The Sasquatch Gang

A friend of mine has been trying to get me to watch this movie forever and I finally agreed, so I went in expecting to hate it. I was surprised this wasn't a Jared Hess film, since a lot of the characters seemed like they were trying to be Napoleon Dynamite the whole time.

Despite my initial misgivings, there were stretches were I was enjoying myself. It's definitely the kind of movie that you would want to watch with friends. The narrative structure is one that switches perspective, and I think this technique worked well for story. And some of the characters deliver genuinely funny moments. But there was the occasional moment, usually a fight scene, that turned me off, especially in the film's climax.

Ultimately, my friend wasn't wrong to like the movie, but it's not one I would ever insist others to view.

Justin Long is Gavin's burn out neighbor, who desperate for money hatches a somewhat brilliant plan to sell fake plaster casts of Bigfoot prints. Gavin and his friends discover the Bigfoot tracks while out hiking one afternoon and race off to tell the authorities. Eventually the law (Jon Gries) brings a Sasquatch expert (Carl Weathers) to see the Bigfoot poo and prints they find in a local forest. Gavin's friends and rivals decide to complicate matters and sabotage Gavin's chance for fame.

Tim Skousen, of 2001's Leon, apparently decided to have his actors pretend they were in Napoleon Dynamite. What happened was some crazy amalgamation of Napoleon Dynamite, Joe Dirt, Bully and several other influences I recognized. Here the main character, Gavin (Jeremy Sumpter), seems in many ways to be the least nerdish character in the group. I applaud Addie Land who played what is easily imaginable as a real life unflattering role of the cute girl who inescapably has it in her genes to become fat. Most of the acting is not credible but the performances are caricatures anyway so it matters little.

I went into this film with little knowledge of its plot beyond what IMDb and the Slamdance Film Festival published (at the time of this writing, there isn't a trailer or even a poster!).

That being said, I found myself starting to laugh at the very opening sequence, where the three geeks "prepare to do battle." The moment that won me over was when Gavin (played by Jeremy Sumpter) went over to a little portable CD boom-box to play some medieval music to set the "proper scene" for the battle! From then on, I sat back, relaxed, and enjoyed a pleasant comedy that was well-written, directed, edited, and acted (definitely a breakout performance by Sumpter as well as Hubbel Palmer as his sidekick).

Judging from the sustained laughter from the audience, I wasn't alone in my admiration for this independent film.

Just saw the premiere at the Slamdance film festival on Saturday, Jan. 21 and it is hysterical! I believe they have actually topped Napoleon with this film! Congratulations to the "Sasquatch Gang" with breakout performances by Hubbel Palmer, Jeremy Sumpter, Addie Land and Rob Pinkston! Joey Kerns and Justin Long transform themselves into a couple of rednecks that keep you in stitches with some very memorable one-liners that people will be quoting for a long time to come! This movie is awesome!! Favorite line: "Fat people suck!" from Maynard (Rob Pinkston) This film's format is reminiscent of "Pulp Fiction". You will see some creative and inventive "chapters" that are titled with comic strip scenes. The story of the "gangs'" find of Sasquatch Poo and tracks in the woods is intertwined with the rednecks' quest to profit from it. Complete hilarity ensues!

I saw this film at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan, and it was my favorite film of the festival.

Directed by talented newcomer Tim Skousen, the film follows teen Gavin Gore (wonderfully played by Peter Pan's Jeremy Sumpter) and his three friends after they discover some Bigfoot tracks (and dumplings) in the forest. The fantasy-loving group decides to tell the police and media about it to see if the tracks actually belong to the Sasquatch. Meanwhile, as this is taking place, Gavin's neighbors, patriotic redneck Zerk Wilder and corndog loving Shirts (brilliantly played by Dodgeball's Justin Long and Cabin Fever's Joey Kern) get into some trouble. Zerk will lose his Pontiac Firebird to creditors if he doesn't pay for his credit bills. They decide to use the Sasquatch finding as a way to save the precious car. The two story lines cleverly intertwine and result in many hilarious scenes.

I loved the way the film was written. It's told in a comic book style, with different chapter titles and some of the same scenes from previous chapters appearing in later chapters, just from a different point of view.

I was laughing the whole way through this film. It was produced by the Napoleon Dynamite team and some of the touches from that film can be seen in this. But whether you loved Napoleon Dynamite or hated it, don't let that be the judge of whether you want to see this movie or not. This movie has its own clever and charming characteristics. The characters are all entertaining, the dialogue is hysterical, and it's clear that everyone working on the movie had a great time.

Director Tim Skousen, producers Mark Kassen and Jeremy Coon, and stars Justin Long and Joey Kern were all at the festival to promote the movie and tell stories about the making of it. I talked with them and got to ask some questions about the film and I must say, they were so nice and funny, I wish them all the best with this film and their future projects.

See this film then spread the word.