Hollywood has long had a love affair with stories of competitors facing their own limitations while confronting insurmountable odds to win respect and the gold. These are stirring tales where you can’t help but root for the underdog, feeling a special kinship to the characters on the screen.
At last there is a film for all those couch-potatoes, those picked last in gym class, the under-represented portion of the population and ‘Beerfest’ is its name!
The comedy troupe Broken Lizard have returned with an inspiring look at five regular guys out to fight for family pride and the American reputation at a no holds barred underground contest. OK it’s a DRINKING contest. I mean come on, what was I expecting with a name like ‘Beerfest’ and coming from the guys who brought us Super Troopers (2001)?
‘Beerfest’ tells the story of two brothers from Colorado, Todd and Jan Wolfhouse (Erik Stolhanske and Paul Soter) who travel to Germany during Oktoberfest to scatter their dead grandfather’s ashes as requested by their Great Grandmother Gam Gam (Cloris Leachman). While in Munich they discover a centuries-old, closely guarded secret beer games competition called Beerfest as well as long-lost German cousins. The brothers think they can hold their own against the world’s best drinkers and find themselves the object of ridicule and taunting.
Back at home they form a team of their own: Barry Badrinath, Quarters Master (director Jay Chandrasekhar), Phil “Landfill” Krundle, the Chugger (Kevin Heffernan), and Charlie “Fink” Finklestein, the Beer Expert (Steve Lemme), vowing to return a year later to Beerfest and reclaim glory for the family and the USA.
Where ‘Super Troopers’ was go at cop dramas and ‘Club Dread’ (2004) was a go at slasher films ‘Beerfest’ is the bastard child of a sports movie and a night of heavy drinking. A story about 5 guys entering a super secret, international drinking contest pretty much writes itself so to keep things interesting the Lizard guys have thrown in a couple subplots. Implausible: sure, but nonetheless, funny to watch. It seems that the more money the boys have in the budget, the more breasts you see. And by no means is that a judgment call, just an observation.
The thing that has always confounded me about the Broken Lizard movies like ‘Beerfest’ is how they get the caliber Hollywood actors they get to be in their films. I wonder how that first meeting goes: “So yes, Ms Cleachman you’re going to be playing a German great grandmother who was a whore in the old country.”
Whatever it is they say or whatever muffin baskets they send over, the casting is perfect and each actor is committed 100% to their character no matter how ridiculous. Gam Gam was one of my favorite’s in this film.
Jurgen Prochnow as the patriarch of the Wolfhausen family pokes fun at his most famous movie at one point. It’s classic. I was also rolling at the German cousins played to perfection by SNL’s Will Forte, Nat Faxon, Eric Christian Olsen (‘Dumb & Dumber: When Harry Met Lloyd’ and the soon to be released ‘The Last Kiss’), Ralf Moeller (Gladiator) and Gunter Schlierkamp (a former “Mr. Universe”).
Mo’Nique gets to play a femme fatale/industrial spy type role this time. She gets all kinds of action, if you get my meaning.
I’m here to tell you it’s all right to enjoy a movie with no other purpose than to entertain. Heck “Talladega Nights” was number one for two weekends in a row. While this is no ‘Rudy’ (1993) or ‘Field of Dreams’ (1989), it’s got some belly laughs and is a fun way to end the summer (even better if you have a cold one in your hand).
Opens wide August 25th MPAA Rated: R for nudity, sexual content, language and substance abuse.
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