MOVIE REVIEW

Flat "Beerfest" pours out plenty of stale jokes.

By Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

"Beerfest" is one sloppy comedy, but the lads of the troupe Broken Lizard don't know when to say when in their pursuit of the idiotic laugh, and persistence certainly counts for something. The result is the opposite of a microbrew. It's more of a "Half Off All Pitchers!" special.

In honor of their late grandfather, played by Donald "Cash the Check" Sutherland, brothers Todd and Jan Wolfhouse travel to Germany to scatter the old man's ashes at Oktoberfest. There they stumble upon the top-secret, Fight Clubby phenomenon Beerfest, featuring the most punishing chugging competitions known to humankind. After getting out-drunk by their German cousins, who taunt the residents of the U.S. of A. for "your strip malls and your Zimas," the boys vow to return the following year in prime chugging condition. The "Beerfest" plot also involves a family brewing recipe, but even the writers would have a hard time remembering much about it.

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Is the movie funny? Parts, yes. The Wolfhouse brothers assemble a five-man drinking team. Among the teammates is Barry, a reformed hustler played by "Beerfest" director Jay Chandrasekhar. He has a delirious way of singing the joys of the hops. "I wish it were winter," he says, swilling his new favorite beer, "we could make it into ice blocks and skate on it, and then melt it in the springtime and drink it!"

The film has zero pacing or rhythm, and Chandrasekhar is still learning behind the camera. He won't make a truly satisfying dumpster-diving comedy until he gets tough on his fellow Lizards in terms of casting. "Beerfest" would've been twice as amusing had anyone else played the Wolfhouse brothers. Erik Stolhanske and Paul Soter may be worth having around as writers, but they can't carry a movie.

Still, it comes off less lamely than "Club Dread," the Lizard ensemble's previous feature film. The training sequences work best.

Less interesting are the quasi-celebrity cameos. Jürgen Prochnow plays the boys' nemesis. Cloris Leachman, doing her best Frau Blücher, portrays the boys' Great Gam Gam. A classic Replacements tune, "Here Comes a Regular," gets a nice pop on the soundtrack, which is mostly alive with the sounds of belching and urination and the pleasing ping! of quarters bouncing off tables into steins of lager.


'Beerfest'

MPAA rating: R for pervasive crude and sexual content, language, nudity and substance abuse

A Warner Bros. release. Director Jay Chandrasekhar. Screenplay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske. Producers Chandrasekhar, Bill Gerber, Richard Perello. Director of photography Frank G. DeMarco. Editor Lee Haxall.

Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.

In general release.