Win a Trip to Browntown! is an independent comedy that has a fun premise. Frank Tsigas (writer-director George A. Tramountanas) is an aspiring writer with a loving family. One night his wife makes a unique bet with him. If he can lose fifty pounds in three months, she will give him a unique sexual gift. It does not take long for things to go off the rails. Frank’s wife Laura (Kendra McDermott) is clearly not into the prize. It was something said in the spur of the moment after Frank shames her for being sexually “normal”. It is supposed to be funny, but Frank just comes off as a giant pervert.
This is an ongoing problem in Win a Trip to Browntown! The idea is silly, but the plot is creepy about the whole thing. While Laura fears losing the bet, Frank talks with his co-workers about living his dream. Forty somethings engaging in locker room talk about anal sex is about as funny as it sounds. When the film is focused on Laura, the jokes are not much better. They are less disturbing, but there are still few laughs to be found.
Frank is a horrible character. He is selfish, whiny, and refuses to take accountability for anything. Win a Trip to Browntown! tries to justify Frank’s attitude with some quick fixes, but it never works. Especially since it is hard to tell whether he actually learned anything or is just more aware of what an awful person he is. He seems like the same person at the end of the movie as he is at the beginning.
In Frank’s defense, all the men are terrible, with the highlight being the one who agrees to get married after his girlfriend makes a deal similar to Frank and Laura’s bet. There are so many bad euphemisms that a character even comments on it. This does not change the fact that Win a Trip to Browntown! lacks self-awareness. It just makes the journey that much messier.
Win a Trip to Browntown! opens on digital platforms March 22
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