Column:

Tucker Max film sneaks into theaters

The film doesn't do justice to Max's memoir.

By Katy Wagner

Published Oct. 2, 2009

It has been rumored for some time now that Tucker Max's rambunctious memoir, "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell," would be making its way to the silver screen. As it turns out, the rumors were completely true and the film enjoyed a quiet release last week.

Tucker Max teamed up with unknown writer Nils Parker and equally unknown director Bob Gosse to bring us the flat, disappointingly sub-par film version of "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell."

First, I would like to point out Tucker Max's book is one of my favorites. Max's novel invited his audience into his ridiculous world of sex and beer with a uniquely honest writing style. The book is funny, irreverent and a complete riot to read. By saying the film version was mediocre does not mean I don't understand Tucker Max's humor.

The book is a collection of short stories outlining Max's various escapades, but the film version has shoved a portion of those outrageous tales into a weekend-long bachelor party. During this completely unoriginal plot-device, Tucker Max, his soon-to-be-married pal Dan and a recently dumped super-nerd Drew embark on a journey to the world's greatest strip club. Along the way they encounter angry strippers, enormous amounts of liquor and important life lessons. Naturally.

The generic quality of the film honestly has nothing to do with the cast. The only actor with a bit of notoriety would be Jesse Bradford, from "Bring It On" and "Swimfan." Bradford has resurfaced with a role completely different from his previous films, as Max's incredibly awkward and furiously intelligent friend Drew. Drew slings angry one-liners throughout the film and provides the film's few genuinely funny moments.

Matt Czuchry was given the dubious task of bringing Tucker Max down to a believable — and relatable — level for the viewing audience. He does show a certain amount of talent, occasionally leading the audience to believe Max has finally learned some sort of lesson. Czuchry's charisma and talent works hard for the film, but unfortunately the script is not working for him at all.

The film's biggest enemy might be the essence of Tucker Max himself. Max tried desperately to stay true to the novel, lifting some passages from the text verbatim. Max's rigidity with the content of his short stories makes the script feel forced and as a result, the film does not posses any sort of fluidity. From Max's compulsive need to shove as many stories into the film as possible, the character of Tucker Max never seems to truly grow out of his ways. The story arc lacks sincerity, making all of Czuchry's work mean nothing to the audience.

On top of all this, the raunchy humor just is not as funny or as groundbreaking as the filmmakers would like to think. The film tries so hard to push the envelope that all of the crazy antics fall terribly flat, but the main problem with the film version of "I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell" is it presents nothing new to the film community as a whole. Despite the efforts of a likable cast, Tucker Max has churned out an inane, purposeless film. Seriously, just watch "The Hangover" for the 13th time and thank me later.