Carter, a 21-year-old mama’s boy still living at home, faces an ultimatum after his mom gets engaged to her vindictive cop boyfriend: secure a paid promotion at his internship by the end of the day or find a new place to live. Determined to land the job, Carter is handed an outrageous to-do list by his boss, including getting his Jeep detailed (it gets towed), babysitting his boss’s rebellious teenage son (he loses the kid), organizing a birthday party (a model overdoses on the living room floor), and recovering a stolen sex tape (a world-famous rapper kidnaps Carter’s best friend during a botched blackmail attempt)...
OK, Fair Warning:
First off, the adult in me wants to say this film is not for kids because of language, drug use, and sex (talk.) But then the kid in me says most adults won’t understand the slang, catch on to the drug use, and there is only one sex scene and it doesn’t involve nudity. So yeah, if you want to get annoyed, you’ll get annoyed. But hey, you’ll be wrong. So sit back and enjoy the show. (Later you can Google the slang you missed.)
Cotton Candy Bubble Gum refers to a brand of gum that Carter uses to control his anxiety attacks. And yes, this boy has regular attacks about most everyday things. Of course, this being a movie where things that mean a lot to Carter just start falling apart, rolling down a hill, and then catching on fire… well he chews a lot of gum.
The day revolves around Carter, aided by his friend Angel, trying to elevate his position from unpaid intern to paid aid/gofer. This involves prep for a party for models, a gangster rapper named Capital Gains, and his boss. A disturbingly long and detailed to-do list is dumped on him, along with taking care of his boss’ mouthy son. Angel pops up with his brand of “help.” He’s going to make good use of the boss’ house to throw his own early party with a bag of “sched 1” (drugs, see I saved you a Google), and some models.
Without giving anything more away, things just start to unravel from there.
There are a lot of fun locations here, and the camera work moves us seamlessly through the geography and the day. Although I didn’t hear anyone mention their location in the film, I did recognize some of West Hollywood, which is always colorful and interesting. The cast is all fun to watch, and the script really moves along. While Angel is kind of a slippery and untrustworthy friend, we can really empathize with Carter. He’s really coming to a decision point in his life, and nothing is helping. Of course, the things that are burning and exploding are probably just what he needs right now.
This is one of those movies where a relatively good kid gets in over their head, and adventures just keep taking him deeper and deeper. Seems like every few years this trope these takes a snapshot of our culture. This could be the Superbad, Risky Business, or even The Hangover for the 2020’s. It’s at least a nominee.
Most independent film festivals don’t feature as many crazy comedies as Cinequest is prone to schedule, and that’s one of the reasons why Cinequest is one of the best film festivals around. You really owe yourself some time with Cotton Candy Bubble Gum.
Visit Cinequest for show times and to buy tickets.
You can also watch online at Cinejoy! March 24-31, 2025!
Ric Bretschneider
March 19, 2025
San Jose, California