Recently the opportunity came to me to review a film in 2022 called The Mardi Gras Man. When I saw the trailer my first impression was that this little independent movie may not be that well done. however, I’m glad to say my first impression was wrong. In this film, our main character Jensen Holloway played by actor Chris Korkalo, is trying to save his marriage. His wife has given the impression that he did not live up to her standards and we find out at the beginning of the film that she had asked him to move out. He complies thinking it will save his marriage, his wife then uses his absence as leverage against him. Her behavior throughout the film, from infidelity to emasculation, pushes Janson towards despair and then emotional growth.
Janson moves to another town where he is offered a better job with more prestige and money. this movie is smart enough to let you see how Janson is and show you the kind of heart our hero has. Throughout the film, we see that Janson is a person who uses authority and position in a way to help others. Throughout the film, he has the opportunity to engage with different females up until the time his marriage ends, but, he remains true to his wife and daughter.
Article credit: Colin Warren Hicks
While he’s moving into his new digs he gets a parking ticket and honestly shares his information with the police department the offset that wrote him the ticket Rochelle Swanson played by actress Arkeisha Roberts, apologizes to him after the little dust-up they have over her ticket. both Janson and Rochelle are shown as human beings with honest emotions and have a realistic take on their confrontation.
During Janson’s transition to his new surroundings, he meets up with Tom Karkut, the owner of the local hardware store, played by veteran actor Robert Shepherd, who becomes a mentor and good friend to our hero.
One evening Janson goes out for a run wearing black jogging pants, a bright yellow jogging pullover, and a hat was some crazy green designs with an attached face mask while running at night he comes into a situation where he comes to the aid of someone in trouble and the Mardi Gras man is born. The production of this film is done as well as it can be on the budget it has. For example, some of the critical comments made about the film were about its inconsistent police uniforms. With the cost of replicating a specific city or licensing costs for a specific law enforcement agency, the production company got creative. Rather than try to copy an established police Department’s uniforms the production company found a way to make the fictional agency as neutral as possible.
Speaking of heart, that’s what this film has the most of, and that’s a good thing. Although this film partially centers on Janson and a couple of brief appearances of him in the mask, this film is more along the lines of a romantic drama. However, it has elements of the golden age comic vigilantes or pulp characters in the plot. In those older stories, it was quite normal, especially in the once-only appearance characters to be someone in the “wrong place at the right time” and grab whatever was handy to disguise themselves while in action.
This film came out in 2022 somewhere along the same time as when the much-talked-about superhero films burnout had begun. however, this film is a palette cleanser for all the CGI-created, unbelievable characters.
It remembers the average guy, which pretty much all of your big-budget superhero films ignore. This film very much understands the average Joe has ups and downs, but still triumphs, and his drive to do the right thing despite the circumstances or harshness in their lives. Some parts of the plot might seem a little bit like filler, or a little on the boring side, however, this film is more like a romantic drama than a film made for the cape and cowl crowd.
I would recommend this film to those who want something a little bit different than the average superhero or Hallmark Channel movie of the week. This movie feels like those hidden gems you sometimes would find at the old video store when you find a film you think is going to be on the cheap side, but managed to entertain and charm you.
The Mardi Gras Man was directed by Dave Hobbs, James R. Sanzo and Robert Shepherd were the primary executive producers. Also, several of the cast members acted as executive producers for the film, so the earnestness and honesty throughout the movie were there as they were a part of the film both on the camera and off.
One last accolade for this film. If you grew up in a time when a made-for-TV film had just a little bit of adult drama and situations for intrigue, but, stayed clean enough that you wouldn’t have to have your kids look away every five minutes, this film is for you.
The Mardi Gras Man is currently streaming on Tubi and is worth your time to check out a much-needed breath of fresh air in the pollution of superhero and tired romantic dramas.