FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

Seth and Evan are two high school seniors who are about to graduate and go their own way. Evan was accepted to a more prestigious school than his life-long friend, but they’re determined to make sure life goes on like normal. They’re still going to classes, they’re still hanging out and they’re still looking for those elusive girlfriends. Well, tonight may be their lucky night, because Seth’s crush is throwing a big party. All they need to do is provide the alcohol, thanks to their nerdy tagalong friend Fogell and his new fake ID. But of course, things don’t go as smoothly as planned.

You know what’s great about this film’s plot? It’s not your typical teen/high school comedy where the lead characters only have this one last chance to make something happen. There are no pacts being made. Granted they are nearing the end of their days at school, but you never get the impression this is their last hurrah. It’s just an isolated day in their lives where a whole bunch of crazy, typically madcap stuff goes down with an atypical presentation and feel. The other great thing about it is that since the plot is so thin (just a couple kids trying to get booze to a party to talk to their crushes), that it leaves the door open to much more comedy.

And that door is used often and effectively. Simply put, this movie is hilarious. So far this year, it comes in close second behind “Knocked Up” as the funniest film for 2007. What makes it so good? Well, just like with the slightly better “Knocked Up,” the people and the interactions are incredibly natural. If you were sitting around goofing on your friend for getting a fake ID with the name McLovin on it, this is close to what you’d sound like. You can tell there’s improv going on and they’re allowed to riff and bounce back and forth and let the jokes flow rather than strictly adhering to a script. Even if the script is amazing, the “real” delivery truly adds that extra dimension to the humor. No matter whom you are or what your school experience was like, you should be able to relate to these guys on some level.

Also, the comedy comes at you from different sources. There’s some crude humor, like the penis drawings. There are the insults and back-and-forths between characters, but the dialogue also can be used to build off of a specific scenario to make it funnier. For instance, when Evan’s cell phone cuts out while talking with his crush, he starts swearing up a storm – all of the choicest words heard by her. I might add that I’m very happy that scene amounted to absolutely nothing. A lesser film could have taken that and turned it into an opportunity for some manufactured conflict. Instead, the film dives into some wacky adventures, but they’re never so wacky that they completely pull you out of the experience.

I love that they’re able to create this world and bring you instantly into it as if you’re one of their crew. There’s a scene in the lunchroom where Seth points out a kid we’ve never seen before, but just saying his name a certain way and cutting to a shot of the kid at the lunch table makes it a joke that we instantly understand without any sort of background info on the never-seen-again character. My biggest complaint is that they spend too much time with the cops. It gives off too much of a “Super Troopers” vibe at times because of it, and the film should really focus more on the two central characters anyway. Otherwise, besides being insanely quotable (for those that are into that kind of thing), it’s just a refreshing, incredibly funny comedy. I dare you not to laugh.

respond to jon@filmbrats.com