Movie Review

Beerfest (R)

Mike Szymanski

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Hollywood.com Says
If belching and beer games make you laugh, Beerfest should be on your A-list. But don't see it sober.

Story
Two brothers, Todd (Erik Stolhanske) and Jan Wolfhouse (Paul Soter), head to Germany to spread the ashes of their grandfather. It's Oktoberfest time, and their lederhosen-clad cousins not only make fun of their American relatives, they drink them under the table and tease them about drinking Xima ices. See, the German cousins are part of an international super-secretive beer drinking contest called Beerfest, and in order to bring honor to the U.S., the Wolfhouse brothers return with the country’s best drinkers. Their team includes Phil (Kevin Heffernan), nicknamed "Landfill" because of his chugging abilities; Fink (Steve Lemme), a lab technician with a degree in All Things Beer; and Barry (Jay Chandrasekhar), who knows all the secrets to the beer drinking games and has a dark secretive past. They train under the keen and kinky eye of their Great Gam Gam (Cloris Leachman), and they're offered advice by her wisecracking caretaker (Mo'nique). But once they're ready to compete, they're faced with distractions such as busty German gals who are into spanking--and more beer.

Acting
Who knew that the Super Troopers crew was such a bunch of party animals? Please. The comic group Broken Lizard, who also brought us Club Dread, are the modern day Animal House team. In Beerfest, they belch, scream a lot, stand at urinals and relieve themselves aplenty. Still, the cameo appearances are in danger of stealing the movie. Mo'nique is hysterical, while Leachman as their trainer channels her Frau Blucher from Young Frankenstein (albeit a tad older) and shows them a thing or two on how sausages can limber up their throats. Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte also makes a memorable appearance as an over-the-top German beer-drinking champion. Then, there are the busty blonde beauties--Miss Barley, Miss Yeast and others--who steal the show, and not necessarily with their acting abilities.

Direction
The Broken Lizard guys are indeed a bunch of nutballs, and director Chandrasekhar seems to be the only one who can properly rein in their talents and keep a cohesive story going. Otherwise, Beerfest would just be a bunch of sight gags. Of course, that's precisely what makes the film what it is: The moments during the beer drinking games, the constant burping and urination required, and the jokes about British drinkers are all to be expected. This is the Man Show feature film that Jimmy Kimmel always wanted to do, and the Broken Lizards beat them to it. This Fight Club of German beer guzzlers might offend someone who isn’t fond of alcohol abuse or the celebration of drunkenness, but perhaps they should have paid close attention to the title. Beerfest does warn you: "If you do anything like this in the film, you will die."

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