A Road Trip Tom Green Would Be Proud Of
By
Ceci M.
You could easily diss Gary and Mike for what it is, because there is tons of sophomoric entertainment here that borders on the raunchy side. But where Temptation Island leaves off for the older set, this show ventures into what might seem as tasteless for the parental guidance V-chip committees and freeing for those who want to open their mind.
Slackers Gary and Mike embark on a road trip of a lifetime not so much to “find” themselves and America, but to be markers of disruption. It might seem corny if it were a live-action sitcom. As Claymation figures (“I’m not bad, I’m just drawn that way,” so quoth Jessica Rabbit), they are able to bring to life subversive issues regarding what people know but are ashamed to admit it. The funny part regards the show taking place in the symbolic, small Texas town filled with the regular old stereotypes (unlike that other animated show on FOX). With the mix of Mike competing for a hot rod—his attempt at “getting a job”—and Gary finally getting a date with a “so-called beast” (according to Mike), these symbolic archetypes are livened up to demonstrate that the personalities and point of view of both characters more often than not are functions of desire.
Everything that the guys do is part of how they get their groove on. Their id dictates how they perceive reality—especially when it comes down to the Fight Club (1998) mentality of being bored enough to stir up anarchy and trouble. Because they represent the “coolness” of slackerdom, they bide their time during dropping out to make a point. The story talks about “becoming men”—but not from knocking out the teeth of some opponent. Instead, Gary and Mike just examine how they don’t spend their time and start to live their lives only for the pursuit of pleasure. If it is case that they try to gain some growth for their experiences, it is only that. Instead, what they do is simply question how people lead their lives for the status quo establishment. Simply because they are slackers, they highlight the humdrum, unnecessary, rote nature of how people try to fit in and even comply to trying to be decent people. It’s not to say that both characters are far from decent, but in their boyish attempts to immerse themselves into different characters (complete with the singing Barber Shop quartet), they fail at the attempts of trying to fit in. They are rebels and “misfits” for life, it seems. And it isn’t for the sake of trying.
Mike tries very hard to win that hot rod because it is the first focused thing he has ever done—besides escaping from the confines of the familial estate through the window. However, when he envisions himself being the small town hero of citizens who don’t necessarily mind their own business, he drops out—only to be faked out by the older opponent himself. On the other hand, Gary tries to do the right thing by trying to take out what seems the “ugliest” girl in the town (with a big, hairy beauty mark). The whole town seems to be rooting for him because finally he had seemly passed the test. But in the conundrum of being “nice” and being “honest”, he’s the one who gets to be played. He got to know his date, but the old Charlie Horse of looks kicked in. It’s nice to know that he ever contemplated just liking a girl for who she was, but even a nerd like him is motivated by the more seemingly convenience of only being pleasured by beautiful women. A guy’s guy with only one thinking head, if you ask me. And it isn’t in the most obvious place.
Boys will be boys—which doesn’t offer anything new to the girls except one fact: both Gary and Mike get their comeuppance through bitter irony. Both experiences serve to teach them that they can’t just place their opinions on other people. Mike realizes that the only life for him is to be a loser. And the girl who Gary dumps turns out to be a total fox. So, it’s only Texas justice for them (After all, a sign in a little gas station that I passed by once in the Lone Star State read—with a gun attached to the bottom—“We don’t call 911 around here”). They get chased out of town with the townsfolk not waving pitchforks, but racing in their pick-up trucks. Gary and Mike didn’t get strung up, not to mention tarred and feathered. However, they might get a lot of indigestion from those Bible burgers.
It only leaves one thing: I can’t wait to see where they end up next—if only to stir up more trouble.
“A Road Trip Tom Green Would Be Proud Of” ©2001 by Ceci M.
If you have any questions or comments about this essay, e-mail: cecim999@yahoo.com.