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Movie Review: “Is That A Gun In Your Pocket?” Entertains As Much It Raises Awareness

[yasr_overall_rating]
 

If there’s one thing that the men of Rockford, Texas love as much as their women, it’s their guns. But when a gun incident at a neighborhood school spurs one stay at home mom to rethink Rockford’s obsessive gun culture, life in this idyllic town is turned upside-down.

As the struggle to reach a consensus on gun control in America continues, more platforms have been rising to the occasion to speak their piece on the matter. The R-rated indie comedy “Is That A Gun In Your Pocket?” seems to be Hollywood’s contribution to the discussion, and it is a pretty decent effort to raise awareness about what’s really important in the heavily divided nation. The only problem with the romp – and unfortunately it’s a major one – is that at the end of the film, what the audience walks away with is not how much better off society is without guns. The moral of this story is that what keeps the world spinning is sex, and that bargaining with both it and money is the only way to reach a compromise in times of crisis.

The film begins with a shorter version of “Deadpool”’s opening credits, and then introduces its audience to Rockford, Texas, the small-town setting of the film. Guns are, without a doubt, the glory of the town – used for decoration, entertainment, and business. Everyone goes about their lives with a no harm, no foul attitude; that is, until someone gets hurt. That’s where the protagonist of the film, Jenna Keely (Andrea Anders), comes in, as it is her young son who steals a gun from their home to show off to a friend at school, sparking an incident that consequently shakes her up. No one else in town is too bothered about the whole thing, but mom Jenna is concerned about the town’s kids’ safety and their future. Subsequently, she takes it upon herself to spark some change in the community. The task is far from easy, though, as the men in town are unwilling to make any compromises on their freedom to use guns. After all, why should they suffer the consequences of someone else’s actions, a child’s no less? But Jenna sees it differently, and she is willing to go to to great lengths to ensure that her voice counts for something. She convinces the other women in town to deprive all the men of sex, and weaken them that way. And when they don’t budge even then, the mayor of Rockford steps in, and bribes the town into reluctantly giving up their guns in order to keep the peace. Even that is just barely enough, though. The men only comply to finally be able to finally sleep with their wives again.

The slow and steady process of change highlighted in the film is quite an honest portrayal, and commendable as well. It is a decent attempt to fight traditional beliefs and old-school mentality without being too offensive. Yet, while it debates the righteousness of tradition, it still offers cliché after cliché, making the film as archetypal as can be. As an effort to make the gun control argument bearable, the movie succeeds in raising awareness, along with providing enough humor and upheaval to keep the subject entertaining. What it does not do is pack enough of a punch to make any difference, thus making it a waste of time.

Opens in select theaters September 23rd

 
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