This past year, the box-office has been inundated with a host of so-called “buddy comedies” — films focused on male camaraderie that an overexposure to testosterone inspires. While many of these films — including The Hangover, to which I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell will undoubtedly be compared — are works of pure fiction, the uproarious hijinks in this movie are based in reality. In fact, it’s the film's authenticity that merits most of its hilarity.
Though Max’s bestselling novel consists of disjointed short stories, mostly culled from his infamous website, the film has a cohesive plot, condensing years of lechery into a 105-minute farce.
The film follows a fictionalized Tucker and his two cohorts, Drew and Dan, on the eve of the latter’s bachelor party held at a strip-club with notoriously lax no-touch rules. In pursuit of his own sexual pursuits, Tucker abandons his engaged sidekick, who is subsequently ousted from the club, detained for public urination and brutally beaten for inciting a rebellion among the Spanish-speaking inmates. While Geoff Stults plays the role of unwitting victim with true comic grace, the real standout performance in the film is that of Jesse Bradford, whose sardonic quips pepper the narrative with refreshingly unapologetic wit.
The relationship that blossoms between Drew and an equally absurd stripper is probably the biggest detraction from the film’s overall success. Not only does it come off as too hackneyed and implausible, it also just feels out of place in a movie whose comedic value stems from flippant attitudes toward romantic norms. By the film’s close, Tucker is forced to grapple with the consequences of his actions when Dan bars him from the wedding.
Indeed, I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell is not for the easily offended, but longtime fans will certainly enjoy this film adaptation, which retains all the humor of its literary counterpart.
