The Godfather of Green Bay

I have heard for quite some time about THE GODFATHER OF GREEN BAY because it's quite a forgotten movie and being the major expert on these movies (judging also from what I mostly rate and review when I don't go to theater) I knew that sooner or later I would have seen it, and I did last July tho it wasn't that great in the end.

Joe Keegan is a failed stand up comedian that has a chance of reviving his career by traveling to a Wisconsin town during the Rocktober fest and if he succedds, he will even end up on the TONIGHT SHOW. At the same time the title character, Big Jake Norquist (Tony Goldwyn) is not only a difficult and raucous audience member but is also interested in Joe's girlfriend and of course, trouble ensues.

The first part wasn't that bad I admit it. There were some occasional funny moments and jokes but as the movie progressed, the more it became like I said in the summary. A gratuitous scene of horse having intercourse (something reminiscent of Tom Green's FREDDY GOT FINGERED), a shoot-out in a toilet and the unfunniness of the lead's humour aren't exactly what I call great entertainment.

Overall, a misfire that tried to launch the career of someone who would never work again in the industry and overall, watchable for some occasional laughs here and there.

Interesting Idea, Poorly Executed.

Here are the positives I can say about this movie. - The idea of a comic going to a bar in a small town in Wisconsin to catch his big break is a pretty cool and an interesting idea. - The background and secondary characters are good. It has a very good small town atmosphere. And it does capture the spirit of the region

Other than those two this movie is pretty bad. Poorly written, poorly shot, bad lighting throughout even for a low budget feature.

The problem I had with it was that you have two movies going on at the same time and they have absolutely nothing to do with each other. You have one story which is this sort of sideways-ish story about a comic trying to rediscover his love of his work and a second story which is this cartoonish sidebar about a Green Bay Drug-lord.

These two stories have nothing to do with each other and any contact between the two stories is completely coincidental. The Drug Lord and the Comic actually probably only share about 3-5 minutes of screen time together in the entire film.

Then there are Montages that go too long, scenes that stretch way too long, a lot of unnecessary scenes. The actual guts of the film should really only produce about an hour long film. The rest is just padding, in particular the Macarena scenes of which there are too many and they are too long.

It's just weird that you have a movie called "The Godfather of Green Bay" where the character that the movie is named after could have been completely cut from the film and you would have not lost a thing. It could have become one of the secondary characters and fallen to the background without a problem. And as a result there could have been more character development and time for the main story which is really the more interesting story.

I saw this movie at the Wisconsin Film Festival in Madison on April 1 and it was great!- no April Fools. The movie does a great job poking fun at the way of life of people from Northern Wisconsin. The laughs are constant and not the same jokes and situations seen in every Hollywood comedy. The music was written by the BoDeans, a Wisconsin group, famous for the the lead song from the "Party of Five" television show. (Song's name was Closer to Free). From it's Packers/Bears jokes to referencing the "Macarena", this movie kept you laughing. The movie stars Pete Schwaba ( A Guy Thing) who wrote the story, Lauren Holly (Dumb and Dumber) who plays his love interest, Thomas Lennon (Reno 911) as local comedian, and Tony Goldwyn (Ghost) as the Godfather himself. The movie also includes Mark Borchardt, a successful independent movie maker (American Movie) who plays a local dj.

I just saw the premiere of this movie in my hometown of Marinette, Wisconsin where the movie was filmed. The movie did a wonderful job of depicting the people, the scenery, and the whole Wisconsin vibe. The characters in this movie were well acted, including lead roles by Pete Schwaba and Lance Barber. Audiences will truly appreciate Big Jake and Rat Boy, because everyone knows someone like these two characters. My favorite character in the film was played by Thomas Lennon (Reno 911, The State), every time he was on screen he brought a giggle or smile to my face, great casting here.

This movie should be enjoyed by all. It offers a nice escape and a peek inside small town life through the eyes of some big city guys.

Excellent cast, great laughs, and an all around good time!

People compare this film to sideways, including those involved, but as a film, I think it's better. No, there's no pretentious wine tasting, but unlike sideways, you don't hate the characters by the end.

Anyway, I admit I was invited to the screening by Pete, but I only know him because we both write at the same coffee shop in LA. I never actually talked to him before he handed me the flier.

I was nervous that I'd have to say nice things about a bad film, but this was one of the most enjoyable films I've seen in a long while, and the whole audience laughed a lot. Very impressive.

And Thomas Lennon, who plays D.U.G. was fantastic. For those who don't know the name, he plays Lt. Dangle on Reno 911. Well written and acted role for him in this film.

If you want to laugh and have a good time, see this movie if you can. They are trying to get distribution, an uphill battle, but if any Indy comedy deserves to be seen, it's this one!

BTW - the 1 star guy? He has something against pete, and should be ignored. Even if you don't like a movie, it takes a lot to give it a 1 out of 10. even catwoman and electra aren't 1 out of 10. giving a 1 star to "balance" things is not how ratings are supposed to work.

there's enough backbiting and hatred in Hollywood. let's not take down a nice little movie that is fun to watch just out of spite.