The Foursome

In a nutshell: bad clichés, recycled jokes, bad characters. Nothing really to see here. Not the worst movie ever, but in the genre of golf comedies...maybe?

If you've ever golfed you will have heard every joke, and if not, well...probably not funny. Even the other jokes and skits same old recycled jokes you might hear from a middle school kid. So much for originality.

Otherwise, not a lot of substance here so not much else to comment on. In fact, this is the only time I've ever struggled to fill the minimum 10 lines of text.

Norm Foster is Canada's most popular playwright, and The Foursome one of his more popular plays. It's a play that presents a good opportunity for a screen adaptation, but is a challenging play to adapt. The play takes place exclusively at the tee of each of the eighteen holes of a golf course, involves only four characters and consists almost entirely of dialogue. A film using the play as a screenplay would be dull indeed, as the audience expects the film to use its ability to show us different scenes and more complex action to tell the story.

This screenplay fails to translate the play effectively to the screen, and for two main reasons. First, the play is an ensemble work--the merciless macho banter of the golfers touches nerves in all four characters and forces them to justify their lives. Here there is a focus on the character of Rick which skews the balance among the characters. Second, the adapter has added the characters of the golfers' wives and invented subplots and interactions among them, added a gay course marshal, added a chase scene involving golf carts and added an extra 18 holes of golf. None of these additions help the real point of the story which is the exposure of the reality of the golfers' lives (often kept as carefully guarded secrets). While making room for all of this rubbish, the screenwriter has cut away plot point after plot point from the stage play, effectively gutting the characters, especially Ted, Donnie and Cam, and leaving empty caricatures. At the same time the carefully laid foundations in the play have been so eroded that the characters' actions (and especially the denouement) seem arbitrary rather than natural for them. For an example, in the play we hear that Rick gave Donnie a wedgie at the reunion. Instead of showing us this incident, which tells us a lot about Rick and Donnie and their relationship, and which would be effective cinematically, the whole event disappears. Bits of Foster's dialogue float to the surface from time to time but usually missing context and sometimes missing the punchline. An exception is Rick's plan to sell Brazilian Pepper Trees which arrives intact and hilarious.

Considering the weak script, the actors made a reasonably good job of this. I was particularly impressed with Paul Jarrett's Ted (the role Foster himself played in the theatrical debut) and with Nicole Oliver as Cam's wife Lori. Production values were mostly solid throughout. I thought the opening titles, though clever, were a little hard to read.

Generally this was a squandered opportunity to do a really good adaptation of a very good play. A pity.

As someone who has performed Norm Foster's The Foursome on stage, I was intrigued to see a movie version of the play. I was very disappointed in the result. I enjoy Norm's work and it is always well received by audiences.

This play doesn't represent Norm's work at all and very much of the material that is enjoyed by the live audience was deleted. The female characters are much larger and more interesting when left to the audience's imagination. Not that I was disappointed with the ladies performances, they did the best they could with what they had! It is really too bad that this movie couldn't be more true to the play.

I was absolutely enamored from the word "Go" with this gem. Not so much for the sporting aspect, as I am not a good golfer myself, nor even for the chops and professionalism K-Dill brings to the ensemble effort.

What grasped me more was the REALNESS of this straight to video (should be called "Theater Owner's loss")slice of life. This film is very Canadian, from Production to the stars its drenched in Maple Syrup and Gray skies, so one must allow for a bit of that Canadian "off-beat" humor. The kind where you don't so much laugh as wish they'd try the joke with a different punchline.

The characters are amazingly detailed, starting with Kevin Dillon's Schmuck-with-a-heart-of-gold Rick Foster. Rick's a man's man, ripping up the lynx with the same vigor with which he pursues any piece of tail. This is the first time since THE BLOB that Dillon was given a chance to lead the show. After this display, someone owes the man a 20-year-old apology. Ironically, Ricky-Boy really just wants to be as settled down as his buddies are.

Speaking of that group, the affable Paul Jarrett steals the show as booze sponge Ted, an alcoholic with a trophy wife, penchant for canned beer and a rug that would make any Persian a bit envious. For all those pluses, Jarrett does a great job showing us just how much pain "Ted" is in as he reflects on his life amidst a Spaulding Smails-esquire run of finishing random drinks and cutting up the fairways.

Chris Gauthier's performance as the fat fool Donnie Spencer cements his place as one of the Great White North's up-and-coming oddballs. His whacky, colorful golf uniforms and awkward interactions with the faggotty Southern (though its in British Columbia)course manager and his awful pink popped color. If that role didn't do it, I cannot see it taking much more to get Gauthier the lead in a Canuck sitcom no one will find humorous.

Last but not least is the 2-headed attack of "Cameron" (John Shaw) and wife "Lori" (Nicole Oliver), the "Towers." Cam is a lovable loser, stringy and goofy as his wife is gross and sweaty. He comes through in the end, however, to prove the guy that appears to have all the problems really has things under more control than even he realizes.

Oliver's performance (you may be asking yourself, "Is that that great big fat woman from "KRYPTO, The SUPER-DOG?" fame). Yes. One and the same...though hats are off to Oliver for shedding the sitcom image and her clothes (though, unfortunately, not many pounds)to run amok looking like a Renaissance-era nude model. You know, when looking pregnant or gluttonous was seen as sexy and ideal. Now before any feminists say "that's right", put down the Iced Caramel Mocha latte with Cream, Sprinkles and 7 packets of sugar, cow. Its 2008 and only men are allowed to be fat.

All in all this is one that should be hoisted to the rafters and celebrated. If it wasn't so damn Canadian, it would be a serious threat to any AFI top-this-or-that list. Kudos, Mr. Dilon and company. Kudos.

This is another 20-minute rental. Even at that, you wonder why it took you so long to hit the OFF button. The only reason I even rented this stinker is because it involved golf. Four buddies get together for a college reunion and a round of golf. The reunion sets up one 'hilarious' moment and gives you a peak at the heroes and their lives. The golf just gives them a reason to drink and complain. When are they going to give actors a golf lesson before casting them in a golf movie. The on-course action was somewhat realistic, just not funny or entertaining. The duffer duffed, the stud hit bombs away and the foils were predictably foiled. The reunion stuff had been done far better in any number of movies, not all of those good. For four best friends, there seemed no camaraderie at all. And yet, this movie was not bad enough to even make fun of. And certainly not good enough to watch for very long. Do yourself a favor -- rent Golf Balls instead. At least, while the jokes are lame, the women are hot.