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Rented Lips
Rented Lips
Rented Lips
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Rented Lips
Directed byRobert Downey Sr.
Written byMartin Mull
StarringMartin Mull
Dick Shawn
Jennifer Tilly
Robert Downey Jr.
CinematographyRobert Yeoman
Music byVan Dyke Parks
Distributed byThe Vista Organization
Release date
  • July 1, 1988 (1988-07-01)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Rented Lips is a 1988 satire comedy film directed by Robert Downey Sr., and starring his son Robert Downey Jr., as well as Martin Mull, Dick Shawn, and Jennifer Tilly.[1] It was the final film appearance of Shawn, who died in 1987.[2]

Plot

[edit]

Archie is a documentary filmmaker who works alongside his best friend and cinematographer Charlie on films such as Aluminum, Our Shiny Friend. He still lives at home with his mother, who is frustrated at Archie's single-minded focus on filmmaking, as she would rather he go out and meet a nice woman.

The two friends are given a chance to create their passion project, a musical on Indian farming techniques if they complete a film for an executive, who will allow them to use the same cast and crew. When they arrive on set they discover that the film is actually a porno with a terrible script set during World War II. The two decide to continue on and improve the script, which they turn into a musical exploitation film. Various issues pop up on and off set, which include an eccentric actor named Wolf and threats to the film executive from an extreme religious organization.

Archie's mother sets him up on a blind date with Mona Lisa, who is delighted to learn he is a director. Swayed by her looks and enthusiasm, Mona Lisa is added to the cast but is given no adult scenes. This frustrates Wolf, who tries to incorporate sex scenes from the original script, only to be rebuffed by Mona Lisa. Just as filming is going well, the leader of the religious organization, Rev. Farrell, arrives on set with several of his followers to set everything on fire. He stops when he sees Mona Lisa, who is revealed to be his daughter. This all proves too much for Archie, who storms off the set. Archie ultimately changes his mind and decides to complete both films. He also learns that Rev. Farrell made pornography himself and was responsible for writing the original script, which Archie uses as blackmail.

Ultimately Archie completes both films and achieves professional success. The film then cuts to a scene of Archie waking up, as he had been sleeping on his typewriter. He then continues to write, after which the scenes of professional success continue, leaving it up to the viewer to determine whether the events really happened or was only a script he was writing.

Cast

[edit]

Release

[edit]

Rented Lips was released theatrically in July 1988.[4] It was released to home video in September of the same year.[5]

Reception

[edit]

Critical reception for Rented Lips was negative upon its release.[6][7] Reviewers for The Calgary Herald and Des Moines Register both panned the film, the former stating that it was a movie "destined for the list of the worst movies ever made."[8][9] The Daily Times-Advocate was similarly critical, writing "I can't recall ever seeing a movie so unprofessionally written and executed or so embarrassingly played. It's shabby."[10]

References

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Rented Lips

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
is a 1988 American satirical comedy film directed by Robert Downey Sr., centering on a documentary filmmaker who reluctantly directs a low-budget pornographic production to secure funding for his passion project on Native American corn farming. The film stars Martin Mull as the protagonist Archie Powell, alongside Dick Shawn as his partner Charlie Slater, with supporting roles by Jennifer Tilly as Mona and an early appearance by Robert Downey Jr. as the porn actor Wolf Dangler. Released on July 1, 1988, it lampoons the absurdities of independent filmmaking and the adult industry through escalating chaos, including transforming the porn shoot into a musical titled Halloween in the Barracks. The plot follows Powell, a veteran of obscure documentaries like Aluminum: Our Shiny Friend, who faces pressure from a public television producer to complete the porn film before pursuing his agricultural documentary. Production involved Downey Sr.'s signature experimental style, drawing from his background in underground cinema, but the film struggled with narrative coherence, blending satire with slapstick elements that critics found uneven. Despite featuring notable performers such as and , Rented Lips earned a dismal 3.9/10 rating on from user reviews, reflecting its limited commercial success and niche appeal. Though lacking major awards or box office achievements, the movie is occasionally noted for presaging trajectories of its younger cast members, including Downey Jr.'s eccentric portrayal amid his pre-stardom roles, and for exemplifying 1980s low-budget genre-blending experiments that prioritized irreverence over polish. Its reception underscores challenges in satirical filmmaking, where ambitious premises falter without tight execution, positioning it as a curiosity in Downey Sr.'s oeuvre rather than a mainstream hit.

