Ian (Adrian DiGiovanni) is a recluse living in a filthy apartment. He estimates that he hasnt gone outside in 16 months. He also hasnt cleaned or done much of anything in that time, save for watch TV. His television is a classic, one of those huge old ones, a cabinet with a TV in it, as Ian says. It even has a name, Kent. Kent is Ians only friend, and Ian loves him. Then, one day, Kent dies. Ian no longer has any reason to live. The highlight of his days are bowel movements, so he decides to take his own life. He fails at this and ends up hitting his head pretty hard. Its then that the mold starts talking to him.
The mold (voices by Jeffrey Combs) is in Ians bathroom, next to the sink. Its large and disgusting, but full of advice. It doesnt think Ian is living up to his full potential, so it attempts to motivate him. The mold encourages him to clean up both himself and the apartment. It teaches Ian how to live again. Ian justifies listening to the mold by explaining that its smarter than him, and he likes to think that hes wise enough to listen to those smarter than he is. Of course, the mold might have sinister intentions.
As you might have guessed, this is all pretty bonkers. For an hour or so, its also pretty amusing and entertaining. Youre never quite sure what insanity is going to come next, and the movie has a healthy sense of humor. DiGiovanni makes for an engaging lead, and his interactions with some odd characters (landlord, TV repairman) are humorous.
Unfortunately it does lose momentum in the home stretch. The focus shifts to Ians neighbor, an attractive woman who inexplicably finds it charming that he gawks at her repeatedly. She aggressively pursues him even after he pukes a ton of green crap all over her. Even in a movie like this it isnt believable. The conversations with the mold and a second TV repairman become redundant, and at nearly 105 minutes, at least 10 minutes could easily be trimmed.
That being said, Motivational Growth should please fans of the bizarre. Its weirdness feels earned, and it fully commits to it. Its safe to say you wont see anything else like it anytime soon, for better or worse.
