Customer Reviews

Beerfest (Unrated) [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

You have to love any comedy that throws up a warning screen before the opening credits - in this case, it's a warning to leave the serious beer-drinking to the professionals (or else you will die). Mr. Big Man on Campus may be able to drink his frat buddies under the table, but he probably wouldn't last five minutes at Beerfest. It's much more than a contest to see who can drink the most beer in the shortest amount of time. Beerfest is a veritable mini-Olympics of brewsky, with such games as beer pong, quarters, and the formidable Das Boot helping determine the overall champion team. This is truly where the big boys play.

Upon the death of their grandfather, Jan (Paul Soter) and Todd Wolfhouse (Erik Stolhanske) travel to Munich to carry out his last request - having his ashes scattered in his homeland during Oktoberfest. There is nothing somber about this occasion, though, as an abundance of beer and women's breasts quickly extinguish whatever grief they may have been feeling. Then their guide takes them to Beerfest, and they think they've died and gone to heaven - at first. All that changes when their German cousin, Wolfgang von Wolfhaus (Jurgen Prochnow) orders them to leave and attacks their family honor by accusing their dead grandfather of stealing the renowned family beer recipe and fleeing to American with his prostitute of a mother. Being humiliated by a bunch of pansy Germans with their Hans and Franz accents and tight little lederhosen doesn't sit well with the Wolfhouses. Upon returning home, they vow to form a team and return to Beerfest next year so that they can have their revenge on the Germans

As far as team members go, the guys fall back on some old college drinking buddies. "Landfill" (Kevin Heffeman), still bitter about having lost his job at a brewery for drinking too much of the outgoing beer, is an easy sell to join the team - and they don't call him Landfill for nothing. "Fink" Finkelstein (Steve Lemme), now a scientist spending most of his time masturbating frogs, doesn't look like a beer drinker, but you know how those wiry guys can fool you - and he's smart, hopefully smart enough to figure out the trick of conquering Das Boot, Beerfest's ultimate tie-breaking contest. Fink's not too high on the idea of participating at first - but his reluctance disappears completely when he learns that the enemy is German (never underestimate the power of the "eye of the Jew"). Then there's the somewhat controversial choice of Barry Badrinath (Jay Chandrasekhar, doing triple duty as actor, co-writer, and director). Barry is really down on his luck nowadays, and there's also the fact that he slept with Jan's (or was it Todd's) girlfriend back in college), so there's always some underlying friction there. As the guys begin their training, though, they all come together - putting their health, their jobs, their families, even their own lives on the line, super-focused on winning the championship. The German team, especially Wolfgang von Wolfhaus, has some dirty tricks up its sleeve, though, making their play for the long-lost family beer recipe weeks before the contest. Their sneaky blitzkrieg tactics threaten to break up the American team, but these guys are playing for everything they hold dear - the long-lost family beer recipe, their Great Gam Gam (Cloris Leachman), all underdogs, each other, as well as for America. And so this becomes a story of the underdog daring to dream and trying to make that dream a reality.

I thought this movie was pretty hilarious. The whole Beerfest atmosphere is a hoot, the guys' training regimen produces many a funny moment, the dialogue holds many a good joke, and the actors really gel together quite well despite their obvious differences. Yes there's nudity and a fair amount of toilet humor (sometimes literally), but what else would you expect from a film of this type? And don't go thinking it's a completely cookie-cutter plot either, as Beerfest introduced a couple of story elements I never expected (starting with the end of the very first scene). Not since Strange Brew have I been this entertained by a movie about beer and the men who drink it.

Beerfest begins with a funeral for the two main characters' grandfather. Jan and Todd Wolfhouse are charged with the task of taking their grandfather's ashes to be settled in the family plot in Germany. Little do they know, the family plot is actually Beerfest, "the ultimate test of a beer gamer's mettle." When they get there and are accused by their German cousins of having stolen the family beer recipe, they are quickly humiliated in a drinking contest and sent back to America with their tails between their legs. They vow to have their revenge and come back next year to win the Beerfest competition.

Jan and Todd assemble a team of their best friends and former drinking buddies:
Landfill - an overweight eating champion recently fired from his position at a brewery for drinking on the job
Fink - a well-respected scientist at the National Institutes of Health, who is also Jewish and participates simply to get back at the Germans
Barry - an all-out beer gaming champion who has since fallen on hard times and resorted to prostitution to make a living

The journey that these five men embark on is nothing if not funny, but if you didn't like the other Broken Lizard movies, I don't think you will like this one. It's in the same vein as movies like Old School and Super Troopers--a buddy comedy with plenty of T&A. The humor is a bit over the top at times and balances precariously on the edge of crass. For instance, there were at least five topless women within the first fifteen minutes of the film and there's a running joke that Jan and Todd's Great Gam Gam is a former whore.

