Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Day 177: Tucker and Dale vs. Evil

I was originally going to write about Halloween 4 today but I realized, even after reading the Wikipedia plot synopsis, that I don't remember enough about this movie to have a strong opinion of it. Instead, I let the random topic generator hand me Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil.

This movie is pretty silly and a super-dark comedy. For those who have never seen it, Tucker and Dale are two well-meaning hillbillies who have just bought a fixer-upper cabin in the woods. When a group of college kids come to party nearby, one slips and hurts her head, leading to our heroes looking after her. Her friends assume she has been kidnapped by two crazed maniacs and they attempt to rescue her. In the attempt, one kid runs into a tree and impales himself, another falls into a pit. Tucker and Dale are the furthest thing from threatening but these kids keep finding ways to die gloriously in the woods around T&D's house. T&D become frightened that they are in the midst of  a suicide pact created by these teens and that they will be blamed for the murders. And then things get worse from there.

Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine are pretty great as the titular duo. They exude wide-eyed innocence but can be inadvertently frightening when swinging a chainsaw to escape some bees. They sell both sides of the equation perfectly, which is a tough balancing act. They have to be goofy and lovable enough for us to pull for them but strange enough for us to believe a group of teens could find them dangerous.

If you are looking for realism, this is not the movie for you. These kids kill themselves in so many unrealistic ways that you figure these woods must be a nexus for bad luck. If you like high-concept comedy mixed with some gross out horror, check it out.

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