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Movie:		8.0
Picture:		6.0
Sound:		6.0
Extras:		7.0
Score:		7.0

Director(s):	Darren Curtis • Pat Kiely
Writer(s):	Darren Curtis & Pat Kiely & Matt Silver
Starring:	Darren Curtis • Pat Kiely • Matt Silver • Kristin Adams
Genre:	Comedy • Drama
Website:	http://www.whoiskkdowney.com/
Release Date:	November 03, 2009

List Price:	DVD - $24.99
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“There's this hilarious dive karaoke bar with this like one-armed waitress that totally hits on everybody.”

This is just one of the many pearls you will hear in Who is KK Downey?, a very indie flick devoted to the hilarity of hipsterdom. That this “hilarious dive karaoke bar” is the perfect place for a funeral's after-party is the tabasco-flavored icing on the vegan cake that reads “Congratulations on a Short Parole!” for no reason.

Who is KK Downey? revolves around two über-hip twenty-something losers, Terrance and Theo (played by co-creators Darren Curtis and Matt Silver, respectfully). They live together, play in a band together, and more or less fail at life together. After Theo's manuscript about KK Downey, a southern boy with a sordid past, is rejected by his manager because no one wants to buy a book by a chubby white boy from the suburbs, he and Terrance concoct a plan: they'll bring to life the character of KK and pass off the book as a memoir.

Cut to three months later: KK's fame suddenly escalates to epic proportions (indeed, there is something strangely Warhol-esque about this character). Everyone loves KK; he's an inspiration to all. “For the first time, one piece of art united all the scenesters from all the scenes,” one reviewer says. “Even the most jaded cynic could be heard to remark, 'Pretty dope, dude.'”

Everything's going swimmingly for the boys — the money's rolling in, girls are interested, the drugs are aplenty — until Connor Rooney (Pat Kiely, another co-creator), the douchebag boyfriend of Terrance's ex, decides to do a little investigating. He doesn't buy the wonder that is KK, and after making an ass of himself and getting the hell beat out of him, finally finds a little relief in the form of the real deal behind KK Downey.

The film is funny largely because of its deprecating self-awareness. Whether the creators are true hipsters themselves or just reacting to the taunting that's arisen in response to the movement, they didn't let a chance for complete absurdity pass them by, from Theo's crossed eyes to Terrence's father's employment at a helicopter factory (which, as revealed in the commentary, was an on-the-spot joke made up by the actor playing the dad).

While the movie seems generally ridiculous, and its characters completely unbelievable, its accuracy shines through during the opening credits. As also revealed in the commentary, the parties Terrance goes to are real, which means the hipsters are real. A non-hipster may watch this movie and think that there is no way people like this can exist — people who are in it just for the irony, the stupidity, the bragging rights — but they are real. They live in Williamsburg (Brooklyn, not Virginia, though I'm sure they'd get lots of street cred if they did).

DVD Bonus Features

The extras (or VIP Bonus Features) on this disc are pretty basic. There are “Behind the Scenes Stills;” a montage of Facebook- and Twitter-worthy photos; some deleted scenes; about two-and-a-half minutes of outtakes to show how fun-loving the cast and crew are; the film's trailer; and a commentary which, sadly, seems to shed no light on exactly what the filmmakers were trying to achieve.