In a filthy and grimy house (somewhere in NY?), lives… or rather, dwells… the nasty drug-afflicted brothers Danny and Nicky. Danny (Daniel Louis Rivas) is the hero, declaring his determination to get clean and sober, while Nicky (Robert LaSardo) is the “tatted up nightmare with legs” villain, dead set on keeping his sibling sick alongside his own over-the-top addiction. Yes, this is like watching a scene from Trainspotting while loaded up on crack and JD.

And yes, it’s THAT awesome.

Opening with a raunchy query, “Danny, have you ever fucked a girl ‘til her asshole bleeds?’ is the perfect introduction and all you need to know about Nicky and his relatively psycho-minded madness. LaSardo launches his horse right out of the gate before anyone can catch up through taunts, demands, hyperactivity and sheer manic mania. Not only is it believable, but God damn, it is so much fun to watch!

Danny is the most levelheaded junkie in Junkie. He does his best to circumnavigate around the frenzied high of Nicky’s behavior who drills him into contacting any and every drug dealer to score his next dope deal. While it battles within him to stay straight, Danny appeases Nicky and complies by contacting the infamous Otto – the one guy who doesn’t fear Nicky.

This opens us up to the most bizarre and farcical confrontations ever put on screen in a dark, dark comedy with serious undertones. I felt the need to mediate every altercation, without bursting into severe laughter – a huge, failed challenge, thanks to Nicky’s outpouring of wild, on-going hilarity. Even through a would-be tender moment of wholesome confessions about true love from Nicky himself, it’s a miracle I made it through that fond memory from a tearful addict without falling over in piss-inducing laughter towards the end.

The script is too good to resist, as is this crazy brilliant cast of madcap characters. From the sympathetic Rivas’ Danny who only wants to clean up his life, win back his love, and carry on a normal existence to the loud-mouthed, foul talking, hooker-handling dad (another marvelous performance by Andrew Howard), it’s tough NOT to like even the most vile-ridden visitor amongst all these oddballs.

But the star of Junkie is unequivocally LaSardo’s Nicky whose crude mannerisms play out in a sabotaging game of control to establish the realization of what it takes to really live an ordinary life. Every calculated move is backed up with derangement, complimented by a whimsical “singsong” score which functions flawlessly throughout this circus of non-stop intrusions. Nicky’s outrageous tantrums and off-the-wall mayhem is scene-stealing. It’s exceptional, it’s zany and it’s…well…addicting!