Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Give'r - The life and times of Terry and Dean.


Turn down the suck – FUBAR.

I know this is an old movie and I saw it in the theatre when it came out, but I thought it would be good to review it here, since part 2 just came out.

I feel that the 2 films are basically one long film and one that is worthy of praise. You see when fubar came out people thought that Terry and Dean were real people. About half way through the movie I realized they were not, and was a bit disturb at how real they seemed.

I mean the movie is shot in a documentary style (or mocumentary, if you will) and the dialogue and characters seem real. Maybe it was like a Borat or Bruno – where the leads are actors and they encounter real people – I don’t know, but whatever, it really seems real to me.

This brings up a very important issue, if they are real, then whatever happens to them, good or bad affects you in a way. Like if you know you are watching a show, then it doesn’t matter cause everyone is an actor, but this film is done so well that you believe them as real people and feel sorry for them. They are morons, but you have spent time with them, and got to know them, they are your morons. And no matter what you may think of them, you have to kind of like them. They don’t hurt anyone, they don’t really do much damage, they are just headbangers. This is their lifestyle for better or worse. And even though they fight with each other, they are good friends.


The first film turns serious at the half way mark when Dean gets cancer in his testicles. At that point I had a feeling this film was fake and I had no doubt it was fake when the director died on camera – which would never be shown in theatres – what snuff films in the mainstream? Anyway the film get serious and I actually felt bad for Dean. He beats the cancer and is able to continue on with his life.

The films serious moments are book ended by some of the funniest lines in film. The “Turn up the good, turn down the suck,” line is just classic now, and the “You can shit in mouth line,” line is the funniest moment ever! Plus Dean’s plan B is great - “give’r” – “you go out and work hard, you give’r” – makes sense to me!

The film ends on a high note as Dean has beat the cancer, but what happens to them afterward?



I don’t need a duck – FUBAR II

Give’r again – we catch up to Terry and Dean a few years after part one, they still mention their buddy Tron (who in the first film couldn’t go party with them cause his girlfriend wouldn’t let him), well Tron has since dumped her and is working on the pipe line in the north. He is a party animal and has grown his beard nice and long (hoping to appear in a Viking film I guess), it is said that Farrell (the director who died in the previous film) is watching over Dean’s testicle in heaven (a fact that is confirmed when we see the ghost of Farrell), and even the doctor comes back!

This time around Dean’r and Terry have been evicted and need to get jobs, Tron offers them jobs at the pipeline, but it’s one of those cases where Tron probably thinks they wont take him up on his offer, but Terry is thinking to the future and is maturing a bit so he and Dean drive up north to take the jobs. One of the best moments in the film is when they pick up a hitchhiker who says he is protesting oil companies and how they pollute the water and how oil kills ducks – to which Dean replies, “I don’t need a duck,” the funniest line in the movie. They also tell the hitchhiker that he wouldn’t be getting a drive now if there wasn’t any oil, and if he feels so strongly about it he can go out and push the car – which he does, and then they take off on him! So much for your big stance against oil companies! Hahaha.

When Dean and Terry show up to get jobs, Tron is stunned and then is forced to give them jobs. You get the impression he doesn’t want to be associated with them – they are only fun at parties. Anyway I wont give away what happens, but I really liked this movie!

It started off a bit crappy with an eviction party where they destroy Terry’s house – but that was only a quick set up for more fun and a few more serious moments, which I actually thought were really well done. At one point I was feeling really bad for the guys and I was kind of like when did this turn into a drama!

But that is the mark of good writing and good characterizations that I can feel happy and sad just as Terry and Dean do.

I take these 2 films seriously, sure they are fun and wacky, but they are really well made movies that are enjoyable on more than just a level of stupidity you find in the Jackass crowd, which I hate btw. The difference? Well at no point in time are Terry and Dean supposed be heroes or people to look up to. This film also shows consequences to their behaviour and its not fun. Unlike something like Hangover which shows the same kind of dumbass attitude, but shows no consequences to anyone’s actions.

These are real movies.

Turn up the good and check these out.

5/5

J-Man.

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