Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.


Since the 2002 release of the cult-hit stoner comedy Super Troopers, the comedy team known as Broken Lizard were favorites among fans of stoner comedies as well as low brow humor. In 2004, the team of director Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Erik Stolhanske, Kevin Heffernan, and Paul Soter followed up their cult hit with a slasher-film spoof that also starred Bill Paxton called Club Dread. The eagerly anticipated film was considered a disappointment with fans and critics. A year later, Chandrasekhar directed a film version of the TV show The Dukes of Hazzard that also featured contributions and cameos from his Broken Lizard team. The film, despite being a hit in the box office, was panned by critics as it served as a stop-gap film for what Broken Lizard was about to do next called Beerfest.

Written and starring Broken Lizard with Chandrasekhar as the director, Beerfest tells the story of two Colorado brothers who travel to Germany to spread the ashes of their grandfather. After a misunderstanding at a local Oktoberfest party, the men discover a secret festival known as Beerfest that included international drinking competitions and games. After being humiliated by their German cousins, the men decide to take revenge by forming their own American team for next year's Beerfest. Returning to the low-brow humor that made Super Troopers a cult hit, the film reveals Broken Lizard's knack for party humor that will attract audiences for that kind of humor. Also starring Mo'Nique, Blanchard Ryan, Will Arnett, Eric Christian Olsen, Cloris Leachman, Jorgen Prochnow, and in an uncredited cameo, Donald Sutherland. Beerfest is a raunchy, laugh-out-loud, excessive comedy from the Broken Lizard troupe.

At a funeral for their late grandfather Johann Von Wolfhausen (Donald Sutherland), two brothers from Colorado named Todd (Erik Stolhanske) and Jan (Paul Soter) Wolfhouse have been given the family business. A sausage house called Schnitzengiggle Tavern that was run by their grandfather for many years. Their great-grandmother Gam Gam (Cloris Leachman) sends the brothers to do a family tradition in honor of their grandfather by going to Germany and find Mr. Schniedelwichen (Bjorn Johnson) to spread their grandfather's ashes. They arrive to meet Mr. Schniedelwichen as they party at an Oktoberfest tent where cultural misunderstanding causes problems. They find Mr. Schniedelwichen as he takes them to a secret, underground festival known as Beerfest.

Jan and Todd are excited to see all the beer-drinking games that are going on as they watch the longtime champs, the German team beating up the Irish to a drinking contest that included drinking a foot-long boot made glass known as Das Boot. Mr. Schniedelwichen introduce Jan and Todd to the German team that included Otto (Will Forte), Rolf (Nat Foxon), and Gunter (Eric Christian Olsen) who are part of the Von Wolfhausen family. When the team learn who Jan and Todd are, they're insulted as Mr. Schniedelwichen is executed with the two Americans forced to hear the insults about their grandfather and their great-grandmother who they claim is an old hooker. The anger also dates back to the claim that the Wolfhouse's grandfather stole an old beer recipe that was claimed to be the best.

The Wolfhouse brothers challenge two team members in Hammacher (Ralf Moeller) and Schlemmer (Gunter Schlierkamp) into a drinking game. The Wolfhouse brothers lose as they meet the Von Wolfhausen leader and Beerfest organizer Baron Wolfgang Von Wolfhausen (Jorgen Prochnow), who humiliates the boys and spreads the ashes of their late grandfather on them and destroys their urn. The humiliation and embarrassment Jan and Todd suffer forced them back home as they plot for revenge. They organize a team that included hot-dog eating champ Phil "Landfill" Krundle (Kevin Heffernan, who had been kicked out of his job at a brewery for drinking too many beers. They also bring in a Jewish scientist named Charlie "Fink" Finkelstein (Steve Lemme) who has a vast knowledge of beer and its chemistry. The final member of the team they bring, much to Todd's reluctance, is Barry Badinrath (Jay Chandrasekhar) for his ability in playing drinking games. Yet, Barry has now fallen on hard times as he had become a male prostitute.

During a one-year training period, things haven't become easy as Todd is still angry at Barry for having a one-night stand with Todd's wife back in college. Things get rough at first as the guys turn to Gam Gam for help about Beerfest as she suggests to drink ram's urine to help. After taking her advice and engaging into more drinking games in parties, things start to go well as they discover inside Johann's doll is the beer recipe the Von Wolfhausen clan has been looking for. It is there, they discover the greatest beer in the world as well as the fact that Gam Gam might be a prostitute. After some more games and drinking party, where at one-point, Barry sleeps with Gam Gam's nurse Cherry (Mo'Nique). With the training period winding down, Wolfgang discovers that the boys have brewed the family recipe as the German team travel to America. A confrontation between the Americans and Germans happen but no game goes on due to Barry's nightmares.

