First, the Recap:
In the woods, it stirs. Cracking limbs and rustling leaves signal that there’s something lurking in the area around you. Then, in the distance, you spot the hulking form lumbering back into the tree line. Or maybe you’ve seen it rummaging around your back yard as a kid. At least, that’s what then 8-year old Nigel (Brody Rose) and brother Oscar (L.J. Ruth) saw 23 years ago from their bedroom window. Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Now adults, and super nerds to boot, the adult Nigel (Paul Brittain) and Oscar (Adam Herschman) set out on a documentary-style adventure to definitively prove the hairy ape exists. Filming each moment along the way, every aspect of their preparation is fraught with Oscar’s insane and loopy antics before officially beginning their quest.
Upon arriving at the search location, their guide is nowhere to be found. Running into a childhood friend, Jamie (Christine Bently), who very reluctantly gets forced to join the madness, they are all ultimately paired up with veteran guide Samson (Neil Flynn), a grizzled war vet who isn’t exactly all there. Adding even more contention to the mix is Nigel and Oscar’s arch enemy in the anthropologic field, Claus (Tim Meadows), whose highfalutin ideas of “roughing it” and stealing others’ research findings precedes him, much to the dismay of lackeys Chris (Dean J. West) and Lana (Sherri Eakin). Once the teams embark, the comedic hijinks ensue in mass quantity as they all try to substantiate the existence of the legendary creature–without killing each other in the process.
Next, my Mind:
Can we get an “Amen!” that there is such a thing as a modern comedy that isn’t completely loaded with crudeness and vulgarity–and it’s good! Frame 29 Films director Drew Hall delivers a much needed shot of simple, straight-forward silliness in this very much character-driven effort. With the additional benefit of veteran producer Scott Robinson, “Nigel & Oscar” is one of those comedic gems that focuses on its narrative stylings, but presents it all in such a way as not to take itself too seriously, and hence lose the absurdness of its overall premise. Brittain’s straight man Nigel is the perfect accompaniment to Herschman’s riotously goofy Oscar, a man who confuses things like Lightyear and Aldren.
Bently is a beautiful and superb foil to the two idiots as Jamie, playing the girl-out-of-her-preferred element, and company, to a “T”, while, of course, having to ward off the unwanted advances of Oscar! Flynn’s Samson is a completely wonderful surprise as Samson, whose war stories tend to leave one wanting to nervously twitch in fear, vomit, or both. Add Meadows’ pompous, aristocratic villain to this fire, and the lunacy reaches peak levels. The documentary format was a great choice for this film, as it in itself adds to the humor of the proceedings, with action in the foreground while hilarity ensues in the background. Pratfalls, misinterpreted orders, just plain foolish thinking, hilarious confrontations between the characters, and uncomplicated zaniness rule the day in “Nigel & Oscar Vs. The Sasquatch”, and the fact it is all given to the viewer by virtually non-profane means, a refreshing reality indeed.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. A very special “Thank you!!” to Drew Hall for the opportunity to see this film in advance of release and write about it! Until next time, thank you for reading!
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