Broken Lizard’s Club Dread (2004) review

Dir. Jay Chandrasekhar

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★½

Having a mother who worked as a trauma nurse was a little tough growing up. Beyond her working odd hours, she was especially wary of me doing anything she deemed unsafe, even usual kid activities. For example, I couldn’t own a big wheel bicycle, meaning I couldn’t tag along with the other kids in the neighborhood who did. I couldn’t operate a BB gun. I watched from the sidewalk as other kids raced go-karts down the street. My mother eventually wondered why during my formative years, I elected to sit inside, watch TV shows or movies, or read the TV Guide like it was my assigned summer reading.

Blessed so, my mother didn’t have the same restrictions when it came to the media I consumed. As long as I didn’t emulate any bad behavior I saw or any coarse language I heard, she was fine with me watching pretty much whatever I wanted by the time I was about 10-years-old. This explained why my best friend loved sleeping over at my house. We’d wait until my parents were asleep and watch a movie like Broken Lizard’s Club Dread. Mamas, don’t let your babies watch just anything when they’re young. They might grow up to be film critics.

Now, a fully functioning adult complete with health insurance, my fair share of bills, and early onset back pain, I’m happy to say my sense of humor hasn’t been quelled to the point where I cannot enjoy a movie like Club Dread anymore. In fact, as someone who also grew up to be Jimmy Buffett fan, I might even appreciate it more now than I did. This is Broken Lizard’s most complete movie: a rousingly funny yet confidently, competently made whodunit that mixes broad, sexually charged comedy with some of the best elements of the slasher genre.

It all goes down at a place called Pleasure Island, run by “Coconut Pete.” Played by a joyously campy Bill Paxton, Coconut Pete is a washed-up singer-songwriter who has turned his biggest (only?) hit “Pina Coladaburg” into a tropical island resort. Working at this island are a litany of misfits: Jenny (Brittany Daniel), an aerobics instructor; Lars (Kevin Heffernan), a newly hired masseuse; Juan (Steve Lemme), an athletic dive-master; Sam (Erik Stolhanske), the “Fun Police” in charge of games and activities; Puttman (Jay Chandrasekhar), a British tennis instructor; DJ Dave (Paul Soter), the island DJ; and Hank (M. C. Gainey), Pete’s longtime bodyguard.

Guests flood the resort from multiple boats in search of an escapist paradise where drinks are free for a few hours every day, the sun gives way to long nights of debauchery, and sex is as common as an extra couple dollars for whomever brings the aforementioned drinks. All of that commences, but is short-lived when staff-members start getting offed by a mysterious, machete-wielding killer who lurks in the island jungle. It’s determined early that the killer is hacking his victims in ways that recall the lyrics of a deep-cut track by Coconut Pete, but in a film filled with red herrings, that line of thinking only goes so far.

Known for their “stoner comedies,” by this point namely Super Troopers, the Broken Lizard troupe shows a true proclivity and affection for the horror genre. Club Dread is purposefully predicated upon leading you to believe everyone is a believable suspect at one point or another. This is evident in the opening character introductions, when each one is miffed or slighted in some way, and their angered reaction is underscored by a slow-motion effect coupled with sinister music. It’s a subtle jab at the genre without lowering the effect of the film itself.

It helps when you get a cast of goofballs that just happen to be so likable. Puttman remains my favorite. Chandrasekhar sports long dreads and a vaudevillian British accent as he succumbs to being the butt of the joke. There are numerous running gags, be it Lars’ quirky masseuse tricks and Coconut Pete’s irreverent songs, as well as a handful of effective sequences. Consider a scene set in a maze where a real-life game of Pac-Man is being played. Of course, it ends with a murder, but not before its own share of laughs, capsizing when Puttman, dressed as a banana, wordlessly sprints over to DJ Dave and “Officer” Sam upon discovering the body.

What you have with Broken Lizard’s Club Dread is the rare example of a horror-comedy that is remarkably evenhanded, so much so that one tone never overtakes the other. The kills are creative, the comedy is zesty, and the chemistry amongst the cast is palpable from early on. Being that this film was made when feature-length parody movies such as the Scary Movie franchise were still popular, Broken Lizard actually had a concept to justify their send-ups. The troupe might always be remembered for Super Troopers, but it’s Club Dread had them operating in most effective form.

NOTE: 13 years after the release of Club Dread, an EP of Coconut Pete songs, appropriately titled Take Another Hit, was released to streaming platforms such as Apple Music. It’s a must-listen, especially if you’re a fan of Jimmy Buffett, or, in particular, Bill Paxton, an actor who seemed to take on a different energy in nearly every film he did.

NOTE II: Take a listen to my interview with Broken Lizard members Steve Lemme and Kevin Heffernan, where we talk their show, Tacoma FD, Club Dread, and more!

Starring: Bill Paxton, Kevin Heffernan, Brittany Daniel, Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Erik Stolhanske, Paul Soter, M. C. Gainey, Jordan Ladd, and Lindsay Price. Directed by: Jay Chandrasekhar.