Live Free or Die

*** out of ****

Aaron Stanford plays a guy named John Ruddgate. He's a wannabe gangster who just can't seem to pull it off no matter how hard he tries. Enter Lagrand(Paul Schneider), a mentally handicapped man who really enjoys John's company. In reality though, John needs Lagrand a lot more than Lagrand needs him. John tries to impress Lagrand, but somehow, everything goes wrong in all the right ways. Both of them are completely oblivious of their situation, and all they want is to put an end to it. Meanwhile, two cops investigate a situation that seems to involve John, but Officer Putney(Michael Rapaport) has more going on in his personal life than it appears, and it looks like it might cause some distress. The film takes place in New Hampshire, but it appears to be filmed in Rutland, Vermont. Since both places look similar, I guess it doesn't matter.

The film is great. What makes it great is it's originality, it's ever twisting plot, and the fact that the characters refuse to be stereotypes. I love it when a refreshing movie like this comes out that is just enjoyable and uncomplicated. This is basically just the kind of film that I can easily get into because of how much it draws you in. It's just a breath of fresh air. It's an even bigger breath of fresh air than TRANSAMERICA or A MIDNIGHT CLEAR. There is just so much to enjoy about it.

Aaron Stanford has proved in the past that he can be very dopey(TADPOLE)and very rugged(HILLS HAVE EYES remake), and now he shows a side of himself that manages to be realistic but true to life at the same time. He has a really believable performance as a guy who just wants to be remembered for something bad and has absolutely nothing to lose, but gets very irritated when things are ruined for him. And Paul Schneider... WOW. He somehow pulls off a very low key performance that has exactly the same effect as if it were over the top He is just fascinating to watch. He has such a unique screen presence in this film. I swear, you could pause the movie and he would still look awkward no matter how he's standing or what he's doing. Even when he holds still, he pulls off being a person who has a mental disability. It's just really subtle, and yet so hypnotic. I was impressed.

So overall, if you're looking for something light and easy to get into, I'd highly recommend LIVE FREE OR DIE. It may not be life changing, but damn. It is damn fine independent cinema. It's really wonderful. Check it out.

Rated R for pervasive language including sex references.

This film is about a dumb criminal trying to get a job done with another even dumber criminal partner.

I watched this film because of the number of big name actors in the film. I regretted making this decision though. The initial 1 hour of the movie was a pain to watch. I know the film could have been funny, as there were many mischiefs that were momentarily funny. However, the highly annoying characters were so dumb that they are almost unbelievable! Of course, this also signified that the two criminals were portrayed so successfully and realistically that makes me hate them. Anyway, the film picked up a lot more humour in the last 15 minutes, and became a lot more funny.

Small town quirky characters and absurd situations. Aaron Stanford's performance, "Rugged", reminds me somewhat of Steve Buscemi, sort of nervous, hot-tempered, puny, and swaggering.

I agree with a previous comment that Paul Schneider's character does remind me of Will Ferrell.

Not a lot happens in parts of this little movie, but that seems to reflect several independent films.

I loved seeing the setting of New Hampshire, since I lived there for a year. The only thing that was missing was the authentic New Hampshire accents.

Scenic New Hampshire serves as the novel setting for "Live Free or Die" (not to be confused with the later Bruce Willis film, "Live Free or Die HARD"), an entertaining indie comedy that takes its title from the state's time-honored motto of in-your-face defiance.

John Rudgate - who goes by the nickname "Rugged" - is an inept wannabe tough guy who fancies himself a notorious outlaw. He spends most of his days riding around in a dilapidated van trying to convince others - as well as himself - that he is, indeed, the most feared lawbreaker in the county. In reality, the "stolen" merchandise he is moving is actually his own stuff, and the gun he keeps in a drawer in the kitchen is nothing more than a water pistol. The folks in town shrug him off as little more than an irritating pest with delusions of criminal grandeur. Like any villain worth his salt, Rudgate needs to find himself a sycophantic henchman who will do a substantial amount of his dirty work for him. He alights on Lagrand, a simpleminded, but sweet-natured acquaintance who co-owns a storage facility with his sister, a clear-eyed pragmatist who, unlike her brother, knows a BS-ing con artist when she sees one.

Although the movie can't entirely shake free of the "oddball quirkiness" factor that seems to afflict so much of regional film-making these days, movie makers Gregg Kavet and Andy Robin evince a genuine affection for their characters and a sly way with storytelling that go a long way towards mitigating that weakness. They are aided immeasurably by wonderfully self-effacing performances by Paul Schneider, Michael Rapaport, Zooey Deschanel, and, above all, Aaron Stanford, who, as Rudgate, turns a potentially one-note caricature into an endearingly original and surprisingly memorable comic figure. And, besides, the colorful New England setting is alone worth the price of a rental.

This movie has two great characters and a cool little story. However- those two characters and their story is enough to take up 20 minutes of film- after we breeze through that we still have an 1:40+ that is unaccounted for in the planning of this movie...

I like these characters A lot but what the hell was this idiot thinking stretching their material so thin?? They are only two guys- and not THAT interesting- they would make very cool supporting characters in a REAL movie, but this is more like a pilot for these characters than anything else- the actual movie totally, and utterly sucks from start to finish.

This is one of those, I'll keep watching this because it has to get better and it never does kind of movies... It never ever gets better- it's stuck in a rut of idiocy.

There are some good scenes so if you don't mind wasting your life and pissing yourself off- watch this, it's almost worth it to watch the 17 and a half minutes of good footage.

PLOT: a lowlife criminal in a small town is looking for street cred, he concocts a plan to impress a friend that owns a storage facility in the hopes of landing a security job with them, -that he is one bad mo fo that doesn't take any crap from anyone- but the plan kind of goes everywhere but where it's supposed to...