Opens
Friday, Feb. 27
Broken Lizard, the five-man comedy troupe whose sleeper feature Super Troopers drew inspiration from those wacky Police Academy pictures, returns with a fresh effort that grafts together two additional staples of 1980s big-screen viewing -- the spring break comedy and the slasher picture.
The resulting Club Dread works better than one might think, thanks to the group's modus operandi, which combines a fundamental reverence for the target material and a sly irreverence that's key to their skewering technique.
There's the inevitable hit-and-miss aspect that goes with the territory, but there's also sufficient character-driven kookiness to propel it all agreeably along.
Building considerably on that initial college circuit awareness thanks to a strong home video performance, Broken Lizard should have no problem attracting an appreciative young male following here, especially with the added incentive of an R rating.
Club Dread is set at a cheesy singles resort called Coconut Pete's Pleasure Island, presided over by none other than Coconut Pete himself (a pitch-perfect Bill Paxton), a washed-up, sun-baked, faded pop star who's still riding on his big 1970s ode to island debauchery, Pina Coladaburg (naturally, any resemblance to a certain Margaritaville is purely intentional).
But there's trouble in paradise.
The resort's staff is systematically being eliminated by a machete-wielding mystery maniac, and the survivors must stop him or her before the horror really starts interfering with the nonstop partying.
Among those dwindling survivors/suspects:
Pretentious Putman Livingston (director Jay Chandrasekhar), the dreadlocked tennis coach with the phony British accent
Juan Castillo (Steve Lemme), the Speedo-sporting South American dive master
Sam (Erik Stolhanske), the captain of the Fun Police who takes his job a little too seriously
Jenny (Brittany Daniel), the resident foxy fitness instructor
and Dave (Paul Soter), Coconut Pete's ecstasy-dispensing nephew.
Then there's also Lars (Kevin Heffernan), the new masseur with a secret Coconut Pete fetish and the not-so-innocent Penelope (Jordan Ladd), who would appear to be harboring a mysterious past.
Troupe member Chandrasekhar directs with a light, easygoing touch that suits the vehicle's sun-soaked, blissed-out tone.
And while it all goes on a little too long, there are enough bits of goofy inspiration, like a human game of Pac-Man, complete with sound effects and a finale that takes the old monster-who-never-dies scenario to new, ridiculous lengths, to break up the repetition.
Club Dread
Fox Searchlight
Fox Searchlight presents a Cataland Films production, a Broken Lizard film
Credits:
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Screenwriter: Broken Lizard
Producer: Richard Perello
Executive producers: Lance Hool, Peter E. Lengyel
Director of photography: Lawrence Sher
Production designer: Benjamin Conable
Editor: Ryan Folsey
Costume designer: Melissa Bruning
Music: Nathan Barr
Music supervisors: Christopher Covert, Barry Cole
Cast:
Coconut Pete: Bill Paxton
Putnam Livingston: Jay Chandrasekhar
Lars: Kevin Heffernan
Juan Castillo: Steve Lemme
Dave: Paul Soter
Sam: Erik Stolhanske
Jenny: Brittany Daniel
Hank: MC Gainey
Penelope: Jordan Ladd
Running time -- 103 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Friday, Feb. 27
Broken Lizard, the five-man comedy troupe whose sleeper feature Super Troopers drew inspiration from those wacky Police Academy pictures, returns with a fresh effort that grafts together two additional staples of 1980s big-screen viewing -- the spring break comedy and the slasher picture.
The resulting Club Dread works better than one might think, thanks to the group's modus operandi, which combines a fundamental reverence for the target material and a sly irreverence that's key to their skewering technique.
There's the inevitable hit-and-miss aspect that goes with the territory, but there's also sufficient character-driven kookiness to propel it all agreeably along.
Building considerably on that initial college circuit awareness thanks to a strong home video performance, Broken Lizard should have no problem attracting an appreciative young male following here, especially with the added incentive of an R rating.
Club Dread is set at a cheesy singles resort called Coconut Pete's Pleasure Island, presided over by none other than Coconut Pete himself (a pitch-perfect Bill Paxton), a washed-up, sun-baked, faded pop star who's still riding on his big 1970s ode to island debauchery, Pina Coladaburg (naturally, any resemblance to a certain Margaritaville is purely intentional).
But there's trouble in paradise.
The resort's staff is systematically being eliminated by a machete-wielding mystery maniac, and the survivors must stop him or her before the horror really starts interfering with the nonstop partying.
Among those dwindling survivors/suspects:
Pretentious Putman Livingston (director Jay Chandrasekhar), the dreadlocked tennis coach with the phony British accent
Juan Castillo (Steve Lemme), the Speedo-sporting South American dive master
Sam (Erik Stolhanske), the captain of the Fun Police who takes his job a little too seriously
Jenny (Brittany Daniel), the resident foxy fitness instructor
and Dave (Paul Soter), Coconut Pete's ecstasy-dispensing nephew.
Then there's also Lars (Kevin Heffernan), the new masseur with a secret Coconut Pete fetish and the not-so-innocent Penelope (Jordan Ladd), who would appear to be harboring a mysterious past.
Troupe member Chandrasekhar directs with a light, easygoing touch that suits the vehicle's sun-soaked, blissed-out tone.
And while it all goes on a little too long, there are enough bits of goofy inspiration, like a human game of Pac-Man, complete with sound effects and a finale that takes the old monster-who-never-dies scenario to new, ridiculous lengths, to break up the repetition.
Club Dread
Fox Searchlight
Fox Searchlight presents a Cataland Films production, a Broken Lizard film
Credits:
Director: Jay Chandrasekhar
Screenwriter: Broken Lizard
Producer: Richard Perello
Executive producers: Lance Hool, Peter E. Lengyel
Director of photography: Lawrence Sher
Production designer: Benjamin Conable
Editor: Ryan Folsey
Costume designer: Melissa Bruning
Music: Nathan Barr
Music supervisors: Christopher Covert, Barry Cole
Cast:
Coconut Pete: Bill Paxton
Putnam Livingston: Jay Chandrasekhar
Lars: Kevin Heffernan
Juan Castillo: Steve Lemme
Dave: Paul Soter
Sam: Erik Stolhanske
Jenny: Brittany Daniel
Hank: MC Gainey
Penelope: Jordan Ladd
Running time -- 103 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 3/15/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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