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Godfather of Green Bay
A comedian who has all but given up, his English teacher from 15 years ago and a drug dealer who uses the Macerena to seduce women all meet up in The Godfather of Green Bay, a passable comedy starring, written and directed by Pete Schwaba.
Schwaba plays Joe Keegan, a comedian who everybody said was the next big thing about 100 big things ago.
Dejected because he can't make it on network TV while a hack named Higgins (comedian Jimmy Pardo) is hosting his own show, Keegan hops in a car with a friend to head to Wisconsin for Rocktoberfest and a shot at impressing a talent scout for The Tonight Show.
Once there, he runs into Molly – played by Lauren Holly (Dumb and Dumber, Down Periscope) -- and some very tough audiences.
All that is the main plot, but the draw of the film is drug dealer and grade-A moron Big Jake, played capably by Tony Goldwyn (The Last Samurai).
"The best football player in all of northeast Wisconsin," as he reminds everybody, Jake is a mullet-bearing meathead who decides Molly could be "the one," despite the fact that she's horrified by him on the two dates they've had.
While much of the film sputters and creaks along – whole bits remain unexplained until a handy voice-over pops up – Jake's time on screen is almost worth putting up with the rest of this tired, clichéd film.
The problem with movies about comedians is that the audience often expects it to be funny, at least when the comedians are on stage. And while there's a cringing so-bad-it's-good quality to the comedy stylings of D.U.G. (Thomas Lennon, Reno: 911! and The State), there's not much funny about Keegan's act. And that kind of makes it hard for the audience to root for the guy to succeed as a comedian.
If this movie was a statement on the overuse of some hackneyed plot devices and directorial tricks, then Schwaba made a masterpiece. The montages, the feel-good music and the kind of humor that only comes from seeing a man in a Speedo – all are present here.
Since that likely wasn't his goal, The Godfather of Green Bay is nothing more than an occasionally funny fish-out-of-water story that relies too much on coincidence and some inexplicable story choices to keep things moving forward.
The end, especially, seems like Schwaba got tired of writing and just decided to Deus Ex Machina the whole thing and hang out with minor character Mark Borchardt (American Movie).
The Picture
The film is shown in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. While a few of the outdoor scenes showcase some lush colors, much of the movie is a muddy mess with the smoke inside the clubs coming off grainy.
None of it is terribly distracting, but it won't floor you or anyone who has seen a movie on DVD before.
The Sound
Presented in both 5.1 Dolby Digital surround and Dolby Digital stereo sound. Since this is a talker, with only a few gunshots here and there, it won't make much of a difference to you.
That said, you can hear the jokes and the yelling and the whispers just fine.
The Extras
The disc offers a theatrical trailer (it looks kind of funny) and a still gallery, which I haven't seen on a lot of movies.
Parting Thoughts...
If The Godfather of Green Bay comes on TV, don't rush to change the channel, but I wouldn't skip my grandfather's funeral to watch it, either. Funny in places, but maddeningly clichéd in others, this one is a Rent It.
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