Man, watching this documentary leads me to believe that Chad Holt truly does not give a fuck. If there was a contest in which the winner is the one who doesn’t give a solitary fuck about anything, Holt has this down. Total Badass showcases the reckless abandon that Holt does in his daily life. Dabbling in chemicals, selling illicit drugs on camera, engaging in sex acts in front of the camera, and generally throwing a middle finger to the establishment, this is a truly a portrait of a badass.
I actually ended up watching this after hearing the Frotcast podcast talk with the director, Bob Ray, and how the documentary really didn’t have a trajectory or ending, other than seeing Holt’s somewhat performance art life, spiral out of control. It’s interesting to see that happen on film since you are watching debauchery in action and couldn’t think it might get lower than that. The documentary just captures that outsider of your town, well known for his antics and mischief doing whatever the fuck he or she wants. Holt does, over the course of the film, shed a little bit of humility and humanity as he tries to grow up a bit, while still retaining that aura of pure machismo and crazy antics that has defined him as the man he is today.
This is a bit hard to come by in terms of catching it, but if you can track it down, probably download it unless you know someone like I do that got me a copy, then this is a must. A weird psychological study on an individual that has built up a reputation that isn’t tarnished in any way by his legacy of drug use, eccentric wig shopping and guinea pigs competition raising. It might be subversive in nature, more voyeurism than anything else, but it does try to showcase Holt developing as a person, while still doing what he does best. He is a father and it shows how caring he is to his son in only the most badass way possible. It’s got a little bit of heart, but we just meant to follow in the shoes of a man who is truly a total badass.
*images via RottenTomatoes