The 2025 comedy film The Bigfoot Club proves that age is a number. A group of 15 year old kids reunite as adults. They are trapped in time, this lot, and they have never really moved on. Despite appearances to the contrary, the small group are still emotionally 12 years old.
Will this arrested development of monster hunters grow up? Or will they find their own personal monsters.
Dorothy March and her friends are “The Bigfoot Club.” A group of disparate youngsters who dare to believe in Bigfoot, Nessie and the Staten Island Devil.
Dot and her club are famous. She is well known throughout the Cryptid world for her Bigfoot hunting skills. Then?
Nothing.
Years later, she and her friends get together. Memories, real and imaginary rise the surface.
Kathryn Mayer Dorothy “Dot” March.
Samantha Sayah is Willow Fernandez.
Olivia Hellman is Esme.
Jerry Colpitts is Dr Greenport.
Paolo Kossi is Mystery Man.
Meghan Palmer is Breezy.
Kevin Wolfring is Einstein.
*In terms of casting; the young actors do look like the adults they grow into. Great casting job folks.*
Side Note
Kevin Wolfring is a dead ringer for a young Michael Brandon. Brandon, who starred in the brilliantly addictive detective series; Dempsey and Makepeace is a long time favorite. *Despite his having run away with his co-star Glynis Barber, who I had a huge crush on.* Check out his credits and see if Wolfring does not overly resemble this Brooklyn actor.
Writer/director Steven Tsapelas gives us a kid’s program that could be influenced by good old Barney the Dinosaur. Flashbacks of the old show looks almost like a fictional version of Barney here. *The big purple dinosaur ruled television in the 90’s and early 2000’s.* The costumes worn by the young club members scream kiddies tv from that time period.
The acting styles, so evocative of the Nickelodeon world, and to a lesser degree, Disney, are annoyingly spot on. The “I’m acting here” style of over enunciating the lines are ever present. Even Esme shouts her dialogue as an adult. *Although she is not of the Bigfoot Club world. She is merely a fan.*
The club members, were part of kid’s TV shows “pre” podcasts. All of them seem to be caught up in the old days. Willow stresses that she looked for Dot, although clearly not very hard. The rest of the group separate and lose touch.
Esme, an erstwhile fan, tracks Dot down and the story begins.
Dare to Dream
The Bigfoot Club seemingly has roots in many different kid’s television shows. Scooby Doo, for example. The colours scream mystery machine and Velma, along with Daphne. We have already mentioned Barney. You can even sense a bit of Dora the Explorer. With Dot replacing Dora. She also feels like a cross between Velma and the globe trotting adventurer.In the flashbacks each club member wear “Where’s Waldo?” type beanies.
Low Key
Everyone in The Bigfoot Club are low key. Sure there are moments when performances are over the top and too loud, Nickelodeon remember? However, over all, when they are grown up and taking that walk down memory lane? They are so languid as to be sleep walking.
Odd as this may seem, this approach works. It seems to be a sort of metaphor for our lives. When we are younger, everything is louder, more exciting. As we age, life wears us down, we become quieter.
Mayer, as Dot, is the master of underplaying every single line she utters. It is a little nerve wracking.
Finding the Hirsute?
It is appropriate that the leader continues her journey alone. Tsapelas actually works in the answer as to why Bigfoot has never be found. It is clever and just a little bit sad.
Touché Steven, touché.
I was very much in the middle about this film, right up until the very last frame. The story urges us to dream and to keep in touch with our inner child. To that end, The Bigfoot Club earns a solid 4 stars. It entertains and despite my advanced years, I am still; like the characters in this movie, a big kid.
The Trailer
