Birdies

I liked this movie, the Characters and comedy reminded me of Caddyshack. There is something going on a twin pines golf club, the greens are in bad shape and they have a pest problem and need to call an exterminator.

From the guys experimenting with other guys, the drugs and drinking, the girls who have more tattoos than writing on a truck stop bathroom wall ... has about as much resemblance to golf as Biden does to intelligence. The humor is crude, the cast weak, the script ... wait, was there a script?

I think this movie might be enjoyable if you're high ... well, really high.

I'd avoid this one if you're actually looking for a movie involving golf. I think "The Wiz" has a miniature golf scene ... better than this whole film.

Things are not looking too good for Twin Pines golf club and the manager Charlie Conroy (Zach Hanner) knows it. They are badly in need of a cash infusion, there's an important tournament in the offing and the elitist crowd over at Magnolia Point want to put them out of business. And they got roaches! Then, before you can say deux-ex-machina, the new exterminator Jake (Ryan O'Flanagan) turns out be a former golf prodigy. Although he is forbidden to play by his girlfriend (Aerli Austen) - something happened in college - he turns pro for Twin Pines without needing too much persuasion. From that point on "Birdies" is an amiable trip down the fairway!

Director Troy Carlton is good with both a punchline and sight gag. There is a hole-in-one shot that had me laughing out loud! And in O'Flanagan, he is blessed with a lead who is both handsome and has a way with comedy having earned his chops in stand-up. He has a certain confidence about him. The relaxed charm of a Cary Grant. Meanwhile, Zach Hanner plays Conroy with a nice "Que Sera, Sera" attitude. In fact, even the guys over at archrival Magnolia Point find it hard to get worked up about anything. And that's part of the movie's appeal.

However, the mediocre gag-saturated script (credited to four writers including Carton) drags the movie down and, ironically, there isn't enough to go around. The movie is padded to the max. The scenes are held together by too many montage sequences accompanied by mostly uninspired pop/rock songs.

In fact, the funniest thing in the movie happens during the closing credit crawl when all twenty eight songs are presented as incriminating evidence, verifying what we suspected all along. It must be some kind of a record! Clocking in at 1h 45m, "Birdies" would work better if it was trimmed to just sixty minutes and then re-released as a short film.

As things stand, "Birdies" is a pleasant diversion that requires little or no concentration and gives you innumerable opportunities to fill up on that popcorn.

IN A NUTSHELL: The film was directed by Troy Carlton, as well as written by him with writing help from David Longo and Nate Panning. I'm assuming they were all drunk during the process.

Because the movie is about golf, I assumed the title gets its name from the golf term. NO! Well, sort of, but it's mostly because we see people flip the bird MANY, MANY times in the movie.

THINGS I LIKED: The cast definitely looked like they had a blast making this movie.

Most viewers won't recognize any of the actors. The cast includes Sydney Penny, Ryan O'Flanagan, Madison Moss, Devin McGee, Zach Hanner, Timmy Sherrill, Aerli Austen, Ed Wagenseller, and Nate Panning.

Golfers who love poking fun at the country-club life might get a kick out of this.

It's the kind of movie a bunch of drunk guys will enjoy playing in the background while they hang out.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: This is extremely low-brow golf.

People speak in such ugly ways to one another One of the women in the movie had a super cantankerous personality and then suddenly became saccharine sweet in the end for no reason. I hate it when characters completely shift their personalities and motivations at the end of that movie just to provide audiences with a happy ending.

The two romances in the story are really dumb.

There's a scene shot indoors where the light from the window blinds kept shining on one of the actor's faces.

Most of the time in this movie is spent watching completely wasted, lazy, quirky characters trying to get out of work.

Lots of plot holes For a comedy, most of the humor doesn't land unless you're wasted.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: This is NOT appropriate for kids.

Super crude conversations and visuals Profanity and tons of F-bombs You see a man's rear end several times People flip a million "birds" An unmarried couple in bed moans while pleasuring themselves You see a certain sex toy several times Sooo much alcohol People get high on various kinds of drugs A man has a heart attack and ends up in the hospital

THEMES: Golf Brotherhood Hope Friendship Relationships Choices and consequences

I'm a Neebs Gaming fan and have been for years, so I'm going to get that out of the way first. But I've also seen an absurd amount of these sports comedies, and I have always hated them. Birdies, from the opening scene until the obligatory saccharine ending, had me laughing so hard my girlfriend thought I was dying.

Nate Panning brings an entirely different energy to the give-no-effs manager, and the North Carolina vibe of this movie, including the hippy with access somehow to peyote (or whatever) who is also totally clean, make it unlike anything else you'll likely watch ever.

Watch this movie.