To say that Special Needs is funny would be the understatement of the year. In fact, I had such a grand time with Isaak James' directorial debut that I watched the damned thing again as soon as my initial viewing came to a close. This sort of thing usually doesn't happen with low budget, low brow comedies, especially the ones distributed by the likes of Troma. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with Troma, mind you, but the type of films they generally release are good for a disposable laugh or two, nothing more. Special Needs, on the other hand, just begs for multiple viewings, both sober and inebriated.
What saves the proceedings from becoming yet another deserted isle in the sea of tasteless cinema is Isaak James' intelligent script. He's smart enough to know that a movie based solely on one handicapped joke after another simply won't fly in this day and age. Not if he wants people to watch his movie, anyway. The material never treats its collection of "special individuals" cruelly, even when it appears that James is openly mocking them. Warren and his crew are just as screwy and dysfunctional as those they mean to exploit, which allows you to find the humor in their pursuit of handi-talent without feeling guilty about it. Another smart decision was to keep the show itself off-screen; I doubt it could have lived up to expectations, anyway.
It also helps matters considerably that James has assembled a talented cast of virtual unknowns to populate his edgy comedy with. Almost everyone involved does an outstanding job in the picture, though it's plain to see who the real star of the flick is. Isaak James gives himself quite a bit of screen time, though it would be unfair to say he kept most of the good lines for himself. The guy's got talent to spare, however, so it's nice that the film's strongest talent gets the majority of the laughs.
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