Beerfest DVD
Brought to you from the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, Beerfest is the third film written, directed and acted by the entire group (Super Troopers, Club Dread). Its a riotous blend of underground sports and comedy very much like the Jean Claude Van Damme's Bloodsport was to martial arts and action.
The plot follows two brothers who travel to Germany to and are shamed when they find relatives who compete in games mixing athletics, agility and alcohol. Vowing to avenge their family they embark on a one year crusade to become the best beer drinkers in the world. The third act ends with the requisite Beerfest showdown.
What Broken Lizard does so well in all their movies is create likable characters who cut against the grain of what you saw each actor do in the previous film. One trouper, Kevin Heffernan, has gone from a gungo-ho backstabbing cop, to a spiritual masseuse, to a drinking legend in each movie. Perhaps in a sly way to show how much success this group has had in Hollywood; Jurgen Prochnow, Cloris Leachman and Donald Sutherland all have vital roles in the movie. I can always hope they continue to cast Linda Carter (Wonder Woman) in future movies, she had roles in Super Troopers and in BL directed Dukes of Hazard.
What could have been a loose and ultimately over the top movie like much of what National Lampoon does now instead becomes a movie with a fantastical plot but believable storyline. The humor is not done to one up the previous scene rather drive the plot and show how something most all college age students have done can be dreamt big enough to make money at it.
For good or for ill, there is two commentary tracks, separate sets of Broken Lizard actors speaking through the scenes. I would wish that they all did one sitting as I found each one good but wanting more from each.
The deleted and extended scenes are good and answered my question on why we did not see more of the Swedish Bikini drinking team.
Steve Lemme has a forgettable bonus feature regarding how he created his scientist character in Beerfest by visiting a doctor who in real life does the job he has in the movie. To give that away is to big a laugh.
I ultimately liked Beerfest more than Club Dread and less than Super Troopers. Much better than Dukes of Hazard with Johnny Knoxville and Jessica Simpson, which they wrote and directed.
The plot follows two brothers who travel to Germany to and are shamed when they find relatives who compete in games mixing athletics, agility and alcohol. Vowing to avenge their family they embark on a one year crusade to become the best beer drinkers in the world. The third act ends with the requisite Beerfest showdown.
What Broken Lizard does so well in all their movies is create likable characters who cut against the grain of what you saw each actor do in the previous film. One trouper, Kevin Heffernan, has gone from a gungo-ho backstabbing cop, to a spiritual masseuse, to a drinking legend in each movie. Perhaps in a sly way to show how much success this group has had in Hollywood; Jurgen Prochnow, Cloris Leachman and Donald Sutherland all have vital roles in the movie. I can always hope they continue to cast Linda Carter (Wonder Woman) in future movies, she had roles in Super Troopers and in BL directed Dukes of Hazard.
What could have been a loose and ultimately over the top movie like much of what National Lampoon does now instead becomes a movie with a fantastical plot but believable storyline. The humor is not done to one up the previous scene rather drive the plot and show how something most all college age students have done can be dreamt big enough to make money at it.
For good or for ill, there is two commentary tracks, separate sets of Broken Lizard actors speaking through the scenes. I would wish that they all did one sitting as I found each one good but wanting more from each.
The deleted and extended scenes are good and answered my question on why we did not see more of the Swedish Bikini drinking team.
Steve Lemme has a forgettable bonus feature regarding how he created his scientist character in Beerfest by visiting a doctor who in real life does the job he has in the movie. To give that away is to big a laugh.
I ultimately liked Beerfest more than Club Dread and less than Super Troopers. Much better than Dukes of Hazard with Johnny Knoxville and Jessica Simpson, which they wrote and directed.
posted by Comm's @ 9:46 PM
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