Behind the Scenes

The character of Jack Knife was conceived by Della and Blonkenfeld as a smart-aleck action hero, blending the mischievousness of Bugs Bunny with the cynicism of Marvel’s Deadpool. Tommy Lazzari's naturally sarcastic demeanor and catchphrases, like "Attaboy," made him the ideal choice for the role.

The film's genesis was notably straightforward: Daryl, Snyder, and Nate went three-ways in on a gorilla costume and that was enough to justify building an entire fight around it. Jack Knife's wardrobe was deliberately ostentatious, featuring glow-in-the-dark skeleton gloves (borrowed from Nate's nighttime Groundies games), a vintage leather jacket from Daryl's father's closet, and sunglasses worn at night, all chosen to amplify the character's flamboyant persona.

The climactic fight was shot sporadically over the course of a year, mostly because it was nearly impossible to get Tommy and Nate in the same place at the same time. As a result, the film never really came together. It ends abruptly with Jack head-butting the gorilla, which was not the intended ending. Originally, the script called for Jack to decapitate the gorilla and drop its severed head into a Starbucks toilet, tying back to Stream of Consciousness’ opening scene where Emily Bordallo finds a fish in the same place.

The film opens with a cameo from Nate Blonkenfeld as Ninja Killface, who answers a call from the Zookeeper (played by the guys’ former high school principal Robert Beauchamp) seeking advice. The camera pulls back to reveal Killface in Disneyland, a nod to the short Ninja Killface Goes to Disneyland. This creative tie-in anchored both stories in the same timeline, necessitating another trip to Disneyland for Daryl and Nate to shoot additional footage, further blending the absurd worlds of the Dollars & Donuts universe.

The fight itself is rough, with most of it built around trial and error. Nate, inside the gorilla suit, spends a lot of time rolling around on the ground, usually on top of Tommy, which he seemed to enjoy more than necessary. At least one punch lands for real. Tommy takes it in the face and cracks a tooth slightly. He shrugs it off. “That’s all part of the sacrifice,” is more or less the attitude. No one stops filming.

It was originally meant to be part of Stream of Consciousness, which fell apart, leaving this as a standalone piece without much context. From there, it became something the group would occasionally return to, shoot a little more of, then abandon again. At one point, after more than a year, only three nights of actual filming had been completed. There was always the idea that it could be wrapped up later. Even years after the fact, the instinct remained. At one point, Tommy casually suggested finishing it that weekend, as if nothing had changed, as if everyone still looked the same, still lived nearby, still had the time.

There are also pieces of other, unrelated ideas still floating around inside it. A background gag involving a 1up mushroom from Super Mario Bros. ties back to a scrapped video game sequence that no longer exists. It’s left in anyway, with the vague idea that it might connect to something later. It never does. Like most things here, it’s less about whether it works and more about whether it was already shot.

Despite its lack of a complete storyline, Jack Knife vs. the Gorilla holds a cherished place in Dollars & Donuts lore, exemplifying the crew's commitment to creative chaos and their determination to produce entertaining content, even when projects don't reach their intended conclusion.