Dingus is your basic village idiot. What I mean by that is this entire film takes place in this little, Middle America, backwater town. The people there like it that way, well, except for the Mayor. He thinks there should be a McDonalds to get the folks off the highway and into their little town. He’s the only one who thinks so.

And then there’s Excel, Dingus’ girlfriend. All Excel wants is a little action with Dingus. And there’s the problem. Dingus knows that he is destined for greatness, he’s not sure of what, but he knows that he will compete in the Olympics. He just needs to figure out what sport he will be competing in. The Mayor gets wind of this and realizes if he can help Dingus achieve his dream, then it might grease the wheels with the locals and get him the McDonald’s that he wants. So, it’s time to fake the Olympics.

After many false starts, Dingus realizes that he wants to be a wrestler. While he’s doing that, the Mayor is making sure that Dingus thinks that the Olympic Games are coming to their town. Given what the Mayor has to work with, it ain’t easy. Plus, now the Mayor has taken a shine to Excel, causing his real motive to be a plot is to make Dingus into the laughingstock of town.

THE TRIUMPH OF DINGUS MCGRAW, VILLAGE IDIOT is one of those unclassifiable films. It’s not a family film because there is some weird stuff going on that would corrupt the young ones. It’s not a horror movie, or a SciFi movie. In the end, it’s not really a comedy or drama, although it has elements of both. It’s not even one of those painful to watch films that try to make itself into being a cult film. It’s quirky, bizarre, and a little weird and fun to watch. If I didn’t know better, I would say that it’s one of those movies that isn’t even trying to be a movie. It seems effortless, which makes for a good film.

The writing is good and the film is pretty to look at, even having a bit of a sepia tone feel throughout much of it. The acting works on all levels, with Dingus’ dad and the Mayor being two of the standouts.

This was just a screener so there are no extras, but this type of movie would lend itself to a blooper reel and a directory’s commentary. I would like to hear the director’s thought processes in the making of this picture. In the end THE TRIUMPH OF DINGUS MCGRAW, VILLAGE IDIOT is just one of those movies you watch, smile, and are glad you watched it. Perfect.