Review: A "Gentleman" He Is Not: Psy Raises The Stakes With Gross-Out "Gangnam Style" Follow-Up [VIDEO]

The Farrelly brothers must be proud.

The directors of seminal gross-out comedies like "Something About Mary" and "Dumb and Dumber," are masters at turning the disgusting into comic gold.

And somewhat surprisingly, so is Psy.

While there are self-deprecating comic bits in "Gangnam Style," such as Psy in the sauna or on the toilet, at its core, the international K-pop icon's breakthrough hit is about a guy who gets the girl and then does his um, horse dance with her.

In the ironically titled "Gentleman," Psy throws all pretexts of being cool out the window, portraying himself as a terrible person.

He pulls a chair out from under his date. He pushes her to the ground when she stands up. He kicks a group of kids' soccer ball into the bushes. And it gets worse from there.

Yet like a Farrelly brothers film, things that sound horrible to describe, are hilarious to watch in "Gentleman."

The video includes, as one might expect, several nods to "Gangnam Style."

Korean comedian and MC Yoo Jae Suk is back, again wearing his iconic yellow suit. Only this time, Psy presses all of the buttons in his hotel elevator when he needs to use the bathroom.

Again there are Korean girls sunbathing, but this time Psy is pulling one girl's bikini string.

In an era where pop stars are expected to be somewhere between spokesmodels and teen idols, it's refreshing to see adult content (the kind of things you watched as a kid when your parents weren't looking) in a mainstream music video.

It was a daring move, and everything about the look of the "Gentleman" video shows an artist and a director who wanted to raise the stakes.

There are more elaborate dance scenes than "Gangnam Style" with more dancers. The amount of action packed in each frame is dizzying.

And in addition to being a visual leap forward, the "Gentleman" music video also manages to deliver more laughs than most sitcoms.

Musically, Psy didn't take many chances.

The track, which is a burner, is basically a new riff on "Gangnam Style"'s 1980s techno studder-snyths.

But though it may not be a departure sonically from the video that earned him 1.5 billion YouTube views (the most in history), "Gentleman" is a better version of the same thing.

With its slightly slower, more grinding beat, "Gentleman" is sure to ignite dance floors around the world.

Both the video and the song are better than "Gangnam Style," yet they are also more edgy. Some parents might not want kids under 12 watching it, which may effect its mass appeal.

Whatever happens, "Psy" is in the rare position of competing with himself. And no one can expect him to get a billion views every time he releases a video.

Yet with over 67 million YouTube views already in the two days since it was released, Psy is well on his way to another juggernaut with "Gentleman."

See the video for Psy's video for "Gentleman" RIGHT HERE:

The following article has been revised on April 15, 2013.

Tags
Psy
Gangnam Style
Gentleman
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