Volume 124 Issue 124
kansan.com
Friday, March 30, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
ENTERTAINMENT
Movie Review
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie
// LANDON MCDONALD
If the only difference between genius and insanity is success, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are two of the most daring, transgressive comedians working today.
From their early viral videos to cult TV favorites "Tom Goes To The Mayor" and "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job," the deadpan duo anomalous blend of aggressively absurdist humor and public-access channeled grotesquerie has earned them scores of loyal pep-peps and beaver boys, along with a band of equally passionate detractors. I personally find them hilarious, so perhaps this review of "Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie" should be taken with a Chippy-sized grain of salt.
Like the slack-jawed, khaki-loving spawn of Andy Kaufman and David Lynch, Tim and Eric embrace a very specific comic aesthetic, one that foregoes nuisances like plot or character development in favor of delivering one gut-busting gag after another. The story, such as it is, involves the boys' failure to
recoup their losses after a billion-dollar film shoot produces only three minutes of usable footage starring an obvious Johnny Depp impersonator and the interminable services of self-help guru Jim Joe Kelly (Zach Galifianakis).
With a price on their heads courtesy of wrathful billionaire Tommy Schlaaang (a nearly mummified Robert Loggia), Tim and Eric shed their spray-tanned Hollywood personas and skip town. After weeks of awkwardly galloping through the desert, they arrive at the derelict Swallow Valley Mall, a wolf-infested hellhouse run by a deranged "Top Gun" enthusiast (Will Ferrell) and inhabited by a horde of post-human wretches, including an ill-tempered sword salesman (Will Forte) and the loveable but diseased man-child Taquito (John C. Reilly). In exchange for safe harbor, the boys pledge to revitalize the mall using their apparently unrivaled (and previously non-existent) PR skills
The film is populated by a bevy of bona fide movie stars, ranging from Jeff Goldblum (credited here as Chef Goldblum) to "Twin Peaks" veteran Ray Wise as the mall's resident spiritual healer, whose patented "Shrim" baths are the stuff of nightmares. But it's Reilly's phlegm-choked, yogurt-loving dummkopf who truly steals the show.
While "Billion Dollar Movie" will doubtlessly please longtime fans, the
FINAL RATING: ★★★★☆
uninitiated may emerge dismayed or even repulsed by what they've seen. This is exactly what Tim and Eric want. Comedy, whether it's meant to induce fits of laughter or unrepentant squirming, is one of the most subjective pursuits imaginable, and these guys have found its sweet spot. Great job!
"This sort of energy is good for Lawrence, and it is a more cohesive night for everybody." Murphy said.
Before it started, artists and galleries worked individually. Murphy said the art community is now coming together, and there is more emphasis on community projects.
This Friday, 26 businesses and galleries downtown will take part in the event. Lost Space Art, 845
downtown every month.
Lawrence Art Center, Downtown Lawrence Incorporated, the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, art galleries and artists collaborated in August 2010 to create the monthly event.
"A recent economic impact study shows that Final Fridays are bringing in at least $85,000 each final Friday to restaurants and businesses around the locations," said Final Fridays Coordinator Molly Murphy.
5. SIGNS OF LIFE (722 Massachusetts St.)
"Final Fridays gets people in the store," said Irene Walker, an artist and employee at BDC Tattoo. "Sometimes there are people who would never step foot in a tattoo shop that have come in."
4. LAWRENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY (707 Vermont St.)
6. THE LAWRENCE ART PARTY (718 New Hampshire St.)
14. DOWNTOWN JIPSTAIRS (824 1/2 Massachusetts St.)
13. LOVE GARDEN SOUNDS (822 Massachusetts St.)
3. THE ELDRIDGE HOTEL (701 Massachusetts St.)
12. FOXTROT (823 Massachusetts St.)
Among the local arists who participate in the event, University students have taken advantage of showcasing their work during the event.
Art.
Edited by Corinne Westeman
Like many downtown galleries, its busiest day of the month is on the last Friday.
"We've had anyone from KU professors, to people who ship their art in from Seattle," said Summer Bradshaw, an intern at Wonder Fair Art Gallery, 803 $ \frac{1}{2} $ Massachusetts Street.
Artists from around the country, as well as those from the Lawrence area, have benefited from Final Fridays.
7. TELLER'S RESTAURANT UPSTAIRS (746 Massachusetts St.)
15. PHOENIX GALLERY (825 Massachusetts St.)
In 2011, Jessie Kelley, a senior from Wichita, curated a gallery specifically for 16 college students.
"The place gets pretty packed," Flinders said. "The town is on fire on Final Fridays."
8. PACHAMAMAS (800 New Hampshire St.)
16. LOST ART SPACE (845 Massachusetts St.)
17. THE BOURGEOIS PIG (6 E. 9th St.)
Big Daddy Cadillacs Tattoo, 938 Massachusetts Street, features one artist a month. This Friday, they are showing Erin Brazler's "Fatties on Parade" exhibition, which are marker-drawn portraits of humorous cartoon characters.
ies, such as the Fox Trot shoe store. 823 Massachusetts Street, also participate in Final Fridays. Owner Caroline Mithias said the event brings in a lot of foot traffic into her store, and it supports the art community.
9. SMLING MAD DESIGNS & INKELLO LETTERPRESS (801.5, Suite 3 Massachusetts St.)
18. Z's DIVINE DOWNTOWN ESPRESSO (10 E. 9th St.)
CRYPTOQUIPS 4A
OPINION 5A
21. LAWRENCE ARTS CENTER (940 New Hampshire)
22. KANSAS SAMPLER (921 Massachusetts St.)
23. THE GRANADA
(1020 Massachusetts St.)
E 6A
E 7A
CLASSIFIEDS 2B
CROSSWORD 4A
SPORTS 1B
SUDOKU 4A
24. AIMEE'S CAFE' AND COFFEE SHOP (1025 Massachusetts St.)
25. WATKINS COMMUNITY MUSEUM (1047 Massachusetts St.)
26. 1109 GALLERY (1109 Massachusetts St.)
contents, unless stated otherwise. © 2012 The University Daily Kansan
Continuing student enrollment begins for summer and fall semesters, 2012. For more info, see Office of the Registrar, www.registrar@ku.edu.
Today's Weather
Skies will be clear with a warm temperature and a calm north wind.
Everyone can see you sweating.