User Reviews

This is no doubt one of the worst movies I've ever been exposed to. It's a wonder I either didn't leave in the middle or pass out from overexposure to chronic inanity and endemic adolescence.

If you're trying to figure out the plot don't waste your time because there is none.

The camera work is so bad that you're lucky to be able to figure out which character is which. The pacing is beyond terrible and I've seen much better acting in grade school pageants.

If this film is supposed to be entertaining in some way it has missed it's mark by a country mile.

Unfortunately the producers have wasted their money and I advise that you don't squander yours.

The only way I can see this getting a positive rating is if the writer were bribed.

...or not? I certainly do. And because of that I can tell you that this film is authentic and I like authentic films.

Of course, you wouldn't want to encourage such behaviour in real life, but from the safety of your cinema seat you can actually enjoy the grossness of it all. And what a flawless grossness it is.

Call the film misguided, if you must, the execution is spot on. It's a smaller project, but the film reminded me of St. Elmo's Fire, being essentially a documentation of embarrassment.

Another good thing here is the character development, which is totally believable. I mean, people keep complaining about that all of the time, they should be really delighted by this little gem in this regard.

If you can't have fun with this one, then you did not want to have fun in the first place.

I just came back from a local screening in late 2011 with some of the cast in the audience. Having heard in advance "low-budget indie gross-out road trip comedy" and "Hangover for irreverent GenY-ers", I was expecting a grainy picture and such amateurish filming I couldn't sit through it all the way. But out of curiosity I went to my local theater anyway. Unlike what I expected, I found that the writing, acting, and filming were all first-rate; the result looks something that might have come out of Hollywood just a couple decades ago.

The "Rick" character is so over-the-top I couldn't decide if I wanted to be in on the joke or to puke. Gross-out it is indeed, but a sophisticated kind of gross-out; you won't mistake this for Animal House. The cleverness of the dialog with which insults are delivered is something I've never heard before. If that dialog were aimed at me, I'd just go looking for a rock to climb under. The dialog will make fine sense to twenty-somethings, but may seem almost impenetrable to an older generation.

Though the title of this review is somewhat facetious, there are a lot of elements in Heavy Times that suggest it actually is a kidnapping movie. The film follows 3 young men, awkward but functional in their own respects, who get taken on an extended joyride by a large, Bostonian, sociopathic man named Rick. As this joyride progresses, Mark, Hugh, and Dan quickly realize that Rick has no intentions of letting them go home that night, and chaos ensues.

Rick threads the line between hilarious and genuinely terrifying... Sometimes even coming across as sympathetic, in a psychotic sort of way. Though he is assuredly the driving force of Heavy Times once he appears on screen, there are other standout performances other than Rick. Of these includes Adam Lauver, who's portrayal of Mark, a worrisome yet inquisitive young man going through a spiritual/mental crisis, is nuanced and entertaining to examine.

Keaton Farmer must also be given commendation for his portrayal of Gunther, a character that plays counter-point to Rick later in the film. Gunther's brand of super-goth insanity is substantially different than that of Rick's insanity, but it is perhaps equally funny, and adds a wholly different flavor of comedy to the later scenes of the film.

Overall, Heavy Times is an inspired take on the "indie comedy" genre (however shabby that descriptor may be). It is intensely zany and crude, at times, but retains a sincere human element throughout, never allowing the almost larger than life Rick and Gunther to entirely rob the film of it's more subdued and authentic undertones.

At first glance, this story of three normal dudes trying to get through a raucous night out will bring back memories of "American Graffiti" and "The Hangover." Thanks to a great cast with impeccable comic timing, "Heavy Times" stands on its own. Youth basketball coach Hugh (Jason Brunner), sandwich board advertiser Dan (Brian D. Evans), and terrible used car salesman Mark (Adam Lauver) are best friends. They went to college, and are now stuck in dead end jobs and lives, like going to a sad little party and hoping that Dan's crush won't remember the night he threw up on her. The trio later head to Dan's sister's (Leah Garvin) house for supper, where they are subjected to the hideous Rick (Jeff Koen), Dan's brother-in-law. Rick is crude and disgusting, a combination of Zach Galifianakis and John Belushi. Dan and Mark hate him, but Hugh takes to him, bringing out some independence. The four go drinking at a bar, and then a blitzed Rick has a great idea- they should all head to Montreal where Rick thinks prostitution is legal. Hugh agrees, but the others are too timid to stand up to this force of nature. They stop off in a small town and check into a motel, where things go from bad to worse. Mark meets up with his own crazed blast from the past, his insane college roommate Gunther (Keaton Farmer), and Mark, Hugh, and Dan experience one of those life altering nights which only seems to happen in the movies.

Your enjoyment of this film might depend on how much you can take Rick. Koen overplays the part, but in a good way. We have all had this kind of obnoxious person in our lives, and the familiarity was both discomforting and hilarious. You cannot stand him, but you can see why Hugh is drawn out of his safety zone to him. Lauver, Evans, and Brunner make a great team. Their mumbling comments and reactions to their situations are spot-on and extremely funny. Just when you think Koen might steal the movie, Farmer comes in as Gunther and cranks the film up a notch further. Gunther lives in his sister's basement, still working on that album of his, and spouting mumbo-jumbo about life and death. The film is full of raunchy great moments and funny lines, from big jokes like Mark's hideous borrowed van to small lines like Hugh's email address. Having the trio meet just the two off-the-wall characters is perfect, as too many wacky nutjobs would only dilute who Rick and Gunther are. No one tries to upstage anyone in the "who's crazier?" department. The direction is off-kilter, appropriate for this type of blurry-eyed drunken flick even if a couple of scenes run long here and there. The musical score is full of good songs, and the sound quality is excellent. "Heavy Times" is a funny flick.