Kevin Heffernan Movies
Best known as one of the five founding members of the Broken Lizard Comedy Troupe (alongside director Jay Chandrasekhar and fellow comedians Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, and Erik Stolhanske), Kevin Heffernan came of age in West Haven, CT, attended the prestigious and exclusive Fairfield College Preparatory School in nearby Fairfield, and eventually enrolled in Colgate University, where he met Chandrasekhar and Co.; the bunch formed a collegiate comedy troupe called "Charred Goosebeak." Heffernan plays significant roles in the Lizard features, including 1996's Puddle Cruiser, 2001's Super Troopers, 2004's Club Dread, and 2006's Beerfest. He maintained a moderately high profile in Super Troopers, where he portrays the no-nonsense, by-the-book cop Farva, who makes an unsuccessful attempt to crack down the pot-smoking, prank-playing deadhead cops played by the other troupe members. Yet his prominence among his contemporaries increased quite a bit in Club Dread, in which he played a character called Lars. Heffernan edited, co-produced, and co-wrote the script for Puddle, edited and co-wrote Troopers, and co-wrote Club Dread and Beerfest. Like the other four members of the Lizard troupe, he also joined the ensemble cast of the poorly received (yet insanely lucrative) 2005 effort The Dukes of Hazzard, alongside Burt Reynolds, Seann William Scott, Johnny Knoxville, and Jessica Simpson; Heffernan plays Sheev.In addition to his Lizardian activities, Heffernan also co-wrote the script of Divine Trash, the 1998 documentary on cinematic "gutter king" John Waters, with director Steve Yeager. Critics responded quite favorably; The New York Times' Stephen Holden referred to the piece as "a fine and fascinating biography." ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- R
The Broken Lizard troupe is back with The Slammin' Salmon, a comedy revolving around a restaurant whose former heavyweight champion owner, Cleon Salmon (Michael Clarke Duncan), sets his waitstaff against each other in a competition to see who can win the most tips, with the winner taking home a cash prize and the lowest earner winning a beatdown from the champ. Troupe member Kevin Heffernan makes his directorial debut with the picture, taking over the reigns from Jay Chandrasekhar, who directed all of Lizard's films up till this point. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Clarke Duncan, Kevin Heffernan, (more)
After a one-night fling, a motel manager (Steve Zahn) impulsively follows a small-time art dealer (Jennifer Aniston) across the country in this romantic comedy from playwright-turned-director Stephen Belber. Woody Harrelson co-stars as Aniston's wealthy boyfriend in the MGM production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn, (more)
A pair of animal enthusiasts desperate to boost the ratings of their failing television series "Strange Wilderness" set out for the Andes in search of the elusive Bigfoot in this comedy directed by Fred Wolf and starring Justin Long, Steve Zahn, Kevin Heffernan, and Ernest Borgnine. Peter Gaulke (Zahn) and Fred Wolf (Allen Covert) are the energetic hosts of "Strange Wilderness" -- television's most unconventional nature show. When the ratings take a nosedive and they are confronted with cancellation, Peter finds himself resorting to desperate measures in order to stay on the air. Perhaps if the "Strange Wilderness" crew could somehow track down the most elusive creature ever to stalk the woodlands, they could keep their show on the air and go down in history as the adventurers who solved one of nature's greatest mysteries. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Zahn, Allen Covert, (more)
Two guys used to drinking beer for fun suddenly become fierce competitors in a sort of Lager Olympics in this over-the-top comedy. Todd Wolfhouse (Erik Stolhanske) and his brother Jan (Paul Soter) are from a German-American family but have never visited the Old Country until their grandfather dies and they fly to Germany to scatter his ashes. Todd and Jan arrive during the annual Oktoberfest celebration and accidentally discover a secret competition, "Beerfest," in which the world's leading beer guzzlers determine who can handle the most brew during several days of heated drinking games. Todd and Jan are no slouches when it comes to downing suds and offer to compete, but the German branch of the family, the Von Wolfhausens, scoff at their desire to enter the contest and inform them no mere American could hope to carry away the Beerfest honors. Determined to prove Yanks can swill beer and embarrass themselves just as well as anyone, Todd and Jan bring their most skilled drinking buddies to Germany to defend America's honor on the field of drunken battle and show their German relatives that the family's talent didn't vanish when they crossed the pond. Beerfest was written and directed by Jay Chandrasekhar of the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, and several other Broken Lizard members pop up in the film's cast, as do Will Forte, Mo'nique, Cloris Leachman, and Jürgen Prochnow. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, (more)
