ClubDread Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Before The Slammin' Salmon, I wouldn't have called myself a fan of the boys from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe, though I have some mild, slightly embarrassed affection for Super Troopers and Club Dread. But Salmon is 90 minutes of truly inspired comic mayhem. With valuable assists from the rest of their cast, Broken Lizard has crafted the funniest film of SXSW – and they had some fine competition. I know I said that you can't trust me, but trust me: this is great stuff.

Broken Lizard is Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske and Kevin Heffernan. Heffernan directed and the entire troupe is credited for the screenplay. But in a shrewd move, The Slammin' Salmon revolves around an outsider: Michael Clarke Duncan, who plays a boxer-turned-restaurant owner named Cleon Salmon, a.k.a. "The Champ." In the best comedy tradition, the Champ combines dim-witted cluelessness with peerless confidence. That, combined with his enormous size, puts his employees in mortal fear of his wrath. So when, one evening, he announces that the waiter with the most sales gets $10,000 while the loser gets a "broken rib sandwich," the waitstaff – led by their officious manager (Heffernan) – step to.

I have yet to love a Broken Lizard movie, but I have a definite soft spot for the goofy comedy group, which somehow manages to be both lowbrow and esoteric. I missed Beerfest, but fondly recall individual moments of brilliance in Super Troopers (e.g. Kevin Heffernan flipping out on the fast food joint surveillance tape) and Club Dread (Heffernan again, losing his cool at the "fun police"). Their jokes can be vulgar and crude, but they can also be so subtle that they're almost not jokes, if that makes any sense. The way they embrace that dichotomy is really interesting to me.

Anyway, the Broken Lizard boys have unveiled a redband trailer for their latest effort, The Slammin' Salmon, and it's a gem. They've recruited Michael Clarke Duncan to play the lead role of a boxer-turned-enthusiastic-seafood-restaurant-owner, which makes perfect sense. He has one line in the trailer about a swordfish that may singlehandedly turn the film into a cult classic. Or if it doesn't, Duncan's girlish shriek certainly will.

I'm even more excited for The Slammin' Salmon because it was directed by Heffernan who, if it wasn't obvious, is far and away my favorite member of the troupe. Jay Chandrasekhar, who directed all the previous films (as well as the execrable Dukes of Hazzard remake) co-wrote with Heffernan and stars.

The movie premieres at Slamdance this month, and will be released this year on a date to be determined. (I'm hoping it shows up at SXSW in March.) Check out the trailer over at Collider.

I'm conflicted on the Broken Lizard comedy troupe. I thought Super Troopers was pretty funny, but Club Dread was a complete disaster. Beerfest was extremely uneven, but had some really hilarious moments. So I approach their new project with a mixture of excitement and indifference I'm calling "indiffitement." The Slammin' Salmon will get all the Broken Lizard guys back together -- Kevin Heffernan, Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske. Chandrasekhar typically directs Broken Lizard projects (and also did the dreaded Dukes of Hazzard), but this one will be helmed by Heffernan (he played Farva in Super Troopers), making his directorial debut.

According to Variety, the comedy will revolve around "a restaurant owner and former heavyweight champ who pits his wait staff against each other in a Glengarry Glen Ross - like competish." (Hey Variety, I love you -- you supply me with a lot of my movie news and for that I am grateful. But..."competish?" I like abbreves as much as the next guy, but writing out "competition" only takes two more strokes of the keyboard!) Sounds like it could be funny, and The Slammin' Salmon is certainly a title you don't forget. The gang is doing this film independently, to beat a potential Screen Actors' Guild strike. "We wanted to go back to our independent roots and get a project off the ground and into production quickly," says Heffernan. Expect Salmon to swim (upstream of course) into theaters next year.

Finally, life has purpose! Speaking at Comic-Con this past weekend, those Broken Lizard boys announced plans for a long awaited sequel to their underground cult flick Super Troopers. Though an official announcement has not been made, according to Moviehole, the Lizard's were confident the film would begin shooting soon. Is that a good thing? Based on the horrific tale that was Club Dread, I'm not sure these guys would know clever comedy if it repeatedly smashed them over the head. Seriously, after watching the trailer for Broken Lizard's upcoming film, Beerfest, I could actually see the brain cells escaping my head and leaping to their death.

Super Troopers 2, which will be a prequel to the original, finds the comedy troupe playing the father's of their characters in the first film. Having mildly enjoyed Super Troopers, I sincerely hope the sequel (or prequel) entertains. Heck, it's set in the 70s -- mix a whole lot of drugs with an afro or two and you've got yourself a winner. Right?