The Sasquatch Gang

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.

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've seen this movie at least 10-15 times over the last 13 years and there's not many movies that I can do that with. It's extremely quotable, my siblings and I reference it all of the time. So many one liners and hilarious scenes. If you loved Napoleon Dynamite or Nach Libre, you will love this.

Having been compared to Napoleon Dynamite for obvious reasons, with similar people having worked on both films. However this film isn't exactly on the level of Napoleon and isn't quite the same. The comedy tone with its silly, dumb deadpan quirky nerd-like characters are obviously enough to draw comparisons. As well as the acting style of everyone seemingly acting clueless and oblivious. There are some touching heartfelt moments to be had and some moments which may seem nostalgic due to the teenagers and there whereabouts.

The storytelling was actually quite compelling, being told in somewhat of a non linear fashion with title cards showing the chapters before each major new instance. The comedy is certainly for an acquired and specific audience of films in that regard, however did not find anything quite humorous. Justin Long and his sidekick friend have some silly moments for comedic purposes but nothing is laugh out loud funny. In the end, there is a likeable charm in a silly way with the lead characters where we want to see them succeed.

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.