Nick Kroll Movies
Though barely recognizable behind the makeup and latex, Hollywood actor Nick Kroll arrived in the limelight circa fall 2007. He was cast as Nick, a hairy, stone-age Neanderthal humorously attempting to grapple with the complications of life in contemporary Atlanta, in the ABC series Cavemen. The sitcom pulled inspiration from the famous Geico auto insurance commercials that filled network airwaves in years prior. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2009
A young man (TJ Miller) drunkenly responds to an online ad that most would consider to be spam, but ends up being a real offer from a prince (Tracy Morgan) looking to cash in on his African fortune. John Mulaney and Nick Kroll provide the screenplay for the Paramount Pictures comedy. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2007
The ABC sitcom Cavemen was inspired by a popular TV advertising campaign for GEICO Auto Insurance. These were the ads which a smarmy commercial spokesman who claimed that a GEICO policy was so simple that "Even a caveman could understand it" was taken to task by a pair of real cavemen, who despite their goonish Neanderthal appearance--matted hair, buck teeth, bushy eyebrows et.al.--were urbane, sardonically witty and very easily offended! In the weekly-series version of this concept, a trio of young, hip cavemen lived and worked in contemporary San Diego, doing their best to fit in with the non-caveman world while still remaining fiercely loyal to their prehistoric "roots". Bill English played Joel Claybrook, the hardest-working of the three "primitives", who secretly broke the unofficial Code of the "Maggers" (a nickmame for Cro-Magnons) by falling in love with Kate (Kaitlin Doubleday), a blonde, blue eyed "Sape" (short for "Homo Sapiens", a cavemen term for those who'd evolved into "modern" humans). Nick Kroll was Joel's roommate Nick Hedge, a sullen slacker who militantly disapproved of mixing the species and had no intention of ever assimilating into the "Sape" world. Sam Huntington rounded out the threesome as Joel's nerdish, whiny younger brother Andy. Jeff Daniel Phillips, who'd starred in the original GEICO commercials, was seen as the protagonist's friend and fellow "Magger" Maurice. Others in the cast included Stephanie Lemelin as Kate's best friend Thorne, a "Sape" with an insatiable Caveman fetish, and Julie White as Leslie, the realtor for the boys' apartment building, who had to keep admonishing them to behave like everyone else and not be so "primal." The ABC publicity department proudly trumpetted the rather obvious fact that Cavemen was intended to be a metaphorical slam against racial prejudice (it was even more obvious in the pilot episode, which was set deep in the American south--Atlanta, to be exact) and a plea for tolerance and understanding for those among us who were a little bit different. . .or even a whole lot different! The series' unsung heroes were the talented members of the makeup crew, who convincingly transformed the three stars into hirsute cavedwellers without sacrificing the actors' personalities or hampering their natural facial movements. The much-ballyhooed network premiere of Cavemen took place on October 2, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill English, Dash Mihok, (more)
- 2007
- PG13
A twentysomething misfit dedicates his life to giving the drummer some, even when the drums are only imaginary, in this comedy written and directed by comic Ari Gold. Power (Gold) grew up in a small mining town in New Mexico, where his father (Michael McKean) always imagined his son would one day join him in digging copper from the earth. But Power has a dream of playing the drums, and since he doesn't have a drum kit, he's become a master of "air drums," flailing his arms in the manner of Neil Peart or Keith Moon against a huge but nonexistent set of traps. Power's desire to become the world's greatest air drummer doesn't earn him much respect at home, so he travels to Mexico, where he learns of an air-drumming competition in Newark, NJ. Power hits the road for the garden state and meets Carlos (Steven Williams), a master air drummer who becomes his guide in the art of not really playing. Power also gets some much-needed encouragement from Annie (Shoshannah Stern), a sweet born-again girl living upstairs from him. But when Power learns that his father back home is leading a strike to save jobs for the employees at the local copper mine, winning the title becomes a matter of defending the honor of his family and his hometown, and he dedicates himself to defeating arrogant country music star Dallas Houston (Adrien Grenier), who is favored to win. Adventures of Power also stars Jane Lynch, Travis Johns, and Jimmy Jean-Louis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ari Gold, Michael McKean, (more)