Still, I found parts of Beerfest extremely funny and there were definitely moments I laughed out loud. This movie evoked memories of college with its references to beer pong, quarters, card games, chugging contests, and funnels. It would be fun for a guy's night out, but be forewarned that all the drinking in the movie may make you decidedly thirsty. The first thing I did when I left the theater was head to the pub.

A priest tries to extort money using violence....a man chugs three beers before killing himself by pulling the plug at his own funeral....women tear off other women's clothes while pouring beer on each other....a kid gets run over by a barrel, and I can't really remember after having a few too many but I believe the meaning of life and the key to enlightenment are revealed...and that's all in the first five freakin' minutes.

Maybe once or twice have I laughed harder at the movies than I did when I saw BEERFEST, which deserves print in ALL capital letters. My only regret was that I didn't smuggle in a sixer of 2 by 4s to drink with the mates. Broken Lizard regains the fine form of SuperTroopers.

As another reviewer put it: "The sage and bountiful Loveables who run Time Warner made this incredibly benign, sagacious and wise movie full of acute acting and takes a hardy approach to drinking, which can make family functions bearable, lives worth living and toasts to one's health. The studio should be commended for making this Oscar caliber film."

I feel I get the full blu-ray experience from Action/Sci-Fi type movies rather than comedy, but I had just gotten my PS3 and was on a Blu-Ray binge when I bought this. I am not disappointed though,
I had not seen the movie and got it cheap, The video quality is good and as I said if you liked Super Troopers, you'll like this.

Who doens't love their grandparents (and beer) so much that they *won't* train for an entire year to enter a beer drinking contest and win back their family honor....plus a brewery? I would!

"Beerfest" is the type of film expected of the 'Broken Lizard' guys. These are the same guys that brought us the much loved "Supertroopers" (still their funniest one to date), in addition to "Club Dread" (not as good), and "Puddle Cruiser" (exact same type of comedy seen in 'Supertroopers', only half as funny). Either way, the teens-30's age demographic (especially college coeds) will get a kick out of this film.

Obviously the amount of beer consumed during this movie would kill the average person via alcohol poisoning, however, if the audience can suspend reality and forget that tiny detail, this film ends up to be fairly entertaining.

If you like to see boobies (attention all men) then you'll *definitely* like this film. There's a lot of them. All over the place. There's even a scene in which girls accidentally fall into each other and "accidentally" rip each other's shirts off. Due to language and a lot of nudity, this film is definitely not for young children. Other than that, enjoy!

Bottom line: It's an entertaining, beer-guzzling good time if you don't expect too much. If you're wanting to purchase this film, definitely get the unrated version, as opposed to the rated one (which I think might have less boobies).

Beerfest is the latest project to hit the theaters from the Broken Lizard team who has been responsible for the rip-roaring comedy Super Troopers and the lesser-known, though still funny (to me), Club Dread and Puddle Cruiser.

My expectations were left at the door and all that I sat down with was the hope that it would be better than Club Dread. As the movie started, I had my reservations. I am never one to shy away from gratuitous nudity, but I have often considered it a last-ditch effort to wrench a laugh from the audience. If they were resorting to that in the first few minutes of the movie, things did not look good. Little did I know at the time that there was a necessary set up for the storyline. There had to be some actual time spent on explaining a thing or two before things could progress. The nudity, reminiscent of comedies from nearly a generation ago, was only something to hold your attention while they warmed the engine. It was as if Broken Lizard said, "We apologize that our plot line is a little far-fetched. We have to jump through a few hoops and clear up some red tape before we can get going. Oh, here are some topless girls to help pass the time and make up for any inconvenience we may have caused." And then the movie took off...

This is such a stupid idea -- getting five guys together to compete in a secret beer-drinking competition in Germany -- that the strength had to be in the writing. And it was. The dialogue was great, the sight gags were great.

Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske are Jan and Todd Wolfhouse, brothers and the descendents of the Germans which lead them to Beerfest. Jay Chandrasekhar plays Barry, a character who was the best at all drinking games in college. Jan and Todd find him a bit down on his luck when they ask him to join the team. Aside from directing the movie, I have to say that Jay is the most talented of the Broken Lizard team. Kevin Heffernan who is most beloved as "Farva" (Super Troopers) plays "Landfill," the team's former competitive eater. (According to the credits, he also painted the portraits of Stolhanske and Soter that appear in the Beerfest arena.) Steve Lemme is single handedly (pun only slightly intended) responsible for the beginning of the hilarity in the movie.

