Being a kid is hard.  You are coming into your own, love is something new and confusing, and for the unfortunate, bullying is a way of life.  In the new film Murt Ramirez Wants to Kick My Ass, writer-director Dan Lee takes a comic look at this right of passage.

Billy (John D’Leo) is your typical middle schooler.  He has to deal with a nutty cousin, Zach (Dario Barosso), who does more harm than good, a best friend, Hoarder (Benjamin Kornick), who is offbeat yet loving, and the girl of his dreams, Jenny (Jordyn DiNatale), who doesn’t see him as anything more than a nimrod.  These characters may have been seen in other films before, but never before with such brilliant life as this extremely talented young cast.

With news that the school bully, Murt Ramirez (Armani Del Rio) wants to kick his ass, Billy starts the day with a cloud of hesitation.  It doesn’t take long before Murt searches Billy and his sidekicks out, and challenges him to an epic battle after school; at 3:00pm.

The rest of the film explores all the ridiculous antics Billy goes through to try and avoid his unpleasant fate.  The individuals that the audience encounters throughout the school day are extraordinary.  While they may not have loads of screen time, they burrow themselves into your hearts and minds.

The hijinks that Billy gets involved with may not be ones that a majority of youth have found themselves in, but they will connect with these struggles one way or another.  Murt Ramirez Wants to Kick My Ass may be a light hearted look at an ever growing problem in todays schools, but this doesn’t lessen the issue Lee brings on screen.  He conveys power to the victim, and proves that the simple act of courage could change the course of one’s life.

Murt Ramirez Wants to Kick My Ass is an entertaining ride through adolescence in a tender homage to the classic teen flicks of the 80s.  With remarkable characters and crazy situations, it’s a film that can be viewed many times over without losing any of it’s merriment.

Written by Lisa Mejia (lisa@austinfusionmagazine.com)