Beerfest (2006)

VERDICT:
8/10 Well-Earned Hangovers

Wasn’t expecting to like this movie as much as I did, but then again, most things in life are surprisingly better when you throw three friends and 30 beers in to the mix. God, I miss college.

Beerfest is about a group of guys that put together a competitive beer drinking team of truly gifted alcoholics to represent the USA in the world’s premiere drinking competition in order take down almighty Germany and regain their family’s former glory.

Figured this would be a pertinent review considering I’ve been drooling on the keyboard wishing I was over in Germany for Oktoberfest right about now, proudly donning my lederhosen while drowning in stein after stein of sweet, sweet beer. I’m sure some of you out there share in my sentiments. For the rest of you wine aficionados out there, this probably isn’t the comedy you’ve been looking for.

But come on, the movie’s called Beerfest. It knows the demographic it’s going for and that’s the very demographic that’s going to laugh their ass off – male, late teens to early thirties, has an appreciation for getting drunk. It’s a pretty specific audience and I’m very grateful to be a part of it.

The guys behind this movie are the Broken Lizard crew, the guys responsible for Super Troopers (hilarious), Club Dread (haven’t seen it, it’s on the list), and the upcoming Slammin’ Salmon (which I can’t wait for). They’re all pretty funny in their own ways, but, as usual,  Kevin Heffernan steals the show as Landfill, the overall glutton/anchor of the team. Interestingly enough, this is also probably their most accessible movie to date, primarily because you don’t really have to listen all that hard to pick up on the endless beer, sex, and farting/burping gags. It’s actually a different kind of humor for them, but it works, and that’s what matters.

The story is whatever, it’s good for what it is, but all the characters are pretty damn funny and its got a ton of obscure cameos from people who would ordinarily have absolutely nothing to do with a movie like this. I’m talking about Donald Sutherland (needs a comeback), Willie Nelson, Cloris Leachman, and, the best appearance of all, Jurgen Prochnow – the badass lead actor from Das-freakin’-Boot. Don’t know Jurgen? Just go watch Das Boot. He is the man and it’ll make Beerfest a whole lot funnier if you know who he is going in.

But look, this is a guy movie. I’m sure there are women out there who’d dig this, but it’s crass, it’s gross, there’s a lot of masculine grunting, and if you’re not watching it with a thirty-pack at your side and friends to help you, you’re not watching it right. Not trying to be sexist in the least, just giving you fair warning in case you get suckered into this by your boyfriend/husband.

So cancel your plans this weekend, go to a Blockbuster before they’re a thing of the past, call up some friends, tell ’em to bring booze, and celebrate Oktoberfest the American way. Beerfest might not be the thinking man’s comedy of the new millennium, but who needs brains when you’ve got beer.

Can I get an Amen?