A pair of estranged twins driven apart by the death of their parents find reconciliation and redemption after following radically different paths in life in director Charles Randolph-Wright's righteous tale of sibling rivalry and divine intervention. Upon losing their parents, twin brothers Teshawn (Billöah Greene) and Wesley Tucker (Darien Sills-Evans) each attempt to deal with the devastating blow in their own personal ways. While Wesley falls back on his faith by becoming a respected Harlem minister, Teshawn breaks into the music business by transforming himself into thuggish gangsta rapper Zulu. With his star on the rise and the future looking bright, Teshawn is suddenly forced to flee his West Coast home for the safety of Harlem when vengeful record producer Bull Sharky (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) vows to put an end to more than just his recording career. As Teshawn seeks sanctuary in the open arms of his forgiving brother and the gospel church, his work with the failing church choir offers fulfilling sense of community that soon leads him into the arms of attractive churchgoer Kia (Janine Green) -- a no-nonsense woman of God who holds Harlem's rich history near and dear to her heart. Now, as Bull Sharky and violent his crew begin knocking down doors in a desperate attempt to locate the exiled hip-hop star, Teshawn and Wesley are compelled to confront the past in order to clear the path for a brighter future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billöah Greene, Darien Sills-Evans, (more)
The General Lee is back and so are the Duke boys in this big-screen adaptation of the hit TV series, brought to you by Jay Chandrasekhar of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe. Set in the "present day," the story follows Bo (Seann William Scott) and Luke (Johnny Knoxville) as they cruise around Hazzard County and wreck havoc in their classic 1969 Dodge Charger. Together with their scantily clad cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson) and moonshining Uncle Jesse (Willie Nelson), the two good old boys battle the corrupt county commissioner Boss Hog (Burt Reynolds) when he and local Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane (M.C. Gainey) threaten to take away the family farm. John O'Brien has the lone writer's credit on the film, though additional uncredited rewrites were handled by the Broken Lizard gang. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, (more)
An ordinary teenager finds out he's not so ordinary after all in this comedy-adventure. Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano) has his share of anxieties about starting high school, but once he arrives on campus, he discovers he's attending Sky High, a special learning facility for the children of superheroes. Will realizes his father is actually super-human crime fighter Captain Stronghold (Kurt Russell), while his mom is fellow champion Josie Jetstream (Kelly Preston). However, in Will's first few days at school, Coach Boomer (Bruce Campbell) is unable to discover any superior abilities in him, meaning that instead of joining the school's budding heroes, he's been relegated to the ranks of the lowly sidekicks. In time, Will discovers he happens to have super strength after all, but will he learn to hone his new gifts in time to fend off the bullies at school, get the girl of his dreams, and save his folks from a longtime nemesis? Sky High also features Lynda Carter, Dave Foley, and Kevin McDonald. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Angarano, Kurt Russell, (more)
Following up their breakthrough film, 2001's Super Troopers, the Broken Lizard comedy troupe, comprised of Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske, took aim at the horror genre and delivered Club Dread. Starring the five members of the troupe along with Bill Paxton, the film is set at an anything-goes tropical resort for swingers. When a psychotic killer starts offing the guests with a razor sharp machete, it's up to the staff to hide the carnage, lest they lose the business of the unsuspecting surviving guests. As with Super Troopers and the first Broken Lizard film Puddle Cruiser, Chandrasekhar directs. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Paxton, Jay Chandrasekhar, (more)
