Josh has been in some pretty odd stuff (and if you're reading this, Josh, it's not an insult man - I LIKE weird projects) but Burn is probably one of the strangest...and also one of my favorites. (As for what that says about me...well...go ahead and judge, but it won't bother me...I'll be in my room watching Burn over and over again with a glass of wine.)
So why is Burn one of my favorite Josh projects? It's different, but the character he plays should be pretty familiar to us at this point in our marathon - "bad boy" Josh is back, this time as Billy, a biker who owes some pretty dangerous people money. In a desperate attempt to escape his troubling situation, Billy decides to rob a gas station...but wasn't expecting the challenges he'd encounter...or rather a challenge named Melinda. She's a young gas station clerk who is desperate for male attention...at all costs. Throughout the movie, Billy becomes her prey and soon...her collateral damage as she tries to get out of the mess she made.
Josh is absolutely fantastic in this. If Joosh from Future Man and Derek from The Beekeeper had a baby, it would be Billy from Burn. He somehow manages to be charming, while also threatening, which is definitely what they were going for in the film. Billy needed to create a sense of chaos and fear for the girls working at the gas station, but also excitement and curiosity (especially for Melinda).
At this point in his career, we've seen Josh use prop guns several times, so I bet by now Josh can expertly handle those on set. He also must have returned to long periods in the makeup chair, as some scenes require him to appear to have a large burn over half his face, leaving a giant red mark. These elements add additional work and for Josh in this film, but he pulled it off!
I also love this film for reasons outside of Josh's performance. I appreciate the complexity of Melinda's character. Sure, we often see movies featuring underdogs, but not always the kind who look and act like Melinda. While the actress is a beautiful girl, we as the audience are meant to interpret her as a not conventionally attractive, socially awkward young woman who never gets the guy. We watch as she is bullied and ridiculed by her coworker, who we are meant to see as much more conventionally attractive, and is far more lucky in love/desired (she gets hit on during the film and has a boyfriend.) The film takes us into the mind of a girl like Melinda, a place where we wouldn't always get to explore. We watch her try and try to be the desired woman she dreams of being, clinging to a positive attitude, until she snaps and it all blows up in her face...literally.
Personally, I feel that there's a lot under the surface with this film and a lot of societal commentary to go over....so if I start a Josh-related podcast (been on my mind for a hot minute!) expect my thoughts on Burn to be my first episode.
At the time of this post, Burn is streaming free on Tubi. Check it out!
Peace and Joshperity,
G
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