"Patch Town" wanted to be a campy cult classic, sort of like "Repo! The Genetic Opera." What it ended up being was an awkward mish-mash of different genres that didn't combine well.While this film did get a few things right (like the Burton-esque visuals of the industrial Patch Town and one really pretty song towards the middle of the movie) it failed on a lot of counts. The "songs" are usually too short to be considered songs, but rather melodic interludes. A musical scene with the villain is downright awful and not sung, but rather talked with something resembling a melody in the background. The villain's vertically-challenged lackey is supposed to be some sort of comic relief, but his acting and delivery come off as awkward and not funny. The best characters in the movie are our protagonist and his wife. I will say I was quite happy to see a movie with a protagonist that is not "Hollywood Hunk" handsome. He had a nice singing voice, too! So did that girl playing his wife!I know what the creators of "Patch Town" were TRYING to do. They wanted to make a campy cult classic, but the all-over-the-place story, failed humor, and constant shifts in tone really ruined it for me. I will give it points for originality, though.

A film that mixes Eighties nostalgia, fairy tale fantasy, shady industrialism and Christmas magic, Patch Town is a film that "normal" people will likely not enjoy. It's undoubtedly a weird one and you've gotta be a little eccentric yourself to get the gist of its imagination and creativity. I felt that the CGI was rather out-of-place in such a quaint and retro styled film, however it does work quite well on some occasions. And my only other complaint is that as a musical, it has corny songs popping up during the most important scenes in the story which takes away from the pace of the film. Either way, still an amazing and yet criminally underrated and obscure one.The story follows Jon (Rob Ramsay), an overweight factory worker who lives in a housing project with his beloved wife and an illegally obtained baby, Daisy. (the film Eraserhead comes to mind). Jon used to be a doll and his "mother", Bethany (Zoie Palmer) regarded him as an imaginary friend in childhood. Jon dreams of a real life with his family in the real world, however Patch Town is controlled by Yuri (Julian Richings), a strict, standoffish and yet very depressed and forlorn man who has taken over his father's business and is the primary villain in the story. Yuri wants a family of his own just like Jon, however Yuri is ruthless and ends up deciding to have his lackey, Kenny, kidnap Bethany and her young daughter, Avery, as a surrogate family for himself. Meanwhile Jon and his wife (Stephanie Pitsiladis) hitch a ride with Sly (Suresh John), a former doll who now offers asylum to those who wish to escape. Jon attempts to get a job playing a shopping mall Santa Claus, however when he discovers that Kenny has stolen Bethany's daughter (Kayla DiVenere), he plans to rescue her and reunite with Bethany in the process.Excellent story, scenery, soundtrack, but best of all was the acting. Ramsay is hilarious as Jon, being the kindhearted and yet naive hero hanging out of the back of a transfer truck, high on a sugar rush and shouting "CANDY!" at the top of his lungs. Suresh gives the film a dose of comic relief as Sly, a man with the personality of a shifty used car salesman but who really wants to help Bethany. Yuri was an exceptionally interesting corrupt corporate villain, however I ended up just feeling sorry for him when he starts crying and saying that all he wants is a family, and they give him electroshock memory removal. Pretty sad. Pitsiladis as Jon's loving and strong-willed 1950's-dressed wife, does an amazing acting job, and of course Palmer as Bethany, a skeptical woman who doesn't want to believe that her doll came to life, is very talented, too. Patch Town reminded me slightly of Eraserhead, and Edward Scissorhands and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Its humor is based more on subtle imagery and funny quotes, which is refreshing since most films like this today are vulgar and full of sex jokes and swearing and crude humor. Patch Town might scare really little kids but it's still a film that adults and older children can both enjoy. It deserves a much better reputation and I hope it gets it.

This is absolute must watch! I always enjoy films that offer something different, and this one certainly delivers it in a truly fantastic way!I really enjoyed all that the actors had to offer, a lot of heart and humor in this one.I'm a huge fan of Zoie Palmer and her part, she plays perfectly. She always finds a way to pull you in more emotionally. Julian Richings delivers quite the performance in his role, and the way he said a few of his lines made me laugh in that darkly funny way. I loved the back story on how it all came to be, and honestly this movie is way better than I initially thought. I don't want to give anything away, although if you had cabbage patch dolls as I did, you may never look at them the same, lol.It's certainly a movie that draws you in. I watched it on Netflix but will definitely buy the DVD off of Amazon too.

This is a very weird movie indeed. The humor and tone is kind of all over the place. Someone compared it a bit to early Gilliam and they might not be off too much. While this is uneven, it still delivers many times. It's kind of amazing and has great ideas. Those help recover some of the rough patches that lie on the way ahead (no pun intended), so that the viewer won't mind too much.The effects are good, but you have to like the way the characters are made of course (Tim Burton was mentioned too in that commentary by another user). While its a wild story, it still is predictable enough and does include clichés. That's the uneven part for you, like it or hate it