Rating: Summary: Had tears from laughing so hard!!!! Review: This is one of those movies that seems ridiculous and kinda pointless, but turns out to be so dang funny in some spots that it is totally worth watching because of the great one-liners that you are saying for weeks later. All I have to do is say "Nana-mo, Nana-mo" and my son is rolling...
You can TOTALLY appreciate this movie if you have ever been to deer camp or ever been hunting anything. (I haven't personally, but have been the cook for my husband and friends at their deer camp.) It's one of those movies that you have to watch during deer season... Kinda like watching "A Christmas Story" in December.
But trust me, there are a few scenes (not a big fan of the farting scene) that I can do without, but sometimes you have to take the bad with the good... and with the absolutely but gusting hilarious too.
Rating: Summary: "Boop-A-Dee-Boop"!!! Review: As a born-and-raised Yooper I was delighted by this film. Yes, it was a bit over-the-top at some points mainly having to deal with the bearwok and such but Jeff Daniels couldn't have been more accurate in other areas. The conversations between the Soady's could just as well of been my father and I. The extreme hatred for the DNR, the fear of camp rituals changing, and the firm stubborness of the father Albert (Harve Presnell) were absolutely perfect. Whether you're from the area or not, this quirky and slapstick comedy is at least a must-see. I know some folks from the area felt insulted by the film, but I know more, including myself, that found the humor in it rather than feel like we were being stereotyped. The bottom line is that the U.P. is one of the most unique places to be from and we should be proud of the fact that a great mind like Jeff Daniels was so intrigued by our little slice of Heaven that he made a film featuring it. Though some of the film throws you for a loop, the portrayal of the truisms and uniqueness that make the U.P. a place like no other, make this a wonderful film for the true comedy fan.
Rating: Summary: Da Turdy Point Buck Review: Anyone who has spent time in deer camp (aka ATF - Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms) knows this is based on real experiences. It doesn't matter if you're from the U.P. or someplace where the whitetails are bigger than dogs, this movie to deer season what Blazing Saddles is to westerns.
Rating: Summary: Maybe I have to be da Yooper to get it Review: I'll probably get slammed for this, but I didn't really care for this movie all that much. I wanted to like it, I really did, but it got a little weird for my tastes. I really like Jeff Daniels, and I thought I would really enjoy this film, which he wrote and directed, and is also based on a play he wrote.Jeff Daniels stars as Rueben Soady, a resident of the UP (Upper Peninsula) in upstate Michigan and comes from a long line of hunters. In the story, deer season is beginning again, and Rueben has yet to 'bag a buck', or, to put it in English, he has never shot a deer. This makes him sort of an outcast in his community, a man in his early forties, from a long line of hunters, and he has never shot a deer. Well, as I said, deer hunting season is starting, and Rueben meets up with his father, Albert Soady, played by Harve Presnell (Fargo), his younger brother Remnar, and a really weird friend named Jimmer Negamanee at the family hunting cabin. When this movie started, it had the makings of a warm, lighthearted comedy, but soon took a turn for the weird. I have never been hunting, and I enjoyed much of the talk, reminiscing and adherence to traditions displayed within the film. There were some truly funny scenes, but the movie soon started to incorporate elements of mysticism (Rueben's wife is a Native American and she is featured in a dream Rueben has), the occult, and the unexplained. There were references to aliens, mystical bears, and ancient Native American rituals. I wouldn't have minded it much, but I thought too much focus was placed on these parts, with over extended scenes involving all three. Also, it seemed to me that the Native American rituals were sort of played off as being more hokey than a part of a vanishing culture, a vehicle to get a few laughs and not much else, giving me a sense of disrespect, but I am sure that wasn't the intention. Another scene that seemed to drag on was one where Rueben somehow went into a catatonic state and his father and brother decided to try and bring him out of it by having a sleeping Jimmer expel gas on his face. Now, when men get together in a setting such as this, they do tend to revert to more primal tendencies, I will not argue that, but this all seemed very silly and childish. I don't mind silliness, but when taken to the lengths it was in this movie, it was just too much for me. The movie had a number of good points, as I liked all the actors, but the plot veered off into enforced strangeness once too often for my tastes. The potential was here from a great little movie, had they stuck more to reality. I am sure a number of people, especially those who live in the northern Midwest or those with hunting experiences probably got more out of this than me, enjoy it more than I did. There was a lot of quirkiness in the movie, which I generally enjoy when it comes naturally, but here is seemed like it was forced. I am giving this movie three stars as it there were funny parts here and there, and it was imaginative, and I like Jeff Daniels, but I feel there could have been more here than there was...no real extras here in this full screen presentation.
Rating: Summary: Holy Wah! We really DO talk that way, eh! Review: Just saw da movie over da Christmas holiday, and though it takes some strange twists, it's a keeper, if you understand the humor. I lived most of my life in "Esky" (graduated from Escanaba Area High in '81), and though it's a bit exaggerated, Jeff Daniels did pretty darn good fer a troll, dat is. Fer doze dat don't know what a "troll" is, dats someone who lives below the Mackinaw bridge (like da trolls in da storybooks), which seperates the upper peninsula of Michigan, from da lower peninsula, hence da term "Yooper," derived from U.P. (Upper Peninsula). I think da lady from Kansas is someone who used to live der and is ashamed of it (or knows someone like dat), and/or has little sense of humor. Lighten up.
Rating: Summary: Deer Hunting Parody... Bizarre, but funny Review: The premise is decent, but it does get pretty bizarre with the alien abduction jokes and the goofy mystical wierdness. It can be a little hard to follow. It is almost like they were poking fun at horror/sci-fi films at the same time they went after deer hunting and Michigan. If you live in Upper Michigan or Wisconsin, you are sure to get most of the humor. If you're not, but know someone from the UP or Wisconsin to explain the inside jokes, or enjoy jokes about flatulence, you'll probably bust a gut laughing. I think it would be nice if they'd release a DVD with special features (like a commentary explaining some of the inside jokes). For those of you who rely on Closed Captioning, the DVD doesn't have it.
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