Metal Detector Maniac

MOVIE #1,932 • SCORE 9/10 • 09.02.24
SERIES: FARLEY/ROXBURGH DIRECTOR FOCUS

After taking a break from my regular serieses, it was nice to re-enter the Motern Cinematic Universe (MCU). This one doesn't get much love in the pantheon of that world but I thought it totally hit the Farley/Roxburgh sweet spot. The great champions of this oeuvre, The Important Cinema Club Podcast, have often cited Local Legends as one of the greatest films made about creativity, but A) I’ll never truly love that film because it reminds me of Clerks too much (although I am looking forward to the just-announced sequel, Local Legends: Bloodbath!), and B) I would present Metal Detector Maniac as an even better example of a film that’s truly about the creative process and finding inspiration in the mundane / creating a magical world out of the seeming drudgery of small town American life.

This film is the embodiment of the life imitating art imitating life (and so on) loop, and even has a 24-track record to show for it (available on vinyl!). I also thought this had the best pace and flow of any Motern picture yet while still delivering on so many great bits and running jokes, all while framing its narrative of them making said record about everything that’s happening within the movie. Some of my favorite quips:

• “Let's call the call cops whenever we get writer's block”
• “I can't believe the locksmith moonlights as a pizza delivery guy.”
• “Like Lewis and Clark did with Sacagawea”

I know it’s a controversial opinion (and their next film Magic Spot might immediately unseat it) but I think Metal Detector Maniac is the leader in the clubhouse for best Farley/Roxburgh movie to date. This moment towards the end of the film — when Matt Farley (as Matt Farley) and Tom Scalzo (as Tom Scalzo) are presenting their sabbatical research to the board — beautifully sums up their ethos…


Just a wonderful and hilarious movie. Even the rushed WTF courtroom sketch voiceover ending couldn’t shake my love for it. I highly recommend.

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CHRONOLOGICALLY
⫷ MOVIE #1,931 - (YOU ARE HERE) - MOVIE #1,933 ⫸

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Two music professors on sabbatical become suspicious of a metal detectorist. It was released on September 4, 2021.