Dirty. Raunchy. Sleazy. Filthy. Vulgar. Immoral. Indecent. Vile. Lewd. Obscene. Nasty. These are some of the words to describe I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. The movie reaches a new low in humor, completely derived from the offensive, sexist and down-right despicable behavior of the three lead characters trying to have a bachelor party before one of them is married.
Somewhere, deep down, there is a good movie, maybe like another version of The Hangover, maybe different, but a good movie nonetheless. That good movie, however, gets thrown out of the window with the character Tucker Max (Matt Czuchry), based on the writer Tucker Max, who used his real life experience to create a book which was then turned into this movie. The character is fully depraved of any integrity and dignity that he treats women as novelty items, going to great lengths to sleep with them so he can say “I did that.” This, indeed, is the basis of the movie. Why anyone would want to hang out with him, sleep with him, or even remotely know him is beyond me. He is such a one-dimensional character, completely fueled by a horrid ideal of what someone his age should do, that there isn’t even a level in hell for that type of behaviour. Unlike some men, who use sexual conquests to keep their ideal vision of youth, this man just does it to make himself appear cool, probably thinking that this is the standard that all men should live by (I feel truly sorry for any therapist forced to go through psychoanalysis with him).
Thankfully, but not in a good way, two of Tuckers friends join him in his quest of debauchery. They are the soon-to-be-married Dan (Geoff Stults) and the recently dumped Drew (Jesse Bradford). The only reason for them being in the film, aside for contrasting Tucker’s life with their own (which they don’t), is to provide semi-intelligent dialogue that feels forced, as if to show the spectator that there is more than frat-like comedy within the film (which there isn’t). There are even two female roles, Dan’s fiancée Kristy (Keri Lynn Pratt), and the stripper, Lara (Marika Dominczyk). All they are meant to do is look pretty (which they do), and to show the male characters that their preconceived notion of women was wrong (which they don’t). The two female leads, while in a better movie could have been more stronger and developed as characters, come off as clichéd stereotypes of other female characters in other pictures involving immature men in search of sex.
The real Tucker Max has said that these two women (and I am paraphrasing here) are strong women to show that not all women are like those depicted in the film, that some women actually have morals and standards and are positive, strong women. But that begs the question: what are they doing in a movie like this. This movie is absolutely rooted in gross-out comedy, with amazing dedication to try to make Tucker even remotely likeable, that any and all indication and respect for its strong female characters is effectively null and void. The same can be said about the film in terms of comedy, intelligence, talent and quality.
I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell may sound like a bad movie, it may even look like a bad movie, but don’t let that fool you: it really is a bad movie. This movie has no merits of worth; the plot itself is very loosely strung together. Consider the lengthy scene in a strip club (which runs way too long). There is no purpose for the scene to last as long as it did, except to give people a chance to ogle at women, get an overall negative view of bachelor life, and to show how despicable Tucker acts towards his friends, which they go along with. Another scene later in the movie is supposed to show the error in Tucker’s lifestyle, to give him a cathartic moment and reflect on how much of a douche-bag and a schmuck he is (there, I finally said it). It uses such grotesque excess of fecal matter that this moment proves that this film has no morals or decency, but only crude humor aimed at the lowest level of quality and quantity. And it is not just the plot, but the acting that is also bad, but that may have something to do with the characters. All of them are one-dimensional, with a couple of them under a thin veil of false pretense that tries to show that they are more developed than the others. None of these characters are likeable, least of all Tucker Max, and it’s a wonder why the actors would want to be in a movie like this (either they are fans of the book, or they were in dire need of a paycheck). All of this comes together in an ending so clichéd and sappy, supposedly to give the film a happy ending, but only reinforces the life philosophy of the lead character. It doesn’t offer any different views or actual regret in things that Tucker has done, and it is a wonder he doesn’t have a severe case of syphilis, herpes, or anything else.
After watching the movie I immediately regretted seeing it. Tucker is no where near likeable and the plot is so desperate for a laugh, that there is nothing even remotely redeemable about this movie. It is shocking and revolting at how he treats the opposite sex. The film is more sexist and offensive than misogynistic, but that does not mean there is a good enough reason for this movie to have been made. After watching it, anyone with even the vaguest idea of what a good comedy involves would be shaking their head in shame (I know I did). It is aimed at the college demographic, and indeed it does deliver on low-brow humor (extremely low-brow humor), but there is no taste to the types of jokes this movie tries to deliver. The words mentioned at the top of this review are only the tip of the iceberg. It really is that bad and dirty, and it makes the entire American Pie series look tame. However, if this type of movie is your cup of tea, then you will thoroughly enjoy it. No doubt most college students will enjoy this, even though the only thing this movie offers is a regression into the cheap humor of extremely immature kids with the kind of appeal to the older audience with an R rating.
- Marco La Rocca