Up! (1976)

Up! is Russ Meyer at full-throttle: a delirious, anything-goes comedy shot with the kind of muscular style and whip-smart editing that makes even the most outrageous moments feel strangely cinematic, not just lurid. It plays like a naughty fever dream in the woods—part murder farce, part sex-satire, with a gleefully absurd tone and a self-aware Greek chorus that keeps winking at the madness without deflating it. Raven De La Croix arrives like a force of nature, and the film’s energy is so relentless and oddly refreshing that you may find yourself laughing at how boldly it refuses good taste. Fair warning, though: the explicit sexual content and comic-book violence are not window dressing—they’re the whole engine—so if you can’t meet Meyer on his own shameless wavelength, this one won’t convert you.

Russ Meyer’s Up! is trying to mash together a lurid sex farce, a murder mystery, and cartoonish exploitation satire, with a wink-nudge “Greek chorus” commenting on the madness. If you’re expecting a coherent whodunit or even a steady comedic rhythm, you’ll likely find it shapeless and exhausting, because it ricochets from gag to gag with little interest in building a satisfying story. The sex and violence aren’t side dishes here—they’re the main course, and the film leans hard into crude, chaotic excess that can feel more relentless than funny, especially given the presence of sexual assault and graphic brutality played in a campy register. If you’re already a Russ Meyer completist, you may enjoy the outrageous energy and bodies-everywhere bravado, but if you want clever comedy or anything remotely subtle, this is absolutely not your night.