Delta Farce
After reading the results of my reasoned analysis of “Spiderman 3,” the good Watson the Fourth charged that my findings on that particular case might have run too closely with the herd of Scotland Yard critics. To his mind, I was tearing down what he deemed was an enjoyable movie just to put on superior airs and secure myself in that company of self-congratulating connoisseurs.
I quickly reminded him of my fidelity to the higher art of movie investigation by hailing a hansom cab and calling for the driver to take us to the Lyceum Cineplex 18 for a late afternoon matinee of “Delta Farce,” the latest movie to star comedian Larry the Cable Guy.
As evidenced by the mental reach of most of our fellow theater-goers, “Delta Farce” is a simple film, a comedy about three slackers pulled from a leisurely state militia weekend to go to Iraq, only to wind up in Mexico. That premise is adequately spelled out by the preview, and one attends such movies with the hope that there will be something more to enjoy than just what one saw in the preview. And there, “Delta Farce,” rewards the viewer’s trust, freely tossing one-liners and slapstick at a pace which is bound to have something making one laugh at some sort of regular intervals.
While Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, and DJ Qualls serve as a modern Three Stooges in this wacky little romp, other characters such as their ever-angry Sergeant Kilgore (played by Keith David) are given time to shine as well. A particular favorite of mine was one of the great criminal character actors of the modern age, Danny Trejo, playing bandit leader Carlos Santana (yes, he’s not that Carlos Santana) who squares off against Larry time after time and always seems to come up short. In anything close to the real world, Santana would put a bullet in Larry’s head and be done with it, but this is wacky comedy world, where bullets fly and only land if they’re hitting someone in the butt. (I have long suspected that Dr. Watson IV did his military service in wacky comedy world, for that very reason.)
I suspect that anyone who is actually motivated into going to see “Delta Farce” will enjoy it. Anyone to whom such a thing is disagreeable can only blame themselves for buying a ticket.
What Great-grandfather Sherlock Might Say About “Delta Farce”:
”These three gentlemen are badly wanted here . . .”
(He has obviously heard that the last Larry the Cable Guy movie sold more tickets in Peoria, Illinois, than anywhere in the country.)
Past Investigations