Kenny is an Australian documentary-like story following the Port-o-Potty deliveryman, Kenny Smyth. This Jacobson Brothers film follows Kenny in his life in waste management. From rings dropped into toilets, to intoxicated spectators setting Port-o-Potties on fire, Kenny and his crew have the responsibility of providing Melbourne with quality outdoor toilets and protecting the toilets from damage.
Kenny begins his adventure by taking an airplane for the first time to the International Pumper and Cleaner Expo in Nashville, Tennessee. From the moment he enters the Nashville Convention Center, he is overcome with bewilderment at the pristine waste products. He spends a considerable amount of time with Jackie, a flight attendant whom he met on the way to Nashville. Kenny, the first person in his family to leave Australia, is introduced to a different way of living.
When Kenny’s father becomes ill, he is forced to leave Nashville, return to Australia, and ultimately face his future as a Port-o-Potty attendant. After Kenny’s father gets out of the hospital, they take a family outing in the woods in an effort to become closer. Kenny’s brother leaves in the middle of night, not being able to embrace his father or Kenny. Kenny’s father enlightens him that he’s been “walking in his [brother’s] shadow for so long… if you take a step to the side, you’ll cast your own.”
The culminating event arrives when Kenny has to run the Melbourne Cup, the busiest event of the year, with two men unavailable to work, and his son unexpectedly dropped off by his ex-wife. Despite the crude complaints made by Kenny’s son, Jesse about cleaning toilets, Kenny does not cease working and finishes his job with the utmost dignity.
The common fear of stepping into a new atmosphere (a promotion in Kenny’s case) arises when rival company Splashdown offers him a more prominent position. Despite the pressure exerted from his father, Kenny decides to continue doing what he enjoys and strengthens himself in the process. Kenny wins over audiences with its light jabs at society, and the quick wit of Shane Jacobson as Kenny.
Kenny is a light comedy that puts smiles on faces with incredible ease. This film provides ninety minutes of pure enjoyment, and endless entertainment. Kenny comes to the Laemmle Theaters in Pasadena and Santa Monica on Friday, July 18.
