The Golden Pants /

This isn't a random comedy like "Family Guy" or many of the shows now featured on Adult Swim. Like other movies made by The Minor Prophets, it's all about writing and structure, about carefully setting up the perfect absurd situation. This one is super-absurd: Master and Commander - Russell Crowe + Captain Crunch = The Golden Pants.

The film begins with an awesomely epic voiceover about a retired naval captain (Gil Damon) who hires a dock boy (Brian Gillin) to sail with him in search of the titular trousers. The captain's great uncle left him a map to find the pants, but it's of no use to him because the "map is in English. I can't read it." The sailors find the spot where the pants are buried, and the captain reveals that he needs the pants to win a race around a track against his fellow retired naval captains. Of course, the pants are made out of solid gold, so how he plans to compete in them remains a mystery until the ending, which is so absurd it makes Stepbrothers look like Schindler's List.

The dialogue is laugh-out-loud hilarious ("So what did you do before you became a retired naval captain, anyway?"), but you expect it to be in a Minor Prophets movie. What sets The Golden Pants apart is the music. You don't know what funny is until you've seen Damon riding in a wheelbarrow as the soundtrack solemnly croons: "Golden Paaaaants."