They burst onto the Hollywood scene a few years ago with an independent drug comedy about cops, called Super Troopers. Now, the Broken Lizard comedy troupe is taking on the horror-film genre in the uproarious, raunchy and raucous Broken Lizard's Club Dread. It's safe to say that if you're a fan of Super Troopers, you'll love Club Dread.
This new film is definitely more along the lines of flat-out parody than Super Troopers was. It's set at Pleasure Island in Costa Rica, a tropical paradise owned by hippie rock star Coconut Pete, who seems to be very much like Jimmy Buffett (but Coconut Pete is not a fan of Buffett's work). Of the five members of the Broken Lizard troupe, Kevin Heffernan (he was Farva in Super Troopers) is the leading man. He plays Lars, the new masseur with the incredibly soothing hands.
Once there, he meets Putman, the British tennis instructor (Jay Chandrasekhar, who directed both films as well as co-wrote them); Juan, the water sports instructor (Steve Lemme, who was Mac in Super Troopers); Dave, Coconut Pete's nephew and the island's DJ (Paul Soter, who was Foster in Super Troopers); Sam, the "fun police" (Erik Stolhanske, who was Rabbit in Super Troopers); Jenny, the beautiful aerobics instructor (Brittany Daniel); and Coconut Pete himself (Bill Paxton, the only big-name actor in the movie).
As with all cheesy horror movies, we begin with a gruesome death (actually, three of them). Once the island staff discovers the bodies and realize that the killer is among them, it's a hunt to stay alive and figure out who's out for blood, and why.
I will readily admit that I was not as enamored with Super Troopers as most people my age were (though parts of it were funny, especially the first half-hour). That said, Club Dread is a vast improvement, stylistically and script-wise. I don't know if Broken Lizard is yet on par with Monty Python or National Lampoon when it comes to brilliantly vulgar humor (they have the vulgar part down just fine), but after Club Dread, it's much more possible.
The writing, done by Chandrasekhar, Heffernan, Lemme, Soter and Stolhanske, is much tighter than in their first movie. Yes, the movie does lag a bit in the final 30 minutes, but I think that's part of the joke. It seems like the action-packed climax keeps going on and on and on. But don't cheesy horror movies have action-packed climaxes that keep going on and on and on?
The attention to the standards of horror movies is worth mentioning. There's the obvious jokes (the bad guy never seems to die) but some of the jokes are subtler and wittier. I found myself laughing at some jokes, in a packed house, while the rest of the audience was silent. Broken Lizard really knows their horror movies.
You also have to give it to these guys for being able to keep a straight face some of the time. I can only imagine what the set must have been like, with such goofy characters and even goofier dialogue. Each of the actors, from Paxton to the Broken Lizard troupe, has such silliness to deal with that it's a wonder they can hold themselves together for even one take.
It's hard to pick a favorite character, or a particularly funny one. In watching Super Troopers, it's plain to see that Heffernan's Farva is the character who is meant to be the most memorable. Here, it seems that there's more of an ensemble feel. If I was forced to pick, I'd go with Putman, the Chandrasekhar character, because...well, just looking at him (he has dreadlocked hair) makes me snicker. Paxton also shines as the goofy stoner Coconut Pete, who's never really with it. The only complaint is he's not in enough of the movie.
Again, Club Dread seems to drag on at times, and could have been about 10 minutes shorter. But for a good laugh and a good time, this is the best bet right now.
Josh Spiegel is an entertainment reporter for the Web Devil. Reach him at Joshua.Spiegel@asu.edu
