Broken Lizard Movies

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

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