Rats! (film)

(stylized in all caps) is a 2024 American independent black comedy film written and directed by Maxwell Nalevansky and Carl Fry, produced by With Pleasure Cinemagroup, and distributed by Yellow Veil Pictures.

The film is set in the fictional town of Pfresno, Texas in the year 2007 and follows Raphael, who, after being arrested by an overzealous police officer, gets caught up in a chaotic world of drug kingpins, ecoterrorists, mallrats, and rappers.

The film blends gross-out humor with social commentary, highlighting the disorder of small-town life and youth counterculture in 2000s Texas.

was shot in Pflugerville, Texas, a town located near Austin, where co-writer and co-director Carl Fry has lived for the past decade.

was “repulsive and crude, but it’s also full of heart.”[6] The Houston Chronicle remarks that the film’s raw, no-holds-barred approach “boasts a level of exaggerated bad taste that John Waters might admire.”[7] The Gauntlet praised the film's tribute to indie cinema, stating that it “serves as a testament to the personal allure of independent cinema,” showcasing the unique draw of low-budget filmmaking.