Em Busca do Pé Grande

Writer/director Tim Skousen recreates the cultish small-town culture of Napoleon Dynamite with equally absurd but deft strokes. Although The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang largely proves a rehash of the latter, it boasts of a refreshingly crisp non-chronological narrative structure which, in many ways, makes it a more complete film that NP was.

The story is also more focused, zooming in on a nerd gang that stumbles upon Bigfoot findings in the woods. They decide to tell the police and media about it to see if the tracks actually belong to the mythical Sasquatch. It is set in an unnamed small town in America during an unnamed decade. For conflicting clues, the video store only carries VHS format – but ebay.com exists. The nerd gang is headed by Gavin (Jeremy Sumpter) who regrettably never truly embodies the nerd his character is made out to be. By contrast, all other characters gleefully channel Napoleon Dynamite and its sprawling surge of geekdom in the form of recording fantasy films, hanging out in the video store, doing amateur detective work and engaging in medieval sword-fighting.

Let us talk about structure. Clever comic book montages are interjected at the beginning of each new segment and each of these segments tells the story from one or two character's point of view, covering the chain of events with a fresh perspective. The film is only 84 minutes long and it feels every bit as condensed, giving us no remotely disposable passages. Central to all detours and diversions is the mighty Bigfoot and the level of seriousness with which people regard this phenomenon is hilarious. The humour in general is often in-tune and arguably the consistently bare-chested "Shirts" (Joey Kern) sits in the front row for laughter in the film. Indeed, the The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang tips over into absurdist humour with the same frequency as Napoleon Dynamite but it sadly never manages as funny as the latter. This can best be attributed to the lack of novelty of the dark indie quirkiness two years later.

The acting is generally atrocious, it needs to be said. Great comedy often stems from this, but in the end the hamminess of the performers is simply awe-inspiring as they choke on line after line and overdo the absurdity of the situations. Of course, stellar acting is not in focus in a film like this these shortcomings are easily overlooked. I think Tim Skousen has done something rather safe but still enjoyable here: he has taken a big gulp out of nerd culture, nodding politely to Napoleon Dynamite, and plugging his product in with cameos by John Heder and Jon Gries. The Sasquatch Dumpling Gang is funny, quirky, short, sweet and forgettable enough to watch over and over again.

7 out of 10

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.

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.

I saw this at the Florida Film Festival- loved it! Loved the comic book feel and it was campy! Very original! It's nice to see something never done before. A very good parody on tabloid Bigfoot findings! The rednecks were my favorite- those actors played it to the hilt. If you get the chance to see it- go! Great performances! Especially by Jeremy Sumpter. Pleased to see Kevin Spacey's name in the credits. Lots of surprises! Gonna be a cult hit. It's gonna be up there in the company of Rocky HorrorPicture Show or Porky's- It is a definite group of friends night out. If you enjoyed Napolean Dynamite- you will enjoy this one.

I saw this film at the Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, Michigan, and it was my favorite film of the festival.

Directed by talented newcomer Tim Skousen, the film follows teen Gavin Gore (wonderfully played by Peter Pan's Jeremy Sumpter) and his three friends after they discover some Bigfoot tracks (and dumplings) in the forest. The fantasy-loving group decides to tell the police and media about it to see if the tracks actually belong to the Sasquatch. Meanwhile, as this is taking place, Gavin's neighbors, patriotic redneck Zerk Wilder and corndog loving Shirts (brilliantly played by Dodgeball's Justin Long and Cabin Fever's Joey Kern) get into some trouble. Zerk will lose his Pontiac Firebird to creditors if he doesn't pay for his credit bills. They decide to use the Sasquatch finding as a way to save the precious car. The two story lines cleverly intertwine and result in many hilarious scenes.

I loved the way the film was written. It's told in a comic book style, with different chapter titles and some of the same scenes from previous chapters appearing in later chapters, just from a different point of view.

I was laughing the whole way through this film. It was produced by the Napoleon Dynamite team and some of the touches from that film can be seen in this. But whether you loved Napoleon Dynamite or hated it, don't let that be the judge of whether you want to see this movie or not. This movie has its own clever and charming characteristics. The characters are all entertaining, the dialogue is hysterical, and it's clear that everyone working on the movie had a great time.

Director Tim Skousen, producers Mark Kassen and Jeremy Coon, and stars Justin Long and Joey Kern were all at the festival to promote the movie and tell stories about the making of it. I talked with them and got to ask some questions about the film and I must say, they were so nice and funny, I wish them all the best with this film and their future projects.

See this film then spread the word.