'C.R.E.A.M.'
Get me thy honey.
Dear Moviegoers,
My knowledge of the rap group Wu-Tang Clan comes from pop culture outside of music (I know, I'm lame). Their appearances in movies, television, and video games have been interesting and sometimes funny (Chappelle's Show in particular), though, from my understanding, the music and writing that the group produces isn't to be doubted or debated for quality. Such is a similar sentiment shared by filmmaker Ryen McPherson and his absolutely absurd but very impressive film C.R.E.A.M.
With a short feature-length duration and a story about rival snow cone street vendors caught up in a pseudo/truncated Romeo & Juliet tale, C.R.E.A.M.'s conceit is that all of the dialogue has been pieced together from Wu-Tang Clan song lyrics. It's an incredibly profound concept that, in the end, the cast makes sense with Shakespeare's intent. Honestly, why stop the movie before an hour? Let it rip.
The confusion sets in with the honey-topped snow cone concentration and rivalry between businesses. On one side, with our Romeo stand-in, there's a truck and cone crew who know how to deliver and entertain customers. On the other side, there's a creepy and dirty truck of angry depressives, led by someone who reminds me of Skeletor from The First Purge. Armed with ice picks, the rivalry turns to violence, and cold-treat-crossed lovers turn to tragedy.
It's a shame that C.R.E.A.M. is awfully silly, as it nails its gimmick to the point of transcendence. Crafting together bits of songs and recontextualizing them to fit a dessert-twisted adaptation of something that's been told millions of times before is a feat that's worthy of all the shaved ice in the world. And yet, it's the very treats of the film that can't trick my cold heart.
How many licks does it take to get to the center of this pop?
Not many. 2.5/5
C.R.E.A.M. will screen and stream (in-person and online) as part of the 2026 SF IndieFest, from 2/5 to 2/15.