Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)

Fresh and Exciting

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Goof? When the police officer tells him he has a turn signal out. How does he know? Maybe he just didn't use the turn signal. LOL

Fun take on the teen slasher movies. Several hilarious laugh out loud scenes. If you like Evil Dead movies you will like this.

Tucker and Dale is so good in many different ways but the first and most noticeable is the very believable friendship between the characters. The movie is deliberately playing into the stereotype that the backwood hillbillies are always the villains and it makes the movie smarter than your average horror movie. But I couldn't help but be taken aback by how sweet Tucker and Dale's bond is. They aren't the sharpest tools in the shed (especially Dale) but you would swear Tudyk and Labine had been hanging out for years. Add in the fact that Allison is well rounded and willing to look past Dale and Tucker's appearance (even to the point where it's a tad unrealistic) and you have some genuinely fun and interesting characterization. Hitting the mark on this aspect will paper over some of the movie's flaws and this part is so exemplary, you would swear this was written by Edgar Wright (Labine/Tudyk reminded me of Pegg and Frost in the best possible way).Of course, if the actors and actresses hadn't held up their end, the writing wouldn't be as evident. I can't credit Tudyk and Labine enough, they both completely sell out as their characters and they both perform admirably. They work well together, and they work well individually, and they had me rolling I was laughing so hard. Katrina Bowden is also great as Allison. She's gorgeous but she's also funny in her own right. She helps sell an unrealistic romance that could have been groan inducing. The other actors and actresses get the job done in their respective parts.Lest you think this is a straight comedy, Tucker and Dale vs Evil packs all the gore you want in a hard R-Rated horror movie. Tucker and Dale aren't directly responsible for the horrible fates that the "college kids" all suffer and each of them are maimed or killed in a unique and funny way. Limbs are lost, buckets of blood are sprayed, and one character is even halved (I won't spoil how). If you're a little squeamish, this movie isn't on the level of torture porn but its far from PG-13 material (there are good PG-13 horror movies, but you must go one direction or the other, Tucker and Dale vs Evil isn't one that's up in the air).Most importantly for a horror/comedy, this movie is hilarious from start to finish. Craig and Jurgenson are smart enough writers to know which horror clichés to play with and the movie is packed full of winks and nods to where horror movies usually go. I always appreciate a movie that can effectively include meta humour and this is one of the sharper examples. The material becomes even funnier with the endearing sweetness in the delivery from the cast.The missteps in this movie are small and completely forgivable. Chad becomes a little too over-the-top by the end and although what they decide to do with his character is interesting, it stretches plausibility. I don't know if its how the character is written or Jesse Mosses performance. Some of the kills are better than others but there aren't any that are embarrassingly bad.The cult following this movie has garnered is well deserved. I got shades of Wright/Pegg/Frost from this but this movie stands on its own and deserved to be seen by a wider audience. I would love to see a sequel to this if the could retain the key pieces and find some new things to point fun at. If you're thinking about checking this out, I would recommend you do so.

Spending the weekend at the lake camping, drinking, and skinning dipping in the lake, what could possibly go wrong? A lot, unfortunately, as demonstrated in many horror entities such as 'Friday the 13th' and 'Cabin Fever'. When tackling on the horror genre, it seems that the lake house or a cabin in the woods is never a safe place of teenagers, young adults, or even grown man party at. This horror-comedy hybrid sets another example, only with a slightly smarter and heartfelt approach. You ever heard the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover"? Well, this gore-filled comedy takes the inspiring concept and turns it right on his head with this genre- bending farce showcasing a hilarious conflict between a group of college kids and a duo of bearded country men who are just out for a weekend of fishing. Whereas the former are typically the good guys and the latter are usually the bad guys, this film makes a daring task to take that clichéd and gives it a twist. This movie follows a group of college students who drive out to the country and spend their weekend at the lake, the same lake country hillbillies Tucker (played by Alan Dudyk) and Dale (played by Tyler Labine) happen to be camping at. Upon meeting them at a gas station, the gang immediately comes creeped out by them and flees. Later that night, at the lake, one of the girls Allison (played by Katrina Bowden) suffers a head injury and falls into the water. When Tucker and Dale drag her to their cabin to nurse her, her friends grow incredible suspicious (and judgemental) and wage war on the hillbillies. What ensues instead is a comical, but deadly turn for the worst. In today's age, too many people are top quick to judge for the appearance of others. The issue lies within the core of the plot here, which offers an absurd, yet hilarious testament on the consequences of misjudging others for what is seen on the outside than what is on the inside. And director Eli Craig is the mastermind behind reeling in this inspiring phenomenon with a funny, tongue-in- cheek twist. The movie follows a familiar cliché with a young college age kids battling against some middle-aged country boys who they believe are just your average psychopaths hungry for blood, only both sides of the moral compass are swapped between the two groups. The film introduces the two eponymous characters as stereotypical southerners with big beards and lightly sets up their background, while leaving most of the college characters rendered in simple figures. From there on, it is not long before the story escalates into a gut-busting bloodbath, and that is where most of the laughs are perpetrated. When tension between the two sides rise, so does the body count, not because these kids make the stupid decisions known in slasher movies but simply because they are just too amateur to defend themselves without being overly clumsy. Like films such as 'Shaun of The Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz', the film uproots its goofy humor through an excess of blood and gore to showcase the violent, albeit hilarious deaths of the characters. And to fuel up the intellect tank, there is a smart message about thinking before you judge others upon first glance and learning to stand up for yourself, both of which are nicely offered in the midst of the carnage and laughter. Eli Craig proves he knows how to give a film a strong heart without neglecting his duty for reel in some good laughs. Not many comedies, particularly the ones mating with the horror genre, accomplish that feat. Tucker and Dale vs Evil is a wildly funny mix of blood, gore, and surprising amount of heart in the midst of its outrageous gruesome hilarity. It is a funny good time that proves movies can be uproot plenty of laughter through stupidity while flourishing an intellectual touch to the mix. Comedy fans will be satisfied, while gore lovers will be ecstatic.