Background and Development

Origins and Concept

Rented Lips originated from a screenplay penned by comedian and actor , who drew upon his experiences in the entertainment industry to craft a narrative satirizing the compromises inherent in independent filmmaking. Mull's script posits that artistic ambition often clashes with financial realities, a theme rooted in the era's challenges for non-mainstream creators seeking funding amid Hollywood's dominance. The project was developed in the mid-1980s, with production commencing around 1987 under the direction of , reflecting a collaboration between Mull's comedic sensibilities—honed through satirical television work—and Downey's avant-garde background in underground cinema. The film's central concept revolves around two down-on-their-luck documentary filmmakers, Archie Powell and , who secure financing for their passion project—a serious exploration of Native American corn farming—only by agreeing to complete a low-budget adult abandoned by its original director. This premise enables a on creative , as the protagonists transform the pornographic endeavor into an inept musical titled Halloween in the Barracks, complete with outlandish production numbers and cast mishaps. The underscores causal tensions between highbrow aspirations and exploitative genres, critiquing how public television producers and investors impose pragmatic constraints that dilute visionary intent.

Screenwriting and Influences

Martin Mull wrote the screenplay for Rented Lips, marking his debut as a feature film screenwriter and producer. The narrative revolves around two aspiring documentary filmmakers—portrayed by Mull as Archie Powell and Dick Shawn as Charlie Slater—who secure funding for their unconventional project only after agreeing to produce a pornographic film as a condition of the deal. This dual-production setup drives the film's comedic tension, satirizing the film industry's artistic pretensions, financial compromises, and moral absurdities through exaggerated characters and mockumentary sequences. The script's tone and structure reflect Mull's established satirical style from television, including his work on mock-news programs like (1977–1978), where he contributed to absurd, deadpan critiques of American culture and media. While specific literary or cinematic inspirations for Rented Lips remain undocumented in available accounts, the film's blend of low-budget and industry aligns with Mull's broader oeuvre of ironic, character-driven humor targeting hypocrisy, as seen in his earlier collaborations with . Mull's writing emphasizes verbal wit and situational escalation over conventional plotting, prioritizing thematic bite—such as the collision of highbrow aspirations with exploitative realities—without reliance on overt plot twists.

Production

Casting Decisions

Martin Mull, the film's screenwriter and producer, selected himself for the central role of Archie Powell, a struggling documentary filmmaker whose ambitions lead to unintended involvement in pornography production. This self-casting aligned with Mull's creative control over the project, allowing him to embody the satirical directly. Director cast his son, Robert Downey Jr., as Wolf Dangler, a ventriloquist entangled in the film's pornographic subplot; this decision reflected Downey Sr.'s recurring practice of featuring his son in supporting roles across his independent productions during the . Downey Jr. later described the character as a "porno star" in a 1988 interview, highlighting the role's comedic absurdity within the mockumentary framework. Casting director oversaw principal selections, including as Charlie Slater, Mull's hapless filmmaking partner, and in an early career role as , a performer in the adult film segments. Production faced adjustments due to actor availability: replaced as Heather Darling, the porn producer's associate, while stepped in for —who died in July 1987—as Reverend Farrell, a hypocritical religious figure. These substitutions maintained the ensemble's blend of character actors known for eccentric supporting turns, fitting the film's low-budget, improvisational .

Filming Process

Principal photography for Rented Lips took place in Glendale, California. The production schedule ran from January 19, 1987, to February 26, 1987, encompassing a roughly six-week shoot for the low-budget satire. Directed by Robert Downey Sr., the filming aligned with the film's independent ethos, utilizing local Southern California settings to depict its mockumentary-style narrative involving documentary filmmakers pivoting to adult film production. Limited public details exist on specific challenges or daily operations, consistent with the era's smaller-scale indie projects under Vista Organization, which prioritized efficiency over extensive location scouting or effects work.

Technical and Stylistic Choices

Cinematography was provided by Robert D. Yeoman, who employed straightforward visual techniques suited to the film's low-budget , focusing on interior sets for the sequences depicting the production of a pornographic musical. Yeoman's work emphasized comedic framing to highlight the absurdity of the filmmakers' predicament, with minimal to underscore the contrived, studio-bound nature of the mocked genres. Editing was handled by Christopher Greenbury, who structured the narrative to intercut documentary-style footage with exaggerated porn parody scenes, creating a rhythmic contrast that amplifies the film's meta-commentary on commercial compromises in filmmaking. This approach facilitated quick cuts during the in-film musical numbers, such as "Halloween in the Bunker," to mimic the frenetic pace of low-rent productions while maintaining satirical detachment. The score was composed by , incorporating whimsical, orchestral elements that parody show-tune conventions within the pornographic context, drawing on Parks' background in eclectic arrangements for projects like collaborations. Sound design integrated dubbed dialogue and amplified comedic sound effects to enhance the film's absurdist tone, aligning with director 's penchant for experimental audio layering in his independent works. Overall, Downey Sr.'s stylistic choices favored irreverent over polished , using threadbare production values to satirize the clash between artistic aspirations and exploitative demands, evident in the seamless blending of realism with over-the-top musical interludes. This unpretentious, boundary-testing method reflected the era's underground cinema trends, prioritizing conceptual humor over technical virtuosity.

