Super
Troopers is high on my top ten list of classic
comedies, something that isn’t a statement on my lack of a sense of humor but
rather the amazing speed in which the breakthrough Broken Lizard movie ramrodded
through barriers in establishing its place in the pantheon. To some, their
stuff is lame frat boy humor and to them I say that their mother is frat boy
humor. Actually I don’t. That’s mean. Actually, their mother is WHORE. Frat
boys laugh at her, because she’s a whore and frat boys love to laugh at whores.
Club
Dread was less successful on every level but still has plenty of great
moments for the fans to revisit and Puddle Cruiser is a first film, one
that is better enjoyed simply as another place to see Steve Lemme, Eric
Stolhanske, Paul Soter, Jay Chandrasekhar, and Kevin Heffernan together doing
their thing.
Beerfest,
the comedy outfit’s first film for Warner Brothers is probably their most
accessible yet. The jokes come fast and furious and with a broader attack, many
of which hit the mark and undoubtedly many which will really sink in on the
second, third, or fiftieth viewing. This review comes shortly after my second
viewing of the film and as is the case for Broken Lizard films, it gets better
with repeat viewings both for seeing how others react to your favorite jokes
but also because these are packed with so many of them it’s impossible for them
all to register the first time around. It’s bad form to expose them in a
review, so I’ll just say that there’s plenty of quotable lines, moments of
slapstick, sight gags, and fun stuff galore to please not only the initiated
but new viewers as well. It’s a very fun movie, one with some scattershot
aspirations but a nice complement to the other great comedies of the year,
primarily Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby and Thank
You For Smoking, my two other favorites and one that could eventually
eclipse Super Troopers in the long run due to its assault of jokes and
timeless subject matter. It is by definition a party movie of the highest order
and will undoubtedly teach as many existing drinking games to the masses as it
does create new ones. Drink every time Bobo (or is it Popo?) the German puppet
is seen or referenced. Drink every time one of the German team guys steals the
show. Drink every time someone else drinks.
Disregard that last one. As warned in the film’s
opening crawl, you will die.
Typically, a few of the Broken Lizard boys come out as
the funniest in each film, with Super Troopers having the most even balance
of the bunch. Of course, each has different baggage to carry and in this one
Soter and Stolhanske have the ‘straight man’ roles, or as close to such as one
could have in one of their films. As a result, the other three run loose and
free and each has a few choice moments. For the first time, there are other
really funny characters vying for laughs as well, primarily in Will Forte, Nat
Faxon, and Eric Christian Olsen as Otto, Rolf, and Gunter respectively. They
have a bunch of really funny bits and it’s a miracle any usable footage was
gathered from the sheer amount of nuttiness on hand. This to me really seems to
have the makings of a classic comedy, especially when you see the great
character work of the amazing Cloris Leachman, M.C. Gainey, and the film’s
introductory camero appearance which resulted in the first big laugh of the
film.
Classic stuff. Stuff that grows on you. Stuff that
makes its way into heavy DVD rotation. Essentially, if you love Super
Troopers you’ll love this but if you didn’t there’s still a good chance
this one’s broader and more gratuitous nature will win you over.
9.0 out of 10