Tucker and Dale vs Evil | Eastern North Carolina Now
What could be cast about as a "slasher movie" meets mindless college coeds one drunken weekend in the high hills of West Virginia is, actually, just one well written, well-paced dark comedy that is more funny than grotesque, and let's be clear about this: The film is maddeningly grotesque.
Now that Kamala Harris has been coronated the Democratic Socialist designee for nomination as their candidate for President of these United States, after that political party's contrived primary process "democratically" elected Joseph R. Biden: What are your feelings about this party's progressive posture within their self-styled exercise of "Saving Democracy for America," and how truly critical the outcome of this presidential election will be?
0% I am ecstatic that this "Democracy's" First partially Black, First partially Indian, First female Co-Parent, and that this nation's primary necessity is to elect our First woman president.
25% I really do not care about all these "Firsts." I will continue to pray, and work for this Representative Republic to elect someone competent, and brilliantly patriotic to be our next president.
75% I will never vote for any politician that "first" does not have the core values to understand how dire this Constitutional Republic's situation has become.
Continuing with the theme of character misdirection, it appears that Tucker and Dale are the miscreants here. Not hardly. They're just trying to save themselves: Above. Or save Allison, who may, or may not be the proverbial "slasher film virgin:" Below.
Therein is the humor. Especially when people start brutally dying in most unusual ways; however, in this most normal rural / secluded setting - at least for a slasher movie. The upshot of this film is that Dale and Allison actually do become friends, under these most exigent circumstances, as well exhibited below in this well versed point of reality between the two new friends:
Dale: "You thought I looked like some kind of freak?"
Allison: "We misjudged you Dale. I'm... I'm really sorry."
Dale: "Don't be sorry, it's my fault. I should have known if a guy like me talked to a girl like you, somebody would end up dead."
This frank exchange between these two stereotypical characters, but otherwise just innocent folk, learning to become more than acquaintances - good, caring, true friends - sums up this film, and yet, it is just the beginning of expressing the story. The real story is that these two disparate groups, not particular representative of their stereotypical class, clash, bash and mostly just die for our entertainment.
Tucker: "Oh hidy ho officer, we've had a doozy of a day. There we were minding our own business, just doing chores around the house, when kids started killing themselves all over my property." No lie. Tucker actually said this to a Sheriff and it was, remarkably, true: Above and below.
Normally, I don't like slasher movies. I find them most uninteresting, and a complete waste of my time. Remarkably, I loved "Tucker and Dale vs. Evil," and find it one of the most original comedies built on the platform of a real story.
The acting is passable, mostly because the story is plausible; however, Alan Tudyk, as Tucker and Tyler Labine, as Dale, are pitch perfect as the sincerely genuine hillbilly buddies forced into a most unusual situation that devolves into a bloody mess. Their fine acting against type helped pull off this misdirection of slasher genre versus real world folks in extra-unreal situations.
This small, Independent film, if for no other reason, works because of its originator's brazened zeal to endeavor to be original in this most unoriginal genre (slasher movies) that too many people love, while people like me despise; however ...
I continue, at the risk of great redundancy, to emphatically proclaim that if you enjoy excellent comedy, you must see this film.
Allison, ever the dim-witted optimist and an aspiring self-professed psychology major, attempts conflict resolution. It seems to work for Dale, but not so much for the blood-lusting Chad: Above.