Synopsis

Plot Summary

Rented Lips centers on Archie Powell (Martin Mull), a middling documentary filmmaker in Los Angeles who has labored for 15 years on uninspired educational shorts, including Aluminum: Our Shiny Friend and a proposed project on Indian farming techniques. His longtime collaborator, editor and cameraman Charlie Slater (Dick Shawn), grows increasingly exasperated with their lack of breakthroughs and yearns for a commercial hit. The duo's fortunes shift when they encounter public television producer Wolf Dangler (Robert Downey Jr.), who dangles funding for Powell's farming documentary—but only if they first helm a low-budget pornographic feature titled Rented Lips. To secure the deal, Powell reimagines the adult as a Nazi-themed musical called Halloween in the Bunker, shot at a seedy with a cast of misfit performers in leather attire and exaggerated personas. As production descends into farce, Powell attempts to elevate the sleazy endeavor with song-and-dance numbers and artistic flourishes, even extending the musical format to his parallel efforts, while navigating chaotic on-set dynamics and the inherent absurdities of blending pretentious with explicit content. The narrative satirizes Hollywood compromises, contrasting Powell's self-serious ambitions against the vulgar realities imposed by opportunistic backers.

Cast and Crew

Principal Performers

leads the cast as Archie Powell, a documentary filmmaker who reluctantly agrees to direct a low-budget adult film titled Halloween in the Bunker to finance his passion project on Indian farming techniques. co-stars as , Powell's hapless collaborator and ventriloquist whose act involves rented dummy lips, adding to the film's chaotic production . Jennifer Tilly portrays Mona Lisa, a performer in the adult film who embodies the movie's blend of absurdity and eroticism. Robert Downey Jr., in an early career role, plays Wolf Dangler, contributing to the ensemble's offbeat dynamics. Kenneth Mars appears as Reverend Farrell, providing through his hypocritical clerical character. Edy Williams rounds out key performers as Heather Darling, enhancing the film's campy, Russ Meyer-inspired elements.

Key Production Personnel

Robert Downey Sr. directed Rented Lips, marking one of his later narrative features following his experimental underground films of the and . The screenplay was written by , who also served as , bringing his background as a comedian and musician to the satirical script about media compromise. Cinematography was handled by Robert D. Yeoman, known for his work on independent comedies, employing a straightforward visual style to underscore the film's elements. Christopher Greenbury edited the film, contributing to its pacing amid the chaotic narrative of documentary filmmakers pivoting to adult content production; Greenbury also held an associate producer credit. The original score was composed by , whose eclectic arrangements added whimsical undertones to the comedy's absurd scenarios. Additional key roles included line producer Mel Howard, casting director , and production designer George Costello, who managed the low-budget sets depicting public television and adult film worlds.

Release

Theatrical Distribution

Rented Lips premiered theatrically in the United States on July 1, 1988, following its production by The Vista Organization. The release was limited in scope, typical for independent comedies of the with modest budgets, and targeted urban art-house theaters rather than wide national distribution. Lorimar handled distribution for several Vista Organization titles, including Rented Lips, facilitating its limited rollout to capitalize on the ensemble cast's cult appeal among niche audiences. No comprehensive box office data exists for the opening weekend or total domestic gross, indicative of its minimal theatrical footprint and primary reliance on subsequent video and cable markets for visibility. An earlier screening occurred in on October 28, 1987, possibly at a , preceding the U.S. commercial release by nearly nine months. This staggered international exposure underscores the film's challenges in securing broad theatrical bookings amid competition from major studio productions in 1988.

Marketing and Promotion

Rented Lips received limited marketing efforts consistent with its status as a low-budget independent . Promotional activities focused on trade publications, with advertisements placed in 1988 industry magazines distributed to video retailers to support the release. These ads highlighted the film's satirical premise and cast, including and an early appearance by Robert Downey Jr., to generate interest among distributors and rental outlets. Press materials included photographs of performers such as , distributed to media for coverage around the film's theatrical debut on July 15, 1988. Theatrical distribution in the United States was handled by Pictures, while International Video Entertainment managed the domestic market, indicating a strategy emphasizing ancillary revenue streams over wide theatrical advertising. Standard one-sheet posters were produced as key visual promotional assets. No evidence exists of extensive television or radio campaigns, reflecting the film's modest production scale and niche appeal.

