Intramural

I first saw this movie rated here at a 7.7 and another rating site had 79%. The actors are C list and was probably shot in 2 days with a high school budget. I watched this movie for 30 minutes, which was 26 minutes too long. I was just waiting for it to be funny, interesting, or in any way entertaining. I'm not one of those raters who rate comedies against the likes of Shawshank Redemption. I even like stupid comedies if there is some effort put in or actual humor involved. It's kind of annoying that this movie ever showed up on my screen which led me to write this review. I will be shocked if the rating is above a 3 after a week. It was released yesterday straight to DVD for a reason. Don't waste your time and certainly don't waste your money!

Director Andrew Disney gained many fans back in 2011 with his comedic/mystery film Searching for Sonny. At this year's Tribeca Film Festival, the young director returned with the hilarious and original college film Intramural. Starring Jake Lacy, Nikki Reed, and a slew of current "Saturday Night Live" cast members that include Beck Bennett, Jay Pharoah, and Kate McKinnon, the independent film knows exactly what it is. There's no pretending to be anything more than an uproarious chuckle-fest at the movies.

Intramural tells the story of Caleb (Lacy), a fifth year senior that gathers the courage to return to the intramural games at school following a tragic accident of one of his classmates. As probable marriage, graduate school, and life close in on him, comedic antics engulf the viewer in a non-stop riot.

Written by Bradley Jackson, who's penned previous independent efforts like Lord Montagu, all the jokes utilized in film mostly land. Of the cast, Beck Bennett and Kate McKinnon steal the show in every scene, as they tend to do on "Saturday Night Live." Bennett, playing one of the funniest and sociopathic villains in quite some time, is the best of the cast. His gifts and timing are spot on. The biggest chuckles of the film come from him. McKinnon fires on all cylinders, giving her all as she does every Saturday night. I was under her spell the whole time.

Intramural is the best obscure sports film of its kind since Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story. Part "Old School" and part "Happy Gilmore," the film takes you completely by surprise by how easy-going and enjoyable the entire film is. Though the film relies heavily on slapstick humor, which works in parts, I would have liked some more of the infectious and quotable dialogue that Jackson created. A scene that includes the line "you got to sh*t on the ceiling" will likely stay with me all year, and perhaps the rest of my life.

It's great to see star Nikki Reed venturing out to new realms of her acting career. Once very promising in 2003′s Thirteen, Reed got hooked into the "Twilight" franchise before marrying (and now divorcing) "American Idol" alum Paul McDonald, the 25-year-old actress has a lot more to deliver the world of cinema. Star Jake Lacy helms the film à la Chris Evans in Not Another Teen Movie. An admiral effort but what's going on around him is much more interesting, and funny. I'm curious to see what the star can do in other vehicles in the future (he'll have a role in Todd Haynes' upcoming Carol).

The other supporting players put some of their best comedic ticks to good use, particularly Nick Kocher, a promising up and comer who may become a household name in years time. The entire ensemble is a terrific treat that will go down as one of the strongest of independent cinema in 2014.

Overall, Intramural is a successful hybrid of young adult comedy. A pure and modern example of slapstick comedy and where it can go, when placed in the right hands. Had me thinking fondly of last year's breakout comedy G.B.F. (currently on Netflix), another happy time at the Tribeca Film Festival.

So this is how i watched the movie ,, first 30 minutes i started texting ,, second 30 minutes fast-forwarding and last 30 minutes i really can't remember .. The story is kinda lame ,, the jokes aren't funny and so motionless,, and the script is so loose, not that catchy and all over the place, so you can eat, do an errand come back and it'll be the same old story of the movie and you're not gonna be that lost :P I tried to find a scene where i can justify the Genre of the movie as a Comedy but i found none ,, well to be fair there was this scene when they started a fight in the Jail ,, honestly i weirdly laughed at that , and the commentators were also a bit funny and humorous ., but again the whole movie wasn't really what i expected it to be as a Saturday Night Live fan :\

As for the cast; mostly they were the SNL cast and i truly like them and all ,, but Here it feels like they overdid the stupidity performance a notch so it appeared to be a Bluccchhh ..

Overall,, i don't regret watching the movie , cuz i sorta wanted to see how the new SNL cast will do out of the SNL set and i did. but i shouldn't recommend it to anyone, unless you like the type of movies where you can pause it, go to sleep and then watch it the next day if you have time :\

Ignore the title and poster art for Balls Out. It's not a National Lampoon presents type of "movie". Once you've decided not to judge a movie by it's poster, sit back and enjoy a surprisingly witty, slapstick, sports movie that has an unbelievable cast.

Balls Out has several SNL cast members (Jay Pharoh, Beck Bennett,Kate McKinnon) and some Youtube/Comedy Troop stars that fill out the roles. The biggest names are Jake Lacy (Obvious Child) and Nikki Reed (Twilight series) who are the focal point of the movie.

What makes Balls Out different is it's supporting cast. It's the kind of film where the supporting cast steals the show and you end up liking them a lot more than the aforementioned actors. Without a doubt, Beck Bennett is worth seeing this movie alone. He's like Stan Gable from Revenge of the Nerds turned up to 11. Kate McKinnon has very few scenes, but she steals every single one of them. In a few years, people will look back at this movie and wonder how in the hell they got all of these stars in one movie.

There are some great scenes and hilarious moments that come from out of nowhere. The dick and fart jokes are few but they land; a refreshing style of comedy from an indie film.

My only beef with "Balls Out" is Jake Lacy and Nikki Reed. They're pretty to look at and void of charisma. Jake may have played his role a little too straight in a movie of outrageous characters. Other than that, this movie is a MUST SEE. You can sound cool and say you this before "fill in the blank actor/actress" got super famous. Stop reading and watch it already!!!!!!

I have always been a big fan of sports comedy. This one is an instant classic. Kate McKinnon will be a 20-30 million dollar actress someday, she is absolutely amazing in this film. The other cast members are great also. Beck Bennett was made for the "bad" guy role and Jake Lacy pulls it all together with the nice guy just trying to get through life thing he has going on in this film. Plenty of laugh out loud humor. I watched this movie when it was called "Intramural" at Tribeca Film Festival and now I have seen it as the re-branded "Balls Out", it is the same film. Highly recommended. If you like movies like "Dodge Ball" then you will love "Balls Out". Thanks for making something different and fun!