Abhiroop Das
Helmed by Peter Farrelly, Prime Video’s ‘Balls Up‘ tells the story of two office rivals, Brad and Elijah, who find themselves in the eye of the storm after a World Cup finale gone terribly wrong. Elijah, a creative at Regal Blue Condom company, is gunning to be represented by the football World Cup authorities for his new product, named Balls Up. However, without Brad, the company’s top salesman, it is effectively impossible to charm the higher-ups. While the duo is successful at first, a mishap during the sports event’s climax turns them into a public enemy number one for almost all of Brazil.
With nowhere to run, Brad and Elijah begin a strange series of encounters with increasingly unusual people, be it cults, cartels, or mysterious fish. Across these scenes, however, the one thing that simultaneously saves their lives and makes things worse is the Balls Up condom, which is unique because of its ability to cover the scrotum. As the duo determines to get out of this nightmare reality any way they can, their magnum opus product becomes their weapon of choice.
Balls Up is a Fictional Condom With a Less-Than-Realistic Concept Behind it
The eponymous condom of ‘Balls Up,’ which is designed to cover the testicles, is a fictional creation by writers Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese specifically outlined for this movie. Real-life condoms aren’t typically known to cover the testicles or scrotum, as reports indicate that such an augmentation can cause discomfort and potential injuries. While there exists a 2003 patent application for a condom to cover the scrotum, it describes the structure as separate from a regular condom, which is different from what the film presents. As such, the impetus for Balls Up most likely comes from the writers’ desire to craft increasingly eccentric scenarios that the cast and crew bounced off of when making the film.
It is possible that the writers distanced themselves from real-life condom companies and products to have maximum creative freedom. Often, when referencing or even parodying real-life brands, creators have to set a limit for experimentation. However, by developing a fictional product from scratch, the writing team of ‘Balls Up’ was free to pull off every satirical element they wanted. To that end, the condom becomes both a metaphorical and literal vessel for all of the movie’s dark comedy aspects, blending together motifs as disparate as football and candiru fish.
Regal Blue is the Fictional Company That Sets the Comic Base For the Movie
Just like Balls Up, the company known as Regal Blue Condom was also invented specifically for the movie, and exists largely to contextualize many of the plot beats. Depicted as an up-and-coming venture, it doesn’t appear to have a direct resemblance to any real-life condom company. That said, it is possible that writers researched how such companies operate in real life, so as to add an element of realism into the movie. Most likely, any such potential references do not exist beyond the superficial layer. For Wahlberg and the rest of the team, the way to go was to earnestly pull off what’s in the script, rather than trying to be funny. As such, all the fictional elements that make the plot find its real sheen are put in by the movie’s cast and crew.
One of the most bizarre and comic uses of Regal Blue’s product, the Balls Up condom, comes around the middle of the movie and involves a heavy dose of special effects. During a conversation with BroBible, Wahlberg confirmed that the condoms we see on screen are actually made of CGI. The actor initially expected to take part in the scene, but when the opportunity came, he had no intentions of turning it down either. “Gotta do it, it’s gonna be really funny,” Wahlberg said, adding, “I didn’t want to — but (…) committing to it is what makes it funny.” The movie has no shortage of similarly creative sequences, which push the narrative usage of a condom to its limits, which is what makes Balls Up a truly unique invention.
Read More: Balls Up Ending Explained: Do Brad and Elijah Become Friends and Escape Brazil?
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