The Rumperbutts 2021, A Musical Life Lesson

The Rumperbutts is getting a re-release. Why? Who knows. But after a short run back in 2015, Global Digital Releasing has made the film available again. This time digitally wherever you are. You can watch the musical comedy movie, on November 19th, 2021. The Rumperbutts takes everything we know about life with kids being in a mosh pit filled with tiny people shouting out the lyrics to inane songs we pretend to like. For the sake of said munchkins, we tout the latest Wiggles merchandise, blast the horrific Hi-five tunes from our television sets, and dance around for their benefit. Again, why? Because… those little rugrats like it. And it makes them happy.

But what of the people behind the dance troupes whose lives revolve around entertaining brats all day long? The Rumperbutts is a tongue-in-cheek version of everything you know about kids’ concert life and makes it mommy-friendly. And I suppose daddy-friendly too.

Here in The Rumperbutts, the singing duo (Mates of States’ Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel) are the cash cow leads for a children’s show. While they belt out songs like “When Mommy Says No” their marriage is a catastrophic mess of affairs and backstage gibes. They taunt each other behind the scenes with divorce and misery. What’s more, is that their contract with the show means they cannot escape the life they have made for themselves.

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The comedy and drama storyline plays out like musical feature films Moulin Rouge, Anna, and the Apocalypse, and “In the Heights.” The Rumperbutts go through their woes encased in song (and sometimes choreography) to emote. A film that starts with the notion that this ode to all things Mates of State will be a movie to elicit a range of emotions. For some, it might, but for Mother of Movies, the initial opening theme song and notion of a backstage pass to something similar to Emma and Lauchie’s marriage breakdown wore off quickly.

Buoyed by the appearance of a spliff shouting genie (Josh Brener) who name-drops anecdotes from a plethora of time travel movies, The Rumperbutts fails to connect with much in between the lackluster music.

The Rumperbutts doesn’t roll with the comedic opening featuring an audience of kids and parents shouting out crude lines from inappropriate songs while Bonnie and Jack trade insults. It instead opts to delve less into the funny side and rambles down the track of themes like “selling out” and “making good with what you’ve got.” Somehow Bonnie and Jack forgo fighting about the fact he is sleeping with the Fairy Princess and instead take a drive down memory lane. Slowly they begin rewriting the music they used to write and subsequently rewrite their lives in the process. Far less entertaining than it sounds.

The Rumperbutts is rated

2 funny for about 20 minutes out of 5

Starring Kori Gardner, Jason Hammel, Josh Brener, Arian Moayed, and Vanessa Ray. The Rumperbutts features music by “Mates of State.” Available digitally as a rental or digital download from November 2021. 

Directed and written by Marc Brener.

Mates of State Star in 2021 Release of The Rumperbutts

It’s a challenge to rely on anyone in this world..

Quote from The Rumperbutts re-release 2021

The Rumperbutts Trailer