Beerfest - Review

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Length: 110 min

Rated: R

Distributor: Warner Bros.

Release Date: 2006-08-25

Starring: Erik Stolhanske, Paul Soter, Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Philippe Brenninkmeyer

Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar

Produced by Bill Gerber, Steve Lemme, Richard Perello, Erik Stolhanske

Written by Broken Lizard's Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske

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Reviewed by Josh Tyler : 2006-08-15 14:32:48

The first five minutes of Super Troopers are five of the funniest ever. Five years and four movies (if you count Dukes of Hazzard) later that’s still all Broken Lizard has to offer. Beerfest is their latest attempt to recapture those five minutes of glory, but it doesn’t so much recapture as jar them, mash them up into a paste, and then spread them paper thin over 110 minutes.

Thanks to incredible talents like Will Ferrell, Judd Apatow, Steve Carell, and Vince Vaughn Hollywood is in the midst of something of a comedic golden age. But what all of those guys have that collectively Broken Lizard doesn’t, is patience. Funny people know how to wait for the right moment. Ferrell will drag a joke out beyond reason, just to hit you with an unexpected, big laugh. Apatow’s movies build on character, layer after layer leading you down a road to a cacophony of surprise giggles. Vince Vaughn just starts riffing, pulling gag after gag in a long litany of rambling improv that might or might not go right over his audience’s head.

Broken Lizard’s boys can’t do any of that. They get itchy trying to get to the joke, and in the process end up either settling for something quicker and easier, or simply blowing it by over-explaining where it is that they’re trying to go. When they get a comedic itch, they’ve got to scratch. So when Kevin Heffernan’s “Landfill” confronts Mo’Nique in a fat body battle royale, the result is a scene that goes straight to the easiest joke: Another over-the-top fight scene full of cartoony violence and the same gags you’ve seen the other dozen or so times this bit has been done in other equally unfunny movies released in the first half of this year. Yes, Heffernan gets kicked in the balls. Then again, this is a movie about competitive binge drinking, so what else should we expect?

On paper, the plot’s pretty straightforward. It’s the story of two brothers sent to Oktoberfest to scatter their deceased drunken grandpa’s ashes in the place that he loved. While there, they’re sucked into a secret, underground competition called “Beerfest”. The film’s official synopsis describes “Beerfest” as a drinking game version of “Fight Club”, and I guess that’s pretty apt if you consider punching guys in the face incredibly lame. The competition involves a lot of rather goofy events. For instance, the festival culminates in a game of ping pong. Unless you’re Asian there’s just nothing cool about hitting a cute little white sphere with tiny paddle, drunk or not.

On paper the plot’s simple, but in practice it’s kind of a mess. The movie jumps back and forth between America and Germany, never really settling in to any particular rhythm. The two brothers stuck serving as main characters are total stiffs, and are quickly overshadowed by their more interesting teammates. Since they’re supposed to be the story, the point of what’s going on eventually becomes lost.

Sometimes sheer madness works though, and the best way to judge a comedy isn’t by overanalyzing its structural flaws, but by sitting there and seeing how much it makes you laugh. Depending on the circumstances, Beerfest might deliver in that respect. The movie’s hard “R” rating makes it perfect fodder for bachelor parties or group viewing in a sports bar. Make a drinking game out of every time you see a pair of gratuitously displayed, bare breasts. If you’re drunk and hanging out with you’re buddies, there’s a good chance that Beerfest will give you belly-laugh flop sweats. Of course under those circumstances so will “Dancing with the Stars”, and you can get that for free if you’ve got a good pair of rabbit ears (or maybe even a bad wad of tinfoil) stuck on your television.

Beerfest has a few moments. Kevin Heffernan, as he was in Sky High, is a scene stealer. Jay Chandrasekhar (who also directs) is genius as a retired male hooker. Toss out the other characters and focus on those two wandering around in an alcohol induced stupor and you might have something. Maybe even a modern day Strange Brew. Otherwise, this ode to the mass consumption of tasty brews is out of bubbles. Drink up before you see it, you’ll need the buzz.

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otto Says:
August 24th, 2006 at 12:31
I want to see the muscular german ass of the blonde girls who gets spanked. and I want to see it a lot in websites and the movie. I want to see that ass, do not censor it, and put it on the DVD's special features beacuse if they don't I will persoanally not go see this wonderful movie

DAP Says:
August 26th, 2006 at 17:50
Quit praising Judd Apatow! He's a good writer, but a horrible director! The Steve Carell, the 1st AD & the Script Supervisor saved 40 YEAR OLD from being a complete flop! Apatow had no idea what he was doing!

Josh Says:
August 26th, 2006 at 22:17
That's quite a claim DAP. Got any proof to back it up?

