"BEERFEST" — *** — Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Jurgen Prochnow; rated R (vulgarity, profanity, violence, sex, nudity, drugs, ethnic slurs, brief gore).
The Broken Lizard comedy troupe gained a cult following with 2001's clever comedy homage to the 1970s, "Super Troopers," and fans have been waiting for them to make something that hilarious ever since.
The group's sophomore effort, the slasher spoof "Club Dread," seemed so deadly serious that even fans didn't know how to take it. And despite their involvement in last year's "Dukes of Hazzard," it was a doomed studio project that the Lizards tried to salvage, with mixed results.
Thankfully, "Beerfest" is a return to form. Unapologetically crude and politically incorrect, this is certainly not for everyone. But those with an appreciation for such things will be delighted, and the film does feature a clear, don't drink-and-drive message that shows the troupe's heart is in the right place.
Broken Lizard members Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske star as Jan and Todd Wolfhouse, American brothers who are looking to gain some measure of revenge against their distant cousin, evil German brewery owner Baron Wolfgang von Wolfhausen (Jurgen Prochnow).
They're trying to build a competitive beer-drinking team from America to rival the baron's German team. Other members include the brothers' closest friends — scientist Steve "Fink" Finklestein (Steve Lemme), portly beer lover Phil "Landfill" Krundle (Kevin Heffernan) and down-on-his-luck Barry Badrinath (Jay Chandrasekhar, who also directed).
There's really little more to the plot than that. Beer flows freely, as do the laughs. Though it does take a while to kick into gear.
In addition to the Lizards' amusing clowning, the film also includes cameos from Donald Sutherland and Willie Nelson, as well as a clever nod to Prochnow's 1981 vehicle "Das Boot," albeit one that few in the target audience will understand.
"Beerfest" is rated R for crude sexual and flatulence humor (sight gags and references), strong sexual profanity, violence (mayhem, pratfalls and violence against women), simulated sex and other sexual contact, female and brief male nudity, drug content (marijuana use), use of ethnic slurs and brief animal gore. Running time: 112 minutes.
E-mail: jeff@desnews.com