Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
The second that Alan Tudyk’s Tucker opened his mouth, I damn near fell in love with this movie. Tucker may look like your stereotypical redneck hillbilly, but he turns out to be a fountain of wisdom when his best friend, Dale (Tyler Labine), finds himself love struck by college hottie (Allison, played by Katrina Bowden) who is on vacation with her friends.
That’s just one of the surprises co-writer/director Eli Craig has in store in “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil,” a spoof on the “cabin in the woods” genre that goes from zero to ridiculously awesome in no time flat. The film is one misunderstanding on top of another that would be a terrifying tragedy if it weren’t so insanely hilarious.
Writers Craig and Morgan Jurgenson dodge cliche at every turn by holding true to one, fundamental idea: every death, every accident, is misinterpreted by both sides; the kids think Tucker and Dale are trying to kill them, while Tucker and Dale are just trying to go on with their vacation, although having people kill themselves all around them puts a damper on things. Meanwhile, Allison is caught in the middle, although after she almost drowns, Dale saves her, and the kids mistake it for a kidnapping. Allison does at first, but once she starts to talk to Dale, she sees just how wrong they were. Not that she’s going to be able to convince her friends, and particularly, the sociopathic Chad (Jesse Moss), of that, especially when the “violence” escalates.
I really hate writing about this movie, because I would love for nothing more than to have people experiencing this movie for the first time to be every bit as surprised as I was watching this. This is horror comedy craziness on par with “Shaun of the Dead” and “My Name is Bruce,” and dare I say it, both Tudyk and Labine deliver performances on par with the legendary “Chin” himself (that’s Bruce Campbell, by the way, for those unaware) in sheer comedic bliss. I promise you– you’ll never guess what’s coming next, and in the best way, it’s some seriously sick shit.