Until you present some, Apatow's a genius. Not just for 40 Year, remember he directed Freaks & Geeks too.

Did he also have nothing to do with that?

Jon Says:
August 28th, 2006 at 18:05
I can't say much for Freaks and Geeks, cause I did not watch it. But the fact is that 40 Year Old Virgin is not a very funny movie. As I huge fan of Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, the movie was predictable, non-improvisational and quite boring at times. There were some funny moments, but the acting was terrible and the jokes, while funny when they are repeated by your drunk friends, were ill-timed and delivered awfully. Gonna have to agree with DAP on this one. At least for 40 YOV. Totally respect the guy for his writing though. 40 year old virgin had so much potential, but it let a lot of people down, including myself.

RIch Says:
August 29th, 2006 at 00:32
I was one fo the background artists in this movie (the scoreboard referee), and I worked on this movie set (in Albuquerque, NM) for voer a month's worth of time. We were totally treated like shit since the crew always came first in all meals, their snacks were catered in for them, and other perks that us background artists didn't see. Althought the horrid treatment that we endured, we anxiously waited for the outcome of this movie. Recently we had a "Hollywood type premier" for us background artists who worked on the show, and to be very honest...it was a total fucking disappointment!

The plot of this movie was obviously thrown together, the humor was almost non-exsistant, and the acting was about a good as aSteven Segal movie (total boring). I endured 110 minutes of this crappy movie, which I seen most of it filmed, and it's lameness continued from what I remembered on the set. I thought that they would be able to liven up the movie as it went into production (cutting & pasting), but it still sucked!!

If anyone ever asked me if I wanted to go back and see this movie, I think that my answer would be,"I would rather fuck a rabid pittbull in the ass, who hasn't eaten for a week, than to spend even one minute of my valuable time in the theaterwith this crap on the big-screen!"

Trust me when I say...total thumbs down!

James Says:
August 29th, 2006 at 16:08
Do you people have NO sense of humor at all? Beerfest was hysterical. It's a matter of understanding the movie and simply taking it at face value. Since you didn't understand why Super Troopers was funny (from start to finish, not just the meow beginning), I'm probably wasting my time writing this, but I'll write it anyway.

So you say it wasn't funny, eh? Well, pretty much everything that takes place in Germany. Virtually everything Jay's characters says. The appearance of Landfill 2? How can you not laugh at that? How about Jay as a prostitute? How about the scatalogical but nonetheless hilarious masturbation of the rat? The whore of the great-grandmother? The opening scene, with the illegitimate priest? The last words of the main characters' grandfather, who drinks a beer before he yanks out his own plug? The flamboyant German folks? The hulking German who responds to being called a "Fuckhead" by calling the American a "Headfuck"? Drinking ram's piss? The ridiculous accents? When you watch a movie like this one, or like Super Troopers, it helps to step back from it and just process what you're watching. Think about what you're really watching. Think about the irony in every situation.

Most of all, don't think the Broken Lizard crew was trying to make a masterpiece. And don't even bother comparing it to the likes of Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn. It's a different style completely. It's unique, and by comparing it to their movies you only cripple your ability to enjoy this one. On the other hand, you seem like like Steve Carrell, and I just thought I'd point out that the show he stars in, "The Office," has a discreet humor very similar to Super Troopers and sort of applicable to Beerfest.

I think you got this movie all wrong. Perhaps you just prefer more direct forms of comedy.

sanja Says:
September 1st, 2006 at 17:58
I thought the movie was hilarious and unique. Also I was wondering if the "Das Boot" had anything to do with the dance song, "Das Boot," by Tunnel Allstars..??

Finklestein Says:
May 17th, 2007 at 16:24
James is right, what a great movie, ill take it even further, this may be one of the greatest comedies in the past 5 years. Broken Lizard’s boys are so far ahead of thier time they make Ferrell, Judd Apatow, Steve Carell, and Vince Vaughn look highley outdated. Josh Tyler, Did you say only the first 5 minutes of SuperTroopers was funny. Well this is the problem, You should never be aloud to write another reveiw again. SuperTroopers was a breakthrough comedy and Beerfest is even better, offcourse Beerfest would not be what is is without SuperTroopers from the aspect of getting to know these Broken Lizard Boys. Josh Tyler, Your reveiw is non insiteful, tasteless, and down right offensive, not too mention ping pong is a highly skillfull sport that takes alot of tallent and a ton of itteligent skill. It is your review in which as you put it "jumps back and forth and never really settles in to any particular rhythm" Beerfest was such a great movie classic it made the sales of Das Boots backordered for 4 months from any supplier. INSTANT CLASSIC

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Beerfest - Review

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