Beerfest is the latest offering from Broken Lizard, the talented comedy troupe comprised of Colgate University alums Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske.
Lizard's first film, Super Troopers, is considered a stoner comedy classic. Though the group stumbled with their second effort, the slasher flick parody Club Dread, they've happily rebounded with Beerfest.
The story involves the group traveling to Germany to compete in a secret competition that can only be described as the "Fight Club" of drinking games. While the world outside revels in Oktoberfest, our heroes square off underground against teams from around the world, playing beer pong, quarters and other classic sports involving the fine art of binge drinking.
Beerfest starts out slow as the group labors to establish the characters and story, but once the movie picks up steam, laughs become abundant. The film remains uneven throughout, a characteristic that illustrates the perils of making a film with a five-man comedy group. Everybody has to get their bits in, but some jokes are funnier than others and not all of them serve the plot. Of course, plot is largely superfluous in a film like this. It's all about good beer, hot chicks and evil Germans – fertile comedic ground for the Broken Lizard boys.
The cast, featuring respected veterans Cloris Leachman and Jürgen Prochnow (Das Boot) in supporting roles (plus an uncredited cameo from Donald Sutherland), is surprisingly strong for a lowbrow comedy.
Grab a six pack, pick up the Beerfest DVD and enjoy the hearty brew. Drink (and watch) responsibly.
ReelzChannel Rating: 
What's on the disc:
A few deleted scenes were inserted back into the film, bringing the running time to a somewhat bloated two hours. There are two commentary tracks: the first features Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske; the second features Jay Chandrasekhar and Steve Lemme. Both are worth a listen.
There's also a half hour's worth of deleted scenes that didn't make the second cut, dealing mostly with plotlines that were wisely eliminated for the sake of laughs.
Special Features:
Party Foul – Members of the cast relate drinking anecdotes. Some are funny, others are horrid.
Beer 101 – An animated history of beer and drinking games, voiced by the Broken Lizard guys.
Frog Fluffer – Steve Lemme, who plays a frog-loving scientist in Beerfest, interviews an actual scientist who masturbates frogs for a living.