This is the perfect movie for me to want to say, "Hey, remember the part when..." and when you do, we share a laugh. I would love to recite the movie for you quote by quote, but obviously that would ruin it.

The movie was very funny and I loved it. I'm not ashamed to admit when a movie makes me cry. During Beerfest I had tears streaming from my eyes. I have not laughed that hard in a long time. Beerfest had my face contorted in laughter until my cheeks hurt. My hat is off, once again, to the Broken Lizard team. I may have laughed more frequently during Super Troopers, but I laughed harder at Beerfest.

Non stop laughing! Probably not a model drinking film for young drinkers nor a good movie for under certain minimum ages. But for quality beer drinkers this movie is filled with great laughs and sometimes might cause one to think about their past behavior!!!

Who knows what side of the Broken Lizard fence you are on. Some like all of their films. Some liked Super Troopers, but didn't like (or hated) club dread. Then there are those that liked club dread, but didn't like super troopers. Some like them all, some hate all of their films. I for one LOVE Club Dread, and am only mildly impressed with Super Troopers, so know that before i continue my review of Beerfest.

Beerfest is a loveable, lighthearted, and enjoyably random film that absurdly asserts the notion that a very hardcore underground international beer drinking sport is in existance. PShaw!

The cast, as usual, are brilliant. To be smart about explaining it (and as seen in the commentary and suplemental features of this blu-ray) they drew upon their knowledge and experience of their college fraternity's Drinking games to give credence to the films realism and plot. Basically that means exactly what it sounds like it should mean. Its a comedy about drinking absurd amounts of beer. Seeing boobies welcomly flashed before your eyes in a random scene or two in a very lighthearted way, and MANY MANY MANY repeateable quotes.

This Blu-Ray is fantastic, with the usual 1080p and AVC-1 50Gig dual layer treatment. The colors, definition, and detail are vibrant. The sound is amazing. The only real quibble i had with it was the lack of navigable menu's and especially the POP-UP menu, which is hands down a great technological leap forward that blu-ray has that HD DVD doesn't. (besides that coveted extra space per disc)

You, the beer-swilling fan that knows you already want to buy this movie just by looking at this page and reading this review, would be rightly justified by picking up this blu-ray. Not only will it really get lots of play on your ps3 or BD player and make your nice HDTV shine, but you will find yourself playing with little dolls wearing lederhosen, while your professor or boss is trying to teach you something. Remember, "its frustrating...its Fwustrating, its Fwustwating, its frrwwuuuustwaaaaaaaating"


enjoy this flick, and the review. The short and simple answer is that the Broken Lizard team has delivered. very much a recommended addition to your growing Blu-Ray collection!

While it might appear to some that this is just another college frat movie that has a lot of drinking and women (and drinking women) because that's what college guys like and will pay to watch, it's just not that simple. It's like calling South Park just another funny cartoon, or Team America just being a comic version of Thunderbirds.

They don't insult the intelligent viewer's intelligence. The gratuitous elements are clearly just that because they don't try to hide them with some lame excuses - it's all blatantly obvious, the [...], the excessive drinking, the making fun of Germans, etc. Many "standard" jokes are turned around, then enhanced to take it to a level that rivals the South Park crew's. The bad taste jokes are in such bad taste that there's nothing left to doubt that it's for plain fun but in a rather unspeakable way that makes you think twice before you think about talking about it around the water cooler from fear that an HR rep will overhear you.

It's razor sharp in its delivery, and it's as much a parody of regular frat flicks as it is one itself.

So if you think that this is just another Porky's, Old School, Van Wilder or the like, and ready to pass it up because you think you've seen it all before, well, think again.

Jay (Soter) and Todd (Stolhanske) are asked by Great Gam Gam (Leachman) to take their father's ashes back to Germany and spread them at Oktoberfest. They are all too happy to do this, as it will give them a chance to drink it up with the Germans. Once there though, they end up at a "Fight Club"-style drinking competition called Beerfest. Beerfest is sponsored by Baron Wolfgang von Wolfhausen (Prochnow), their estranged uncle. Attempting to represent America and defend their father's honor, they enter the competition and are humiliated. Upon returning to the States, they recruit college drinking buddies Fink (lemme), Landfil (Heffernan), and Barry (Chandrasekhar) to back to next year's Beerfest and bring home the gold for the US.

"Beerfest" is the latest from comedy troupe Broken Lizard, and they have made a raunchy, entertaining film. This film is laugh out loud funny at times, and although it will not win any awards, it does not disappoint. If this movie sounds remotely funny to you, chances are that you will enjoy it. This is definitely one of the funnier movies of the year.