I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
3/4
Starring: Matt Czuchry, Geoff Stults, Jesse Bradford, Keri Lynn Pratt, Marika Dominczyk,
The version being viewed is the unrated one. For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Nudity, Strong Sexual Content including Graphic Dialogue Throughout, Language and Some Crude Material
As I have said before, I am a huge Tucker Max fan. Few people can make me laugh that hard no matter how many times I've read/watched their material. His stories are so outrageous and he's such a good writer that a movie was bound to happen. The master of the outrageous, the crude and the ego, "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" has forever cemented a place in my psyche.
Would that I could say the same thing about the movie. It's not particularly great; the acting is sometimes shockingly stiff and the direction is often questionable, but despite everything, it is funny.
The plot is a mixture of a number of Tucker's stories (which considering the wealth and variety of the material is a good decision), and it goes something like this. Dan (Stults) is getting married to his longtime girlfriend Kristy (Pratt). And seeing as the wedding is the next weekend, it's time for the bachelor party, something that narcissistic party animal Tucker (Czuchry) is deliriously happy about. But Kristy needs Dan to help with the wedding plans, so he agrees to stay in town instead of going to Salem (a few hours away). This is of course a lie, but with Tucker, nothing comes between him and a party.
The acting is not the film's strong suit. The worst of the lot is, surprisingly, Czuchry himself. Czuchry, an actor of predominantly TV credits, is horrible. He varies from hyper to low-key and boring; the casting of him in the lead role is a huge mistake (Tucker Max himself appears at the end as the best man and it's immediately obvious that Czuchry looks nor sounds like the real Tucker). Jesse Bradford, who usually gives good performances, isn't much better as the geeky, woman-hating Drew. More impressive is Geoff Stults, who plays Dan with sympathy and humor. The girls win hands down in the acting department. Keri Lynn Pratt, whose high pitched voice is her most noticeable quality, is an interesting choice for Kristy. As written, Kristy is the conscience and the party pooper. But Pratt is a good actress, and transforms the character into a real woman. Marika Dominczyk is also very good as the quick-witted stripper who sees past Dan's cynicism.
The direction by Bob Gosse is stale; there isn't a single dynamic shot in the movie. But that's not a huge deal because he understands the concept of comic timing. We expect a raunchy, hilarious story of drunken debauchery, and that's what he gives us. It's way too long, but it's fun.
Starring: Matt Czuchry, Geoff Stults, Jesse Bradford, Keri Lynn Pratt, Marika Dominczyk,
The version being viewed is the unrated one. For the record, the theatrical cut is rated R for Nudity, Strong Sexual Content including Graphic Dialogue Throughout, Language and Some Crude Material
As I have said before, I am a huge Tucker Max fan. Few people can make me laugh that hard no matter how many times I've read/watched their material. His stories are so outrageous and he's such a good writer that a movie was bound to happen. The master of the outrageous, the crude and the ego, "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell" has forever cemented a place in my psyche.
Would that I could say the same thing about the movie. It's not particularly great; the acting is sometimes shockingly stiff and the direction is often questionable, but despite everything, it is funny.
The plot is a mixture of a number of Tucker's stories (which considering the wealth and variety of the material is a good decision), and it goes something like this. Dan (Stults) is getting married to his longtime girlfriend Kristy (Pratt). And seeing as the wedding is the next weekend, it's time for the bachelor party, something that narcissistic party animal Tucker (Czuchry) is deliriously happy about. But Kristy needs Dan to help with the wedding plans, so he agrees to stay in town instead of going to Salem (a few hours away). This is of course a lie, but with Tucker, nothing comes between him and a party.
The acting is not the film's strong suit. The worst of the lot is, surprisingly, Czuchry himself. Czuchry, an actor of predominantly TV credits, is horrible. He varies from hyper to low-key and boring; the casting of him in the lead role is a huge mistake (Tucker Max himself appears at the end as the best man and it's immediately obvious that Czuchry looks nor sounds like the real Tucker). Jesse Bradford, who usually gives good performances, isn't much better as the geeky, woman-hating Drew. More impressive is Geoff Stults, who plays Dan with sympathy and humor. The girls win hands down in the acting department. Keri Lynn Pratt, whose high pitched voice is her most noticeable quality, is an interesting choice for Kristy. As written, Kristy is the conscience and the party pooper. But Pratt is a good actress, and transforms the character into a real woman. Marika Dominczyk is also very good as the quick-witted stripper who sees past Dan's cynicism.
The direction by Bob Gosse is stale; there isn't a single dynamic shot in the movie. But that's not a huge deal because he understands the concept of comic timing. We expect a raunchy, hilarious story of drunken debauchery, and that's what he gives us. It's way too long, but it's fun.
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