Tucker & Dale are on vacation at their dilapidated mountain cabin when they are attacked by a group of preppy college kids.
The spoof comedy has been given a bad name over the last few years with some dreadful attempts consistently failing to even raise a smile, often becoming unwatchable. Tucker and Dale vs Evil is quite the opposite, achieving exactly what it sets out to do with both style and irreverence.
This film could so easily have faltered without the instant likeability that the title characters possess. Their enduring friendship and Dale's debilitating shyness endearing them to us within minutes of the opening credits. Two buddies at last fulfilling their dream of a holiday home in the woods. With this anchor in place, as well as a measure of intelligence in execution, the movie's ridiculous plot points are prevented from falling into Scary Movie territory.
Director, Eli Craig, who also gets a writing credit alongside Morgan Jurgenson, is acutely aware of the basis of the amusement. All the usual tropes are present, a willingness to push the conventions to absurd levels in pursuit of a laugh abundantly clear. There's no shortage of jumpy shocks and it certainly doesn't skimp on the gore. Blood is sprayed around liberally on more than one occasion and the excess to which it is utilised is frequently a source of semi-disgusted laughter. It's definitely one to watch with company, these moments in particular being a joy to share.
The references come thick and fast, but always stray on the right side of esoteric, the picture being engineered in such a way that you probably won't even need to have seen half the movies hinted at to be in on the joke. This is a huge advantage. Personally, I don't often sit down with a horror flick, but have seen most of the classics (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween etc.). This seemed to be more than enough background to get the most out of the movie and will likely broaden its appeal to potential audiences no end.
It's not often that a film leaves you hoping for a sequel, mostly in light of how absolutely awful they often are, but I would love to see more of the outrageous antics that we are treated to here. Lovable silliness may seem at odds with horror flick conventions, but Craig and company have managed to pull it off brilliantly.
The Verdict:
7/10
There's no shortage of serious horror tropes here, but it's the endearing characters, cleverness and outright silliness that make this one of the best spoofs I've seen in a very long time.
When an alcoholic relapses, causing him to lose his wife and his job, he holds a yard sale on his front lawn in an attempt to start over. A new neighbour might be the key to his return to form.
Indie flicks can sometimes overdo it on the emotional side of things, which would have spelt disaster for this picture, particularly given the themes that are being dealt with. Everything Must Go avoids this pitfall and manages to be sweetly tragic without becoming saccharine or unduly sentimental. Much of that success is down to its star.
Will Ferrell is not a name often associated with any degree of subtlety, but with this film, he again shows he is capable of more than just madcap comedy. As many will be aware, this wasn't Ferrell's first foray into dramatic acting. His appearance in 2006's solid outing Stranger than Fiction being a prime example of what he can achieve outside of the style he is best known for. The plot here provides a lot for him to work with and he doesn't disappoint.
The focal point of the movie is Ferrell's Nick, a relapsed alcoholic struggling to come to terms with the impending break-up of his marriage and losing his job, both in the same day. If this doesn't sound like cheery subject matter, it's because it's not. There's a weighty sense of sadness that hangs over the initial scenes of the film, but this is tempered well by Ferrell's subtle injections of humour. The balance between the two is carefully maintained and the tone that is struck is pitch perfect.
As the movie progresses, the role becomes ever richer, with both his denial of what he has become and the subsequent drive to better himself coming to the fore. The yard sale shifts from being a technicality to avoid arrest to a metaphor for his need to 'let go' and move on with his life. There's a strong correlation between the two, which really works in the film's favour. His reticence to part with any of his possessions mirrors the desire to patch things up with his wife, though it's clear that this is highly unlikely to happen. It's imperative that the character be likable in light of the scenario, and it's no accident that he is. So pathetic is his downward spiral that you can't help but feel for him, willing him to get his life back on track.
The supporting cast bring another dimension to proceedings, Rebecca Hall and Christopher Jordan Wallace playing the biggest parts. Both are important components in Nick's recovery and there are some interesting dynamics at play in both instances. Their performances complement the tone well and their interactions with Nick make for some of the finest scenes in the movie.
The Verdict:
7/10
A sweetly tragic film that avoids undue sentimentality. Ferrell shows himself to be more than capable of drama, the strong supporting cast assisting him ably in bringing the character to life.
A drama centered on three people -- a blue-collar American, a French journalist and a London school boy -- who are touched by death in different ways.
I'm not sure if I've just missed the bad ones up until now, but generally speaking I'm a fan of Clint Eastwood's directorial output. Hereafter is a little overambitious, though I'm sure there's an aim in mind, but to be brutally honest, whatever that aim was, it missed.
Sweeping themes of death and the possibility of an afterlife are under discussion, but they're never really examined in any great detail, as the rush to cram an awful lot of plot into a small space of time takes precedence. At just over two hours, the running time isn't especially short, but the nature of the structure makes rapid-fire exposition a necessity.
The film is made up of three distinct plot lines, all taking place in different parts of the world. Stylistically speaking, these are differentiated by different colour tones. London is grey and washed out, France vibrantly warm, and San Francisco sort of normal. It's not a particularly tough task to keep up with the constant changes in locale, but it can be jarring at times when the film appears to arbitrarily move between locations for no apparent reason. This is a major problem given the structural considerations and, rather than feeling like different parts of a whole, there was a definite sense that I was watching three different films that had been cut together.
In addition to the constant back and forth between the narratives, some scenes rely heavily on some decidedly iffy CGI. This can be very distracting and shatters any sense of engagement that may have been present. Fortunately for both film and viewer, the most marked implementation of this occurs in the first twenty minutes and can be forgotten as the action moves forward. However, there are intermittent shots later on that also make use of it and will cast your mind back with a shudder, although thankfully they are few and far between.
It's not all bad news though, as the three worlds taken individually are very watchable on the whole. Each one has a kind of 'native' quality to it. London has the atmosphere of a Brit flick, France of French cinema, and San Francisco of Hollywood. Although I liked this aspect of the picture, it's fair to say that it is a major contributor to the lack of cohesion that makes it such a muddled affair.
In terms of the stars, Matt Damon is the actor of most note to put his name to the movie, though he could have been replaced without much damage. He is capable of so much more and, aside from one or two instances, it comes across as though he's just going through the motions. His effort in the San Francisco plot is overshadowed by that of Cécile De France in the French segments. Her performance here has inspired me to seek out more of her work and I look forward to seeing the results.
The Verdict:
5/10
An overly ambitious film characterised by its messy structure, but also by its largely failed attempts at addressing some of life's biggest questions.