Reception and Legacy

Critical Response

Upon its theatrical release in 1988, Rented Lips received predominantly negative reviews from critics, who praised initial satirical elements but faulted the film for abandoning its premise and descending into unfocused absurdity. In the Los Angeles Times, a July 15, 1988, review noted that the movie begins promisingly with Martin Mull's portrayal of a filmmaker unwittingly producing pornography, highlighting strong performances by Mull as Archie Powell and Dick Shawn in a standout role, yet criticized it for veering into a "greased slide to oblivion" with misfiring jokes, protracted gags, and an ill-advised shift to garish campy musical sequences featuring ineffective songs by Van Dyke Parks. The critique concluded that adhering to the core concept of public television producers exploiting independent filmmakers could have yielded an "off-color gem," but unnecessary detours, including extraneous characters like Kenneth Mars's, undermined the potential. Professional coverage was limited, reflecting the film's modest distribution and niche appeal as a low-budget directed by , with no aggregate critic scores available on platforms like due to insufficient reviews. Contemporary user-generated assessments on averaged 3.9 out of 10 from over 400 ratings, echoing professional sentiments by decrying poor scripting, disjointed plotting, and uneven humor, though some acknowledged the absurdity's quirky interest. The film's , written by and starring Mull, drew mixed reactions for its subtle, plot-centric , which critics and audiences alike found underdeveloped compared to Mull's stronger satirical work in television like . Overall, reviewers viewed Rented Lips as a missed opportunity in independent , hampered by structural flaws despite a talented ensemble including early appearances by Robert Downey Jr. and .

Box Office and Commercial Outcome

Rented Lips was released theatrically in the United States on , 1988. No domestic, international, or worldwide gross figures are available for the film in industry-standard trackers. Similarly, no budget information or earnings data appear in databases such as or UK-specific records, where totals are listed as zero. The film's absence from 1988 domestic box office rankings and lack of reported financial metrics indicate it achieved negligible commercial performance.

Retrospective Views and Cult Status

Rented Lips has received scant retrospective analysis, with most modern interest stemming from its early roles for and , alongside Martin Mull's screenplay and performance. The film's obscurity is underscored by its rarity in availability, often requiring specialized searches or vintage media like tapes marketed loosely as " comedy" by sellers, though without substantive evidence of devoted . User evaluations reflect dim views, as evidenced by an aggregate rating of 3.9 out of 10 from 429 votes, where reviewers frequently cite watching it only for Downey Jr.'s brief appearance and dismiss it as unremarkable or inferior to his other early work. No Rotten Tomatoes critic score exists, indicating negligible professional reevaluation, and audience discourse positions it among highly obscure releases rather than revered oddities. Discussions in film communities, such as threads on forgotten movies, highlight its elusiveness without acclaiming ironic appeal or midnight screening appeal typical of cult entries. Post-release mentions tie it to actors' obituaries—e.g., Dick Shawn's final role or Martin Mull's eclectic —but lack praise for the film's enduring merits or satirical bite. Overall, it remains a footnote in independent comedy , unrevived by streaming or festivals, contrasting with contemporaries that gained niche traction through quotable absurdity or ensemble nostalgia.

References

  1. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095978/
  2. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095978/plotsummary/
  3. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-07-15-ca-6963-story.html
  4. https://www.studiocanal.com/title/rented-lips-1987/
  5. https://variety.com/2024/film/news/martin-mull-dead-clue-arrested-development-1236057168/
  6. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095978/fullcredits/
  7. https://www.wdw-magazine.com/5-facts-about-disney-legend-robert-downey-jr/
  8. https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/robert-downey-jr-s-weird-science-of-acting-179642/
  9. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0043497/
  10. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095978/trivia/
  11. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rented_lips
  12. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095978/locations/
  13. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095978/companycredits/
  14. https://www.sensesofcinema.com/2016/great-directors/robert-downey-sr/
  15. https://mediafunhouse.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-two-eras-of-deceased-artiste-robert.html
  16. https://mubi.com/en/us/films/rented-lips
  17. https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/181463-rented-lips
  18. https://letterboxd.com/film/rented-lips/
  19. https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/181463-rented-lips/cast
  20. https://rdjfilmguide.neocities.org/guide/fg-rented-lips
  21. https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/181463-rented-lips/cast?language=en-US
  22. https://www.captainwatch.com/film/181463/rented-lips
  23. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl2590868993/
  24. https://www.filmreference.com/film/31/Robert-Downey.html
  25. https://www.wikiwand.com/en/articles/Lorimar_Television
  26. https://www.ebay.com/itm/273678437186
  27. https://www.ebay.com/itm/306075774796
  28. https://www.posterazzi.com/rented-lips-movie-poster-print-27-x-40-item-movib87683
  29. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095978/reviews/
  30. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0095978/
  31. https://25thframe.co.uk/movies/rented-lips/uk-box-office
  32. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/1988/
  33. https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/1988-movies/
  34. https://www.ebay.com/itm/175649736094
  35. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095978/ratings/
  36. https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1na4uc1/most_obscure_movie_youve_seen_that_you_can/
  37. https://travsd.wordpress.com/2017/12/01/dick-shawn-literally-died-on-stage/
  38. https://doyletatum.com/2024/06/30/martin-mull-dies/
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