Skinny-Webz (film)

***Skinny-Webz*** is a 2019 film that parodies the 2002 film *Spider-Man*. It is the first installment in the Skinny-Webz series. The film was directed by Justin Lewis and stars Wyatt Daane as Wyatt/Skinny-Webz, Zach Louis as Barry/Gublin, Katie McDonald as Claire, and Kenneth Ryan as Homeless Ben.

## Premise

After a drunken night on Wyatt's 21st Birthday, he and his friend Barry begin to hallucinate that they are super-humans.

## Plot

On May 2nd, 2014, best friends Wyatt, Barry, and Claire exit a screening of the film *The Amazing Spider-Man 2*. Both Wyatt and Barry voice their disdain for the film, but when Claire says that she liked it, they both change their minds clearly in an attempt to impress her. Claire is confused.

As they walk away from the theater, the trio encounters Homeless Ben, who offers Wyatt some weed that he calls "Responsibility". Wyatt happily accepts. Claire pulls Wyatt away from Homeless Ben, with Barry saying that they've got a surprise for Wyatt's 21st birthday. Claire walks ahead with Wyatt while Barry trails behind, giving Wyatt a look of resentment. Homeless Ben shouts "Shatti Tatti my Brahti!" towards Wyatt before leaving on his skateboard.

Wyatt, Barry, and Claire arrive at a bar. When Claire steps away to get drinks for the two, Wyatt and Barry bicker over their affection for Claire. Claire returns with drinks, and Wyatt and Barry start drinking. After a drunk montage, Wyatt exits the bar due to feeling sick. Barry uses this time to gain Claire's affection. He oversteps and makes her uncomfortable, which leads to her leaving the bar to check on Wyatt.

Behind the bar, Wyatt encounters Homeless Ben again. However, he is suddenly stabbed by a stranger. As Ben spazzes out on the ground, Wyatt attempts to help him, but his hand strangely gets stuck on the wall. Once he breaks free, he comes to Homeless Ben's aid. Homeless Ben mutters the phrase "With great power comes great--" before dying. Wyatt is crushed, but then repeats Homeless Ben's last words triumphantly.

Meanwhile in the bar's bathroom, Barry begins seeing an evil version of himself in the mirror. The "Gublin" tells him that his mortal enemy, "Skinny-Webz", is the only thing standing between Barry and Claire. He asks what must be done, with Gublin replying that they must "attack his heart!" Gublin then angrily commands Barry to "Finish shit!"

Behind the bar, Claire arrives to check on Wyatt. Wyatt's drunken delusion begins, with Claire confessing her feelings to him. This tender moment is short-lived, as Barry, now "Gublin", arrives. He hits Wyatt with an apple and kidnaps Claire. Wyatt realizes what must be done. He suits up as "Skinny-Webz" and chases after Gublin.

Gublin stops at a parking garage elevator and gets in with Claire. The elevator takes off before Skinny-Webz can get into it. He looks to the top floor of the parking garage and attempts to use his powers to no avail. He then remembers the words shouted by Homeless Ben just a few short hours ago. He shouts "Shatti Tatti my Brahti!" and webs up to the top of the parking garage.

Once there, Skinny-Webz confronts Gublin. They begin fighting. Gublin whacks him with the apple before Skinny-Webz stabs him. The drunken delusion ends and Wyatt and Barry are back in their civilian forms. Wyatt screams over an unconscious Barry then goes over to Claire. Claire is not happy that Wyatt and Barry both tried to get with her and she leaves the two of them behind. The next morning, Wyatt and Barry wake up and apologize to each other. They then leave to go explain themselves to Claire. As they leave, Barry clutches his apple tightly.

## Development

Director Justin Lewis began working on *Skinny-Webz* in January 2019 as a project for one of his directing classes. He gathered the cast and crew, all of which were his fellow colleagues, and began filming in February 2019. A rough cut of the film was completed in April 2019. The film was finally released on July 6, 2019.

## Full Cast and Crew

#### Cast

* Wyatt Daane as Wyatt/Skinny-Webz. Based on "Peter Parker/Spider-Man".
* Zach Louis as Barry/Gublin. Based on "Harry Osborn/The Green Goblin".
* Katie McDonald as Claire. Based on "Mary Jane Watson".
* Kenneth Ryan as Homeless Ben. Based on "Uncle Ben".
* Steven Portoles as Quentin. A bar patron whose name is revealed to be "Quentin" in the credits. This brief cameo serves as a set-up to his appearance as Mr. Eio in the second film. Based on "Mysterio". (The name "Quentin" is a nod towards Mysterio's alter ego "Quentin Beck".)
* Nicholas Bryant as Criminal. Homeless Ben's killer. Bryant also portrays an unimpressed bar patron. It is unconfirmed but assumed that they are the same character. Based on the "Burglar".
* Marcus Mero as an unnamed bar patron.
* Jack Kockenmeister as an unnamed bar patron.

#### Crew

* Justin Lewis - Director
* Justin Lewis and Marcus Mero - Writers
* Justin Lewis, Wyatt Daane, Nicholas Bryant, Zach Louis, and Katie McDonald - Producers
* Marcus Mero - Executive Producer
* Wyatt Daane and Marcus Mero - Assistant Directors
* Nicholas Bryant - Director of Photography
* Katie McDonald - Unit Production Manager
* Ethan Munoz - Assistant Camera
* Jack Kockenmeister - Boom Operator/Sound Mixer
* Dylan Powell and Justin Lewis - Editors

## Appearances

#### Costumes and Items

* Interdimensional Weed (called "Responsibility Weed" in this film)
* Gublin's Apple
* Skinny-Webz's Costume

## Trivia

* *Skinny-Webz* was originally going to be a "Drunk Film" in the same style as some of director Justin Lewis's other work. However, he decided to pursue it with a semi-serious comedic style instead.
* The original title of the film was "Ay It's Ya Boi Skinny-Webz". It was soon shortened to just "Skinny-Webz".
* The character of Wyatt, aka "Skinny-Webz", was named after his real life actor Wyatt Daane.
* The character of Barry, aka "Gublin", is an amalgamation of the characters "Harry Osborn" and "Norman Osborn/The Green Goblin". Barry's name is a play on "Harry" and he serves as the best friend of the protagonist, whereas his transformation into Gublin was based on the Willem Dafoe version of the Green Goblin in 2002's *Spider-Man*.
* The Spider-Man costume that was purchased for the film was too small for Wyatt Daane. However, he endured it, resulting in crouched running and walking throughout production.
* *Skinny-Webz* also serves as a spiritual sequel to *Stool: a love story* (2018), directed by *Skinny-Webz* writer/producer Marcus Mero, who also appears in *Skinny-Webz* as a bar patron. This is indicated by Wyatt Daane's wardrobe, as he is wearing the same clothing as his self-named character and has delusions whenever alcohol is involved.
* According to the film's credits, actor Wyatt Daane "got hurt a lot" during the production of the film.