Beer League (2006)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

If you like people making fart jokes and drinking beer. This movie probably still isn't for you because they attempt to do that but still fail. Couple good giggles here and there but mostly dry and poor jokes. If you fall asleep during this movie. Don't feel bad. 10 minutes basically sums it all up.

I might not be the best person to review this movie, as I'm already an Artie Lange fan. But, oh well. I personally believe that I would've loved this movie anyways. The characters are funny, some far-fetched, some completely retarded. When it comes to comedy, that's a pretty good cocktail of characters. The music is great, as a 30-something year old Artie is the star, and the music is all from the 70's and 80's when we were growing up. The neighborhood was probably very simple to film, as it's just a small Jersey town where they played softball. (Refreshing, as 90% of movies are filmed in LA, NYNY, and Chicago, it seems like). I got into the character's problems, and started to hate the foe's in the movie. That's what I want out of any movie. The one-liners from all of the characters are funny, and memorable. I show this to friends when they spend the weekend and we end up quoting the movie for weeks! When we bowl good, we're a healthy Lou Garrett! See the movie, enjoy it. Don't be a critic, be a person with a sense of humor.

Beer League is for the most part competently made. The actors are believable and the sets look like what they are supposed to and the camera man doesn't trip with the the steadicam. That's about all I have to say about it that's positive. That, and that by IMDb votes, apparently only one girl in her tender developing years has been subjected to it.Perhaps if the movie weren't so misogynistic, it would have been merely stupid. This movie isn't funny and has nothing valuable to say. About the only use for it that I can think of is to demonstrate the virgin/whore dichotomy, perhaps more on display here than anywhere else. As of right now, this movie is only marginally below Ghostbusters 2 in its overall score. What is wrong with these people?

Artie Lange has talent. If it's one thing someone can walk away from this film with, it's that Lange is a funny man and has a real ability to portray a realistic human being and a damn funny one. The movie is pretty solid from a creative viewpoint and Artie himself is classic. He's truly in comedic form and simply outpaces everybody else in this movie. The supporting cast is sweet--through I didn't recognize Ralph Macchio until the credits--and there's nothing wrong there. I'm not damning with false praise when I think that Lange's performance in 'Dirty Work' is surpassed here with this film. It's raunchy without apology, and it works very well.The only problem is the film seems to be made on the cheap and the plot development was a bit rough. Not bad like they hired a pizza boy to do the editing, but it was noticeable enough to distract. The film quality itself is perfect and it's a damn shame this film didn't get a better word of mouth. While this is a gem, it shouldn't be found in a Wal-Mart bargain bin for $5.All and all, if you are a big Artie Lange fan, this is the movie where he returns to the brilliant guy we know from MadTV when he was propping that show up and Dirty Work. Now if he would only do a few more and get his life back into order, the world would be a better place.