Operation Taco Gary’s Is a Conspiracy Fueled Comedy That “Had One Chance to Be Funny”

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Given how common conspiracy theories are today, it’s no surprise that the movie Operation Taco Gary’s came about. This comedy follows Danny, played by Simon Rex, a man deeply invested in conspiracies, who drags his brother Luke (Dustin Milligan) along on a chaotic road trip as they get caught up in an elaborate plot.

To get the word out about their new movie, Operation Taco Gary’s, stars Simon Rex and director Mikey K visited SMORGASBURGLA, a popular Los Angeles food market. They partnered with Tacos 1986 to promote the film. TopMob was there too, and had a chance to talk with Rex and K about the movie – including the difficulties of making it funny and how it explores our current fascination with conspiracy theories.

The Stress of Making an Insane, Low-Budget Indie Comedy

“We Have One Chance to Be Funny.”

  • TopMob: “It is a really silly film. I imagine it was a crazy experience on set with all these zany things happening. What was it like doing some of those just insane things and having to treat it as if, no, this is actually happening?”

We were all really stressed while filming because it wasn’t a fun situation. There was a lot of pressure, especially because we often only had one shot to get things right. If we didn’t nail a scene, there wouldn’t be any extra filming opportunities or budget to fix it later. We knew we had to get it done perfectly in the moment, so we really felt the pressure to be funny.

When bad weather hits and we have to stop filming due to lightning, it ends up costing us about 90 minutes, and we’re just stuck outside in the rain. Personally, I actually enjoy that kind of chaos – it makes things easier for me to focus on my lines. The director has to manage everything, but I find I work better when we’re forced to adapt and improvise with a smaller budget. It keeps everyone on their toes, though I probably sound strange saying that.

There was this one scene in a movie where a character kept repeatedly breaking their ankle. I remember the crew was really confused while we were filming it. I was running around with the camera, essentially making people fall and even pretending to break my own ankle! When you shoot all those individual moments, it doesn’t feel funny at all – it just looks ridiculous. It felt like endlessly running through the woods and getting covered in ticks. But seeing the finished scene, it was all worth the effort.

I’m really pleased with how everything turned out. It’s hard to show you all what I mean, but I remember Mikey – that’s the director – always hunching over with his hands on his knees. He was just really stressed and trying to figure out how to make the movie work. He was like that the whole time, but we eventually got there.

Dealing With Conspiracy Theories

It’s “Just People Trying to Make Sense of Insanity.”

  • TopMob: “A lot of the film is about conspiracy theories. So can you talk about how the film takes the dangers of conspiracy theories as it were, but you make it fun and you make it an easy experience to watch and enjoy?”

I think conspiracy theories often come from people trying to understand things that seem completely crazy. They’re trying to create a narrative, a story that makes difficult or frightening events feel more manageable. People naturally look for patterns and connections, but honestly, a lot of the time things are just random. Every now and then, a conspiracy actually turns out to be true, but it’s rare – kind of like finding out Gilligan’s Island was real!

Beyond that, it’s mostly just people struggling to understand how strange life can be. I enjoy connecting with them because I understand that desire to find meaning. That’s why I don’t see it as harmful – unless those really deep conspiracy theories start affecting people who are already vulnerable and lost in those kinds of thoughts.

  • TopMob: “And I really like the line from you Simon, that says, ‘No one but wants to believe the truth anymore.’ And I think that sums up so much about the heart of the film, but also this world we live in.”

It feels like we’re living in strange times, and I think this movie is releasing at just the right moment. We’re at a point with artificial intelligence where it’s hard to trust anything we see on our phones. We’ve already lost trust in the news, the government, and other institutions, and it’s all led to this feeling of uncertainty – like we’re questioning what’s even real anymore. That’s why I think the timing of this release is perfect.

You know, what really struck me about the movie is its core message. It’s all about the main character, Luke, realizing it’s okay not to have all the answers. He basically has to admit he’s confused, and that’s powerful! It’s a really refreshing idea – it’s okay to say ‘I don’t get it’ and still try to figure things out, you know?

Rex: You’re right, that’s a good observation. And I think there’s real strength in that idea – it’s quite powerful, actually.

K: I miss when people used to say, I don’t know.

Exactly, and it seems like everyone is so certain they’re right. There’s a quote by Robert Anton Wilson that says, ‘Only a madman is absolutely sure,’ and that really hits the nail on the head. I have friends who are completely convinced of certain things, and I always tell them, if you can’t consider the possibility you might be wrong, then we have a problem. Most people struggle to admit they could be wrong and need to be more open-minded, to just not know for sure.

K: Just admitting that, like, I don’t have an opinion.

  • TopMob: “Because everyone has a platform, and they’re just like, I have to say something.”

You know, it’s funny – everyone always has something to say, right? And honestly, we’re already getting plenty of opinions, so we’re just enjoying the whole thing and having a good time with it all.

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2026-02-25 05:07