amosduncan_2000 It may actually be a plus that the director takes no moral viewpoint about the material, but it is disturbing that no one really sees the ugly moral, if not legal, ramifications of the exploitation of the two drunks. Yes, it is difficult not to laugh at any colorful alcoholic, as comedians have alway known, and the recent suppression of such humor may only add the laughs we are indulging in when we hear these two. The pranksters, of course, went way past that and harassed them with prank calls, still, it could have been viewed as edgy, if caustic, humor. Those who went crazy for this stuff, however, are the type of people who kick a cripple, and watching the attempts to turn this fad into a big Hollywood payoff is car wreck time, you want to look away but you can't. It's funny that the identity of the big name comic who wanted to do the movie is protected, the two losers are granted no such compassion or dignity. Indeed, the director displays no real interest in them other than as push pin dolls for comic derision. Who were they, really, and how did they get to such a desperate state of life? To ask these questions might have spoiled the fun of deriding them.

Robert W. Shut Up Little Man is certainly not groundbreaking. I think in the hands of a more talented documentary maker they could have told something fascinating and parts of this are but its told in sort of a silly plodding way. However, the story itself is actually really fascinating. This was truly a story that, if encouraged by the internet, would have been viral in seconds. But this was years before the internet, before mass communication like emails and cell phones, and actually spread and became viral via the Sanfrancisco underground and audio tapes. Remarkably I had never heard of this story but it is kind of neat to watch and see everything unfold and the best part for me was seeing them trying to re-connect with the subject of this viral project. The project is of two alcoholic (and I think mentally deficient) neighbours who would become verbally abusive and scream horrendous and darkly funny things at each other. Even a film was made based on these two men which I had never heard of but hopefully will see at some point.Mitch Deprey and Eddie Lee Sausage are the two guys who started the viral sensation. Granted the entire beginnings of this is very juvenile but I feel like Mitch and Eddie were still, twenty plus years later, still sort of juvenile about it. The two men in the apartment, Raymond and Peter, have a very serious problem and yes listening to them is often funny, in the same way that if you heard your neighbours arguing especially like this you would listen in because its human nature, much like reality TV is now such a craze. Still the film does try and touch on how ultimately very sad the entire situation is, and Mitch and Eddie even seem to get emotional at point when re-visiting Raymond and Peter's lives but I wonder how sincere it is.This is writer and director's Matthew Bate's first full length documentary and he does a good job. The film is easy to watch and covers all aspects of the legend that was Raymond and Peter. It covers the gambit of things that happened to these seemingly simple recordings. I just don't think it delved into the true significance of how profound this event was in history. Decades before internet, or reality Television this set the bar for what people loved to see, hear, and experience. Its fascinating and worth seeing. 7/10

Charles Drummond I tried as hard as I could not to laugh at the recordings of two drunks hurling abuse at each other. It was impossible, my moral code failed beneath the sheer brilliant beauty of the dialogue that takes place. Some of the lines from Peter and Ray are pure comedy gold, I wish I could remember as many of them as possible.The film itself is very well made, weaving together exciting visual eleemnts to accompany the auditory subject matter. There is a distinct nod to Erroll Morris in the Interrotron, to-camera style of interviews as well as the re-ennactment of the scenes taking place inside the Pepto-Bismol Palace.This film is a riot, great for fans of the tapes and those who know nothing. Highly recommend.

dadoffourcs I saw this documentary at the Traverse City (MI) Film Festival. Two Midwestern college grads move to California in 1987, only to find that their new apartment has a pair of profane, arguing drunks living next door. After being awakened repeatedly by their new neighbors' rants, the guys start audio taping the fights. Eventually they collect dozens of hours of material, share bits with their friends, and an underground sensation begins. Tapes, comic strips, a play, and even a puppet show depicting Peter and Ray, the fighting neighbors, emerged throughout the 90's. At one point 3 competing movie productions were planning films about the couple. The first 30 minutes or so of the doc sets up the scenario and lays the background to the story. It is this part, when we are first introduced to the vulgar fighting couple, where the movie is at its best. Unfortunately the film can't sustain the humor and energy from the first third of the film, as we follow the legal battle to determine who has the rights to the recordings. The film ends with the college guys returning to the scene of their recordings, 20+ years later, and investigating what has happened to their old neighbors. Still, I found the story engrossing and interesting enough to sustain my attention through the second half of the film. The movie is entertaining, but if you're easily offended by profanity look elsewhere!