Cotton Candy Bubble Gum

By: Malasha Parker

Cotton Candy Bubble Gum is an extremely wild ride surrounding a man, his mom and his favorite cotton candy bubble gum. Though the movie keeps you on alert and entertained the entire eighty-eight mins, the film also seems convoluted with constant “WTF” moments that makes the audience question where the plot is actually going. It’s a movie that frustrates the audience with every dumb decision, but also keeps the viewers glued to the television because they just need to know how it ends. With that said, Cotton Candy Bubble Gum offers a nostalgic effect to older comedies of its kind. 

The beginning of the film shares that Carter (Nick Darnell) is getting kicked out of his house because his mother’s husband wants him to be independent. He recounts how everything happened to his friend, Angel (Morgan J). Angel starts trying to help him figure out a plan to find his own apartment and become more independent. Carter gets a text to come assist on the set for a shoot for musician Captial Gainz (R. Marcus Taylor). He realizes that this is his big break with his career and his ticket to showing his mom’s husband what he can do. However, somehow things start going downhill fast. Chaos beyond chaos ensues and Carter struggles through every second of it by chewing his cotton candy bubble gum to get through the stressful moments. 

Cotton Candy Bubble Gum is an energetic run around the city comedy that keeps the audience wondering what will happen next. Darnell is exciting to watch as he navigates through what is hard to understand at first, but eventually becomes clear that Carter is experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. There are so many aspects of this movie that work and makes the thrill of racing against the clock to complete the impossible amount of tasks work. Unfortunately, the writing is clunky and the movie feels like it’s trying to fit too much into a short timespan. The actors deliver their lines great, but there is a lack of calm moments until the end of the movie. With that said, the chemistry between the cast is light and natural. Darnell uses his whole body to act and it translates with this action packed chaotic comedy. R. Marcus Taylor also gives a memorable performance and offers an interesting look at a bisexual rapper who has a pretty decent character arc. 

Writer/Director J. Pinder is cohesive in coordinating with his script. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do much to help with the sometimes overly dramatic moments and shots that seem pointless to the plot of the movie. Even with its constant flow of nonsense happening as Carl and “friends” try to get all the many tasks done. There are scenes that could have been cut short, but overall it does shine in its strong moments. 

I enjoyed getting to see how much more Carter would be willing to take before he finally decided to stop letting anxiety take over his life. It was fun getting to see the origin of Carter’s anxiety and how the environment around him truly affected how much bubble gum he needed. The gum’s purpose and the overall arcs of the movie for the main character is what makes audiences want to finish Cotton Candy Bubble Gum until the end. It eventually wraps up well and gives each character their moment to shine. While I don’t think it is a must watch film, I do think it should be viewed if you enjoy chaos and comedy in the wackiest of ways.