Raunchy comedy hits most of the right notes
I Hope They Serve
Beer in Hell (2009)
Sometimes a man must sink all the way to the bottom, before he can begin to climb his way to the top. Abandoning your best friend at his bachelor party to pursue a sexual encounter with a little person stripper, and then defecating on a hotel floor are definitely the acts of a man who has hit rock bottom. No, this is not an essay about how I spent my summer vacation. This is a look at the recently released on home video comedy I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.
Before it was a film, the book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell was a huge success, appearing on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Written by Tucker Max, the book focused on the author's history of excessive drinking, embarrassing sexual encounters and overall insulting behaviour.
The film version expands on one of the stories in the book, which sees Tucker, his soon-to-be wed friend Dan, and his bitter, woman hating friend Drew going on a road trip to a high end (and hands on) exotic dance club. As is usually the case with movie bachelor parties (see The Hangover; Very Bad Things), things go awry. As I mentioned earlier, Tucker fulfills one of his fantasies when one of the club's performers turns out to be a little person. But things quickly spiral out of control for bad boy Tucker, and they hit a low point with a bout of uncontrollable defecation at a posh hotel.
Overall, I enjoyed I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. However, the one aspect I didn't enjoy was Tucker Max. Considering he is the main focus of the film, that's a lot to overcome. It's a bit like saying I liked Jurassic Park, but didn't care for all the dinosaurs. It's fitting that the real life Tucker is working on another book title Assholes Finish First, as that is the word I can best use to describe his character — he's an asshole. Maybe the actual Tucker isn't such a bad guy, but the film version does not reflect well on him.
Thankfully, one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch. There are several other likeable characters in the film. I did enjoy Tucker's friend Drew. At first he starts off as a one-note character, one that launches into vicious diatribes about his hatred of women (due to recently being dumped by his girlfriend in favour of a rapper named Grillionaire). However, after meeting an equally acid tongued exotic dancer, he lets his guard down and actually shows the kind of growth Tucker's character was lacking.
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell provides some big laughs and plenty of raunchy moments in the tradition of the American Pie and Harold and Kumar films. It's juvenile at times, offensive at others and definitely not politically correct. But it is well done, and accomplishes just what it sets out to do.
Sometimes a man must sink all the way to the bottom, before he can begin to climb his way to the top. Abandoning your best friend at his bachelor party to pursue a sexual encounter with a little person stripper, and then defecating on a hotel floor are definitely the acts of a man who has hit rock bottom. No, this is not an essay about how I spent my summer vacation. This is a look at the recently released on home video comedy I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.
Before it was a film, the book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell was a huge success, appearing on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Written by Tucker Max, the book focused on the author's history of excessive drinking, embarrassing sexual encounters and overall insulting behaviour.
The film version expands on one of the stories in the book, which sees Tucker, his soon-to-be wed friend Dan, and his bitter, woman hating friend Drew going on a road trip to a high end (and hands on) exotic dance club. As is usually the case with movie bachelor parties (see The Hangover; Very Bad Things), things go awry. As I mentioned earlier, Tucker fulfills one of his fantasies when one of the club's performers turns out to be a little person. But things quickly spiral out of control for bad boy Tucker, and they hit a low point with a bout of uncontrollable defecation at a posh hotel.
Overall, I enjoyed I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. However, the one aspect I didn't enjoy was Tucker Max. Considering he is the main focus of the film, that's a lot to overcome. It's a bit like saying I liked Jurassic Park, but didn't care for all the dinosaurs. It's fitting that the real life Tucker is working on another book title Assholes Finish First, as that is the word I can best use to describe his character — he's an asshole. Maybe the actual Tucker isn't such a bad guy, but the film version does not reflect well on him.
Thankfully, one bad apple doesn't spoil the whole bunch. There are several other likeable characters in the film. I did enjoy Tucker's friend Drew. At first he starts off as a one-note character, one that launches into vicious diatribes about his hatred of women (due to recently being dumped by his girlfriend in favour of a rapper named Grillionaire). However, after meeting an equally acid tongued exotic dancer, he lets his guard down and actually shows the kind of growth Tucker's character was lacking.
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell provides some big laughs and plenty of raunchy moments in the tradition of the American Pie and Harold and Kumar films. It's juvenile at times, offensive at others and definitely not politically correct. But it is well done, and accomplishes just what it sets out to do.
