Quasi

Broken Lizard strikes again with a movie that could have been perfect comedy wise, but I feel it fell a little short for me.

The plot is Quasi and his hut mate work at the torture house in their village. When Quasi wins the lotto things start to get interesting.

The characters and acting in the film were good, but I feel like they tried a little to hard to be Monty Python in this one. I understand that was the influence, but I wish it was a little more of their own style. The jokes were kind of tired at times, and it didn't really have the feel of a Broken Lizard film in my opinion.

The movie itself is decent, and I would watch anything these guys make. I'd recommend it for anyone who likes comedy to watch it at least once.

These guys used to be comedy geniuses but this is truly a stinker of a film in all aspects. You can tell they are trying to homage and Americanize Monty Python in many ways with this and it absolutely fails. You can't take something that was already perfect and try to remold it to fit your own comedy groups image. Aside from that Steve Lemme who plays the main character Quasimodo seems to have modeled his entire character after Adam Sandler's in Little Nicky right down to the affected accent and mannerisms. This was such a disappointing film and there were no laugh out loud moments in it only a few dry chuckles. I was so let down by this and it's a sad day when one of the comedy greats put out a DOA flop.

The gang at Broken Lizard is back at it, but this time set in medieval times in France. Their typical slapstick humor is abundant in this one, and for the most part it's fairly entertaining and will make you laugh. It was a little long for what it was though.

I wouldn't say it was their best work, as I think Super Troopers, Beerfest, and Tacoma FD are better, but it was still enjoyable to watch. I think maybe the accents got a little tiresome, but it helped that they worked in some jokes involving their accents.

I was happy to see the cast from Tacoma FD in this as I find them all a great fit with the original Broken Lizard guys.

I think the re-watchability of this one is probably not great, but I do suspect it might be the type of cult-classic movie that will get better with time. We'll have to see how it ages.

I should preface this by saying I'm a diehard Broken Lizard fan. As always, I was eagerly anticipating this movie. I recently heard Jay Chandrasekhar say on a podcast that they wrote this film maybe 20+ years ago, but hadn't felt like there was a market for it, until the opportunity presented itself through the pandemic. They were able to utilize an existing crew from a little TV show called Tacoma FD (a side project of Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme's), and I appreciate it even more for the integrity that went into making it. The fact that they found a way to help their colleagues continue working and make a living in an insecure time is just really awesome. Having said that, the movie itself goes down a different path than what we're used to from the group, but it's absolutely true to form. I find it fascinating how versatile they are, and it is one of the reasons why I love all of the guys together, and apart.

If you're not a Broken Lizard super fan, not to worry. There is plenty of fun to be had as a part timer or even a first timer, so long as you're not opposed to period pieces with silly accents, randomly placed bathroom jokes, and cheesy, absurd and sometimes painful, humor. The influence of Monty Python is definitely a major player here, and if you dig those fine chaps' work, well, you'll certainly dig Quasi.

'Quasi', the imaginative retelling of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, features Steve Lemme as the title character, Quasi Modo - a torturer who grew up in the clock tower. Through a series of events, Quasi and his friend Duchamp (Kevin Heffernan) attempt to create an equal France by way of getting oysters for the peasants, and in doing so, is face the ire of King Guy (Jay Chandrasekhar) and Pope Cornelius (Paul Soter).

The film is made with the crew from Broken Lizard and has most of the elements that make their films funny, but falls short. The script is a bit lackluster, but the flow is decent. It's worth a few laughs and is amusing, but not their greatest work.

Worth a once over.