A Movie for Kickballers

Immature, childish, and full of beer - this describes not only the ideal kickballer but also the ideal kickball movie. Luckily, I got to see one the other night. for free, thanks to one of my leagues - NAKID - before it actually opened. That movie, is Beerfest.

A few years ago a group of kickballers and I went to go see Dodgeball when it first opened. The movie is really funny, but I think is even more funny if you play a game like dodgeball or kickball. The silliness, the pettiness, etc all work well within the context of playing a game that most people remember from their childhood. Beerfest works in the same way.

Fast forward to college days (or just after college and playing kickball) and this is the setting for Beerfest. Grandpa-pa of two guys die, they have to go to Germany to spread his ashes and wind up in the Secret Beer Olympics (a kickballers dream)! The Germans humiliate and beat them and they return to the land of the free vowing vengeance in next year's SBO.

They collect up some old college friends and design a great training course of beer games. Hijinks of drunkness ranging from crashing a party and boxing while dressed as man and wife to beer goggle sex ensue in the year in between. One of the members of the team dies while trying to drink his way out of a vat of beer only to find out (as always happens) that he had a twin brother who can drink just like he did! Thank God for such Three's Company type coincidences.

Our boys return to Deutchland and end up playing the Germans in the finals. It all comes down to "Das Boot", a competition where your best drinkers swig from a glass boot. Very funny and well played. I won't spoil who wins (but am sure you can guess).

In speaking to fellow kickballers afterward (there were roughly 30 of us) most thought it was better than anticipated. I am not a Broken Lizard movie watcher so this was my first by that team and I found it funny with some REALLY funny scenes. One guy commented that a few things were reused from Super Troopers, so he was disappointed. But not me.

I'll rate Beerfest 4 cans out of a 6-pack. And if you see it, you'll never hear a frog ribbit and not laugh again.

PS Hopefully some of these ideas will be used for this year's NAKID Beerlympics (hint hint).