Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (2012/Magnolia Blu-ray)

 

Picture: B     Sound: B     Extras: C     Film: C

 

 

I have now reviewed every season of Tim & Eric – Awesome Show, Great Job! and overall have had mixed emotions/opinions on the duo’s style of comedy.  As can be gathered from my previous reviews Tim (Tim Heidecker) and Eric (Eric Wareheim) essentially embrace everything and anything tacky, seemingly boring [i.e. public broadcasting], and odd only to morph and twist it into their brand of humor.  On one hand I must commend them on having an artistic vision and executing it; on the other hand, just because you call it aren’t doesn’t mean it is.  The now defunct Adult Swim series, that grew beyond just a cult following, somehow managed to get the green light (and cash) to make a feature length film.  The film distills everything Tim & Eric consider comedy gold into a 94 minute venture into the ineptly insane in Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie (2012).

 

The film’s plot (YES! There is actually a plot!) centers on Tim & Eric escaping the clutches of the evil Schlaaang Corporation.  Schlaaang Corp. loaned Tim & Eric one billion dollars to make a film, but after a less than stellar screening of the film, the company demands their money back.  If they can’t deliver the cash it is their lives on the line.  This puts Tim & Eric in a bad situation (seeing as how the money is gone); they decide to take refuge in an old, dilapidated mall; after an ad promises one billion dollars (how convenient) to anyone who can rehabilitate the facility.  Their ‘brilliant’ idea of taking over the mall to earn the money before Schlaaang Corp. lays into them seems an easy task; that is until they meet the inhabitants.  The mall is filled with vagrants, bizarre store owners, and even a man eating wolf. That is where the plot ends.

 

The rest of the film then goes back to Tim & Eric’s old ways of intentionally cheesy, intentionally self-referential, and intentionally ‘bad.’  The film whole heartedly dives back into its ‘sketch comedy’ roots; with nonsense and buffoonery running amuck.  Each scene feels poorly acted and low budget, but as Tim & Eric fans may realize (if you are in on the joke) it is all on purpose.  The oddball humor has many familiar Tim & Eric cameos beyond just the named dynamic duo; such as Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Jeff Goldblum, Will Forte, and Zach Galifianakis who all (seemingly) realize the series’/film’s genius.

 

Whereas I find the film hard to stomach at times, as each scene feels like an elephant is standing on my chest, I can concurrently see why others enjoy it; leaving me in the same conundrum I had while viewing the television series.  It is as if Tim & Eric are personally trying to annoy me and I just can’t stay away.  In the end, the film is utterly idiotic, but there is something there that is entertaining and worth a look.

 

What wasn’t hard to stomach was this film’s technical presentation. Shocking as it may be (since the series is intentionally low budget) this 1080p AVC encoded MPEG-4, 1.78 X 1 presentation is very nicely done.  The colors are solid, blacks are framing, and the crispness is there.  There are some moments of digital noise, contrast issues, and softness, but overall I would commend Tim & Eric for a sharp, quality presentation.  The sound is a 5.1 DTS HD-Master Audio that (again surprisingly) is immersive and truly a surround sound experience.  The dialogue is crisp, clean, and clear with the full speaker range and directionality jumping in as necessary. Now, that is not saying this is an epic experience; but it is very nicely done.

 

Tim & Eric truly love and respect their fans and due to that they deliver a host of solid extras. Extras include:

·         Commentary with Tim & Eric

o        A welcome (yet uncharacteristic) commentary track from the comedy duo as they play it straight to deliver a lively and informative track; not bogged down by their regular brand of nonsense. Bravo boys.

·         Deleted Scenes

·         Extended Scenes

·         Good Evening S’Wallow Valley

·         Interview with Tim & Eric

o        The duo bounces off each other as they deliver a nonsensical, improvisational interview

·         HDNET: A Look at Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie

·         Promo Videos

·         Shrim Dance Screen Saver

·         Poster and Photo Galleries

·         Trailers

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II