By Allegra Papera
Online Arts Editor
“Mascots” provides audiences with some laughter through its awkward humor and amusing on-screen banter between characters. However, the film falls short with poor acting and overall lifelessness influenced by its dull set and lacking characterization.
“Mascots” is a Netflix original “mockumentary”, or a parody of a documentary following a group of people who work as sports mascots throughout their days spent at a hotel in Anaheim, California. Throughout the week, each mascot prepares for their competition to win the “Golden Fluffy”, a highly coveted award in the world of mascots.
Read about the filmmaker behind “Mascots” here!
One positive aspect of the film is its sometimes dark and uncomfortable humor that proves its potentially strong comedic quality. Awkward lines enforcing the undesirability of the life playing a sports mascot contributes to the film, provoking viewers to laugh.
Additionally, the on-screen conflict between characters, such as two married mascots, proves entertaining as it dramatizes the interactions within their competitive society as they each strive to win the Golden Fluffy. This adds a laughable contrast as the film juxtaposes mundane issues and conflicts with such an obscure sect of society.
However, one incredible flaw in the film is the purposefully poor quality of its acting. While this aspect was created with the intention of contributing to the overall hilarity of the film, it actually proves to be overdone. This makes the film difficult to watch as it makes any potentially funny moments seem immaturely and lazily depicted on-screen.
Check out another review of “Mascots” here.
The bland set of the film did not allow the movie to be visually appealing in any way, taking away from the excitement of watching a film. It seems that the mascot costumes themselves were relied on too heavily to contribute to the film visually, making imagery throughout the film’s entirety too dull and monotonous to keep any viewer entertained.
Lastly, the film’s attempt at characterizing its roles failed miserably as it spreads itself too thin, only skimming over faint details of each character’s personality. This prevents viewers from getting to know any characters or being able to strongly resonate with them, contributing to the film’s lifelessness.
While “Mascots” does prove entertaining at certain times with its uncomfortable sense of humor and on-screen conflict, its flaws outweigh the good and make for an overall disappointing film.
“Mascots” was released on October 14 and is available to stream through Netflix.
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