Beat It, Rufus

Rufus Baxter is too old to rock ’n’ roll but too young to die in this snarky character study of a human train wreck from Van Sciver (Fante Bukowski). The dirtbag rocker’s history of bad decisions and antisocial behavior have led him to a gig-to-gig subsistence, playing dive bars and cut-rate wedding receptions while living out of a storage unit in Denver. In his own words, he’s just “shambling forward... denying death its sweet treat.” Facing eviction from his illegal dwelling, Rufus finds a cassette tape of “Let’s Get Funked Up,” a single recorded by his late, unlamented hair metal band Funky Cool in the 1980s, which leads him to a drug trip and then a road trip. He winds across the country confronting his past mistakes en route to the New Jersey offices of his old label, Bliggum Records, determined to collect on the royalties he’s convinced he’s owed. It’s familiar territory for Van Sciver and showcases his affinity for finding the humor and heart in aggressively unpleasant protagonists. Van Sciver’s gritty rendering of Baxter’s misadventures and muted palette of orange, brown, and blues perfectly capture the hardscrabble life of the self-centered legend-in-his-own-mind. The narrative itself is distinguished by its flair for comic timing, turn of phrase, and unexpected plot twists. It’s a must-read comic about a must-avoid person. (Mar.)