Seed of Chucky (2004) review

18. Seed of Chucky (2004)

Directed by: Don Mancini

Produced by: David Kirschner, Corey Sienega

Screenplay by: Don Mancini

Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Redman, Hannah Spearritt, John Waters, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif

“Seed of Chucky.” How on God’s green earth does one describe “Seed of Chucky”? Is it profound or stupid? Is it provocative or trash? Is it a clever parody or overly-audacious nonsense? When I first saw this movie, I had no idea what to think of it; I just knew it was weird and had concepts I didn’t fully understand. Now…I still don’t know what to think of it; it’s funny, it’s awkward, it’s fascinating, it’s ridiculous, it’s unique, it’s absurd, sometimes all in the same scene, sometimes all in one piece of dialogue. When you think of a plot synopsis that goes “Chucky has a kid,” you’d probably expect a certain degree of jokes; however, this film manages to be about so many things while at the same time not really being about anything at all. But is it good? Well…not really, but let me tell you just what efforts it goes to in its outrageous attempts.

The last scene of “Bride of Chucky” ended with Chucky (Brad Dourif) and his doll wife Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) dying, but not before the latter gives birth to a living baby doll…don’t try to make sense of this, just stick with me. Cut to six years later, when the doll (Billy Boyd) is kind and shy, but has nightmares of committing murder, while living as a dummy for a cruel ventriloquist. Then they see on TV that the Chucky and Tiffany dolls are being used as props for a horror movie starring Jennifer Tilly, and realize they’re their parents; so they track them down to Hollywood and revive them with the Heart of Damballa amulet, and they all unite with a mixture of horror, care and confusion, as Chucky calls them his son Glen, but Tiffany calls them her daughter Glenda. Glen/Glenda is upset by their parents’ violent tendencies and want them to stop killing, but it’s much easier said than done. Meanwhile, Jennifer feels her career is failing, and resorts to seducing rapper/director Redman for a starring role in a movie as the Virgin Mary; realizing this, Tiffany and Chucky want to transfer their souls into their bodies, but not before artificially impregnating Jennifer so that Glen/Glenda will have a human body too.

Okay, so for those of you I haven’t lost with that summary, let me get into what I really like about this movie. For starters, God bless Tilly, because she clearly has no qualms about lampooning Hollywood, her career or her flirty persona; every bizarre set piece and situation, she’s clearly game for it: holding puppeteer Tony Gardner’s decapitated head in her hands, vehemently name-dropping Julia Roberts, Martha Stewart and Anna Nicole Smith, and praising her own iconic voice, whether it comes from her or Tiffany. There are also very clear references to “Bound,” and she even mentions still being close with Gina Gershon…dammit Jennifer, don’t tease me like that! Anyway, although the satire isn’t especially innovative, there are some funny shots at the Hollywood culture, like the peaks and valleys of fame, paparazzi, casting couches, etc. Cult filmmaker John Waters plays photographer Pete Peters, who snaps pictures of Jennifer and Redman getting intimate, as well as Chucky…uh…providing a sperm sample for the former to an image in Fangoria magazine. Right now, I’m questioning what I’m doing with my life that’s led me to analyze something like this on the internet.

While Jennifer’s storyline is what I enjoy more, the main selling point is Glen/Glenda; Don Mancini, who’s written all the classic “Chucky” movies and makes his directorial debut here, is openly gay, and said he wanted to tackle the subject of gender identity through this character, obviously inspired by the 1953 Ed Wood cult film “Glen or Glenda.” There’s a disconnect between Glen/Glenda and their parents over what they want from them, all the while Chucky and Tiffany have their own baggage they can’t let go of. You can tell this was something Mancini felt very passionate about, and with a more mature mindset, I can appreciate the effort to push this storyline; apparently, Universal rejected Mancini’s script, calling it “too gay.” As for the character themselves, I’m not really a fan of the design or voice, but they have a certain twisted charm to them, although the pants-pissing routine wears old.

The downside is that the respective storylines never really come together in a satisfying way; the plot just kind of meanders around without much momentum while implementing random developments, like Jennifer’s chauffer Stan (Steve Lawton) wanting to declare his love for her. I also think some of the jokes are a little too strange; it’s initially kind of funny that Glen/Glenda assumes they’re Japanese because they have a “Made in Japan” stamp on them, but it gets cringey over time, the way they ask Chucky and Tiffany if they’re yakuza and serve the emperor. I also think Mancini’s inexperience as a director shows; while I like some of the editing, interiors and use of POV shots, the visuals are pretty wonky, with Glen/Glenda’s highway chase with the ventriloquist looking especially ugly. I don’t care how many palm trees you add or how many times you show the Hollywood sign; it doesn’t make the setting look any less Romanian. At least we have some grotesque kills, with Tiffany disemboweling Redman at Jennifer’s dining room table, and Peter’s face getting half melted by sulfuric acid. But the ending is mostly just an odd string of events and gags that’s acted well by its principal stars, but ultimately just leaves me asking myself, “What the hell is this movie about?”

So this is still a rough one to sum up how I feel about it; plenty of the new ideas work, like the themes of addiction and gender confusion, having Chucky being proud of his child even as they’re hacking him up with an axe, and the whole familial dynamic between Chucky, Tiffany and Glen/Glenda. But so many of these decisions range from perplexing to downright disgusting, and now, although “Seed of Chucky” certainly has a strong fanbase, and the franchise is finally continuing Glen/Glenda’s storyline, I wish the humor was more focused. However, there’s unquestionably an almost gleefully unhinged zest for what it’s trying to do. Much like “Jason X” or many of the “Leprechaun” sequels, it has no shame in being what is, except there’s real heart in what’s doing. It might not be for everyone, but I think there’s something worthwhile here for some of us.

My rating: 5.5/10