A handful of state troopers are put in the uncomfortable position of having to actually enforce the law in this high-spirited comedy. Mac (Steve Lemme), Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar), Foster (Paul Stoter), and Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske) are four Vermont state troopers whose dedication to duty is not exactly an inspiration to law enforcement officers everywhere. Stationed in a small town near the Canadian border, the troopers don't have much to do, so they while away their hours smoking dope and harassing hapless motorists. Their superior officer, Capt. O'Hagan (Brian Cox), likes the boys and they try to keep their more outrageous antics out of his earshot, but they often run afoul of fellow trooper Farva (Kevin Heffernan), who insists on doing things by the book. When Governor Jessman (Lynda Carter) announces massive budget cuts for Vermont law enforcement personnel, things look bad for the troopers and they must quickly prove their worth or they'll be forced to look for real jobs. Appropriately enough, the troopers stumble upon some information regarding a group of marijuana dealers operating along the border; the guys figure this is just the sort of high-profile bust that could save their careers, but the police department of a nearby town gets wind of the troopers' plans. The Earlville police are no friends of the troopers, and they set out to ruin their moment of glory. Super Troopers was written by the five-man comedy troupe Broken Lizard, who also star as the five troopers; the group's leader, Jay Chandrasekhar, directed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, (more)
A documentary profile of filmmaker John Waters, Divine Trash focuses on the bad-taste pioneer's early years, especially his 1972 breakthrough Pink Flamingos, which turned the director of Mondo Trasho and Multiple Maniacs into the king of midnight movies thanks to word of mouth about the film's gleeful taboo-bashing -- and a distribution deal with the fledgling New Line Cinema. Interviews with filmmakers who both influenced Waters (Paul Morrissey, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Mike Kuchar, George Kuchar) and were influenced by him (Steve Buscemi, Jim Jarmusch, David O. Russell, Hal Hartley) are interspersed with copious behind-the-scenes footage from the making of Pink Flamingos, including the infamous doggy-doo scene. Through it all, the witty Waters provides commentary, recollections, and one-line quips. Pete Garey, owner of the film lab where Waters learned the technical side of moviemaking, recalls his first meetings with the youthful auteur. Mink Stole and other Dreamland Studios superstars reminisce about growing up in suburban Baltimore with Waters, who as a youngster loved car crashes, puppets, and clowns. The director's strait-laced parents reminisce about the financial support they provided for Pink Flamingos, which they have never seen. Neither has Frances Milstead, who looks back on the career of her late son, drag terrorist and Waters muse Divine. Divine and late "egg lady" Edith Massey crop up in various archival interviews and film clips. The man who played the "talking asshole" in Pink Flamingos also appears, albeit anonymously and disguised. Various film theorists and critics debate the merits and meaning of the Waters oeuvre, while Baltimore critic Don Walls and former Maryland film censor Mary Avara express their incredulity about the director's success. Divine Trash won the Filmmakers Trophy for Best Documentary at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. Director Steve Yeager, a longtime friend of Waters, would go on to direct In Bad Taste: The John Waters Story and help Milstead write a book about her son. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Waters, Jeanine Basinger, (more)
Grogan (Kevin Heffernan) and Matt (Paul Soter) get caught red-handed stealing food from the college cafeteria, but Felix (Steve Lemme) calmly climbs out a back window and gets away. Later, at a party with his friend, Zach (Jay Chandrasekar), Felix catches sight of Suzanne (Kayren Butler) and is immediately smitten. But not only does Suzanne have Traci (Jamison Selby), her jock boyfriend from home, hanging around, it also turns out that she's defending Felix's moronic friends in the school's case against them. As if this wasn't enough trouble, she's also trying to get them to turn in their unknown accomplice. Zach has his own romantic problems. He's gotten the phone number of a beautiful woman, but she's left out one of the digits, and he's too shy to approach her again, necessitating several hours of dialing wrong numbers. Meanwhile, Suzanne's friend, Emily (Alison Clapp), is being pursued by the kooky campus mailroom worker, Freaky Reaky (Erik Stolhanske). Puddle Cruiser was the first feature from the Colgate University-spawned comedy troupe, Broken Lizard, who produced the film independently. The film was well received at several festivals, including the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, but failed to find a distributor. The troupe took the film on an innovative national college tour, selling tickets and building word-of-mouth. Broken Lizard's follow-up feature, Super Troopers, received a wide theatrical release in 2001. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, (more)