Things only get worse when the team briefly disband when a traitor was revealed causing a major tragedy. Only Gam Gam reveals her grandsons and the team the story of who really owns the Von Wolfhausen brewery. There, with the help of a miracle (rather a deus ex machina), the American team travel to Germany to beat the Germans once and for all as Fink finally discovers the secret of drinking the boot.

With a film like this, it's not meant to be taken seriously. Then again, who cares? It's a movie about a bunch of guys getting drunk on loads and loads of beer in beer-drinking competition. Sure, the film is predictable, formulaic, and all of that stuff. Yet, isn't comedy about having a good time to laugh? That is certainly what Broken Lizard aims to do. They give the audience to laugh about whether it's stereotypes of other countries, accents, or anything. It's all done in good fun. There's a lot of dialogue that's funny, even from the guys who play the Germans. The beer-drinking games are a lot of fun to watch. I mean, what could an audience for a film that is low-brow with a lot of dirty, juvenile humor, lots of beer, and topless women ask for?

Broken Lizard delivers in what they bring. The jokes in the film, including numerous references to the Wolfgang Petersen film Das Boot, are consistently funny from start to finish. Even with Jay Chandrasekhar's direction, the film doesn't lag itself with problematic pacing issues that was a real detriment in their last feature, Club Dread. The film takes on a more leisurely approach to the fact that it's about a bunch of guys just talking about beer and drinking about beer. So there's really not much of a plot going on in the film. That's not what Chandrasekhar or his Broken Lizard teammates are concerned about. They're just trying to figure out how to make someone laugh and the end result is a pretty damn funny movie.

Cinematographer Frank G. DeMarco definitely creates a nice look to the film's scenes, notably the beerfest sequences. Editor Lee Haxall brings a nice pacing to the film along with some stylized editing to the film. Production designer Clark Hunter and art director David Baca do some great work in creating the festival that is beerfest while costume designer Tricia Gray creates some great uniforms for the various countries playing in the event. Sound editor Gregory King also creates some nice work on the film's sound, notably the way quarters hit the glass. Music composer Nathan Barr creates some wonderful, exuberant score to emphasize the momentum of beerfest. The soundtrack features an array mix of music ranging from acts like Del the Funkee Homosapien, the Meters, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Bulletboys, AC/DC, Kool & the Gang, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Poison, Eagles of Death Metal, and the German techno group Bubbles who play the same track that appeared in Super Troopers.

The film's cast is wonderfully assembled with notable appearances from M.C. Gainey as a priest, Aaron Hendry and Michael Yurchak as English drinkers, Philippe Brennikmeyer (the German guy from Super Troopers) as the referee, Candace Smith as Barry's drunken fantasy, Open Water’s Blanchard Ryan as Landfill's wife, Bjorn Johnson as Schniedelwichen, and hilarious cameos from Donald Sutherland and country legend Willie Nelson. Comedian Mo'Nique brings a hilarious performance as Gam Gam's nurse Cherry with her comments about the old country and some of the things she says to Barry. Cloris Leachman is also funny in her role as the Gam Gam with her talks about sausage and other things. Will Forte, Eric Christian Olsen, Nate Foxon, Ralf Moeller, and Gunter Schlierkamp all give very funny performances as the German team with each actor having a funny moment to shine on. Jorgen Prochnow, who starred in Das Boot, has some hilarious one-liners that includes a reference to that film while bringing in a presence that is regal.

Finally, there's the Broken Lizard troupe. Erik Stolhanske and Paul Soter are great as the Wolfhouse brothers Todd and Jan, respectively. Stolhanske is great as the more cautious of the brothers while having his own issues with Barry. Soter is the more outlandish of the two while continuing to sport a black-eye throughout the entire film. Steve Lemme is great as the Jewish Fink who is trying to discover the mystery of the boot while learning how to chug like a man. Whatever you do, don't knock his Jew hat. Kevin Heffernan is very funny as the boisterous Landfill with insults towards Fink early on while proving that he's one-man beer-chugging, drinking machine. Jay Chandrasekhar is extremely hilarious as the down-and-out Barry Badinrath who carries a secret about his ping-pong playing past while getting drunk in a drunken fantasy as he wears a disco suite that proves to be one of the funniest moments on film.

For those who were disappointed by Broken Lizard's recent outings can breathe as Beerfest shines in being a raucous, down-and-out comedy. Fans of Super Troopers will no doubt see that the low-brow, juvenile humor of that film is intact for this beer-drinking movie. Those who don't like low-brow, childish humor will definitely not like this. Well... if you’re one of those people who can't laugh at these movies. F*ck You!!! This is the kind of movie made for people who just want to have a good time, drink some beer, maybe two, hell why not give them five kegs!!! After all, Beerfest delivers on what it sets out to do. In the words of Poison: Ain't nobody lookin' for a good time, how can I resist?

Broken Lizard Films:

Puddle Cruiser (1996):

(Coming Soon)

Super Troopers (2002):

http://www.epinions.com/content_105138458244

Club Dread (2004):

(Coming Soon)


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age