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 J|rgen Prochnow. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Comedy

Underdogs, Arrested Adolescence, Culture Clash, Americans Abroad

Goofy, Rowdy, Raunchy, Madcap, Frantic

DVD Features

• Deleted scenes: Full-bodied and full-babed!
• Party Foul: Hear stories of the cast and filmmakers's most outrageous alcohol-related mishaps
• Beer 101: Dive into the history of beer with Jay and the Lizards
• Frog Fluffer: Meet the man behind the green goo
• Commentaries: Two tracks featuring the director and the Lizards
• Theatrical trailer

Review

The Broken Lizard troupe returns to tap the box office for another round of substance-soaked fun, and the results are endearingly juvenile in this beer-chugging chuckler that pits good old American innovation against time-honored Teutonic drinking endurance with occasionally uneven, but often hilarious, results. In a time when the R-rated comedy is making a strong comeback, the Broken Lizards have managed to capture all the light-hearted raunchiness of the late '70s and early '80s with relative ease. This is straight-up comedy, pure and simple -- no romantic side-plots, no dramatic developments, and no need for anything except the most threadbare of plots. Beerfest is the kind of film that exists solely to make the viewer laugh, and it achieves its goal with an charmingly reckless sense of politically incorrect zeal. Though pacing has never been the troupe's strong point (chugging does occasionally slow to a sip when the Lizards shift gears to keep the story moving), the functional laughs that populate the scenes bridging the gap between gags do serve well to keep the viewer in good spirits until the next big set up -- which is never too far away. As a result, however, Beerfest does have a bit too much head to qualify as a true comedy classic despite inspired moments of hops-soaked insanity, making the film both a fun night at the flicks for good friends and a surefire hit on home video -- where the best jokes are sure to be repeatedly enjoyed with a few six packs and a group of good friends. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi