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Monday, January 31, 2022

The Joy of Living with Fragrance (RiffTrax Shorts)


RiffTrax Year:  2022
Riffers:  Bridget Nelson, Mary Jo Pehl

Avon calling!

This Avon produced short is here to sell their scents of perfume around the world, ensuring all women that they should have no interest in smelling like dumpster sewage.  Attract all those men who want to paw you and fondle your lady things by learning where perfume comes from, how it's made, and how to apply it for maximum pheromonal reaction.

Smells like...::sniff::sniff::...SUCCESS!

This short is somewhat interesting because I never really learned that much about the makings of perfume and cologne over the course of my lifespan.  This short didn't really teach me anything about it either, as it kind of glosses over that portion to get to women dabbing their necks, but I kind of wished to learn a little bit more.  I also didn't know what real difference there is between perfume and cologne in general was, but I guess when I'm out on a date women are supposed to use the former sparingly and I'm supposed to drench my body in the latter.  I guess I'm doing it wrong.  No wonder they take one look at me and run.

The short is more interested in being beautiful than informative though.  A lot of the footage is of woman just...looking like women.  Showing off curves in pretty dresses, smiling, and most importantly applying perfume.  It feels like its intent is to get women to want to buy perfume at that very moment and not think very hard about where it comes from.  Not being a woman, I can't confirm nor deny the short's effectiveness in the former but I was more interested in what it didn't seem to want to tell me about, so I'd pronounce it a failure.

Bridget and Mary Jo's riff is a bit scattershot for me.  There are plenty of good jokes here though amusement level never really rises above average rating.  I love that there is plenty of footage featured of women muted, speaking but without sound, which allows the duo to insert any line into their mouths and usually it's a winner.  Largely those were my favorite moments in this short which allows even the more aimless humor flinging to elevate even just a little bit.  And when they do hit their target, it's pretty funny.  Probably the best line of the entire short is just one word from Bridget as the short shows a man working on scents in a lab.  But it's the most perfect word that she could have said at that very moment...

"First he impregnates a blotter with the scent..."
"Pig."

Thumbs Up
👍

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