I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell
Directed by Bob Gosse
By Robert Bell

It's interesting that I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell is getting a theatrical run only in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, as it's the sort of film that would generate a fan base in locales such as Keswick, Red Deer, Stayner and Oshawa. A couple of taglines associated with the film are "Sexism isn't the same as misogyny, you stupid bitch" and "Midgets have shallow vaginas," which may provide some limpidity to these geographic implications. If Patrick Bateman and Al Bundy were actual people, this would be their favourite movie.

The cinematic ordeal is based on Tucker Max's illiterate, best-selling manifesto of the same name, which details a bachelor party trek to a Salem strip-bar where the strippers allow groping and grinding. Dan (Geoff Stults) lies to his fiancée, Kristy (Keri Lynn Pratt), about the trip, care of excess manipulation from the sociopathic Tucker (Matt Czuchry), whose motivations are entirely self-serving. Tagging along with the troglodytes is Drew (Jesse Bradford), a recently dumped whiner that calls every woman in his path a bitch or a whore.

As far as plot goes, a great deal of energy is expended extolling the virtues of the pancake breakfast sandwich, with eggs, bacon and cheese, which in turn makes the boys fart in the car, demonstrating the depth of humour throughout. Drew exchanges lame insults with a stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold cliché, giving a love story angle, while Tucker does his best to bed a "little person," as he's certain his penis will look enormous in her little sausage fingers.

If any of this nonsense were remotely clever, served a purpose or implicated anything beyond the boys' ignorance, it might be offensive. But it can't even claim that prize, being more of a childish romp through male insecurities and peer validation posturing.

Despite all of the political incorrectness and bared boobies, I Hope You Serve Beer in Hell's biggest offence is that it's incredibly boring. One would be better off staying home and watching that girl fart on the cake and meat loaf online. (E1)
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