Buy Division III: Football's Finest (2011) Now
Andy Dick is genuinely funny in this movie. He's a funny comic actor, but most of the reason it works is that he's playing a very funny character. Rick Vice, a psychotic coach with a checkered past, is the perfect vehicle for Andy to channel all of his crazy, scary talent into, and it works.Other actors have their moments but I never felt they were as developed as Andy. Will Sasso and Adam Carolla have a funny running gag as sports reporters, and I wish there had been more of Mo Collins as the loopy president or dean of the small liberal arts college.
The problem with the film is that the main character, played by co-writer and director Marshall Cook, is that he's simply the Lead Character In A Sports Film. And an under-developed one at that. He at first comes across as lazy and cynical...and then he just walks through the rest of the film, ending up with a winning game and The Girl...and we're not sure why. I guess because he's the Lead Character In A Sports Film.
The film clings too tightly to a well-worn sports movie formula and several main characters are merely formula commitments, not hilarious comic creations.
But Andy is really funny in this.
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This movie is really funny! I was laughing non-stop. Andy Dick gives an outstanding performance and there were great jokes throughout. The actors were talented and the director did a great job of breaking the comedy mold. This movie was wild compared to all of the big budget, watered-down comedy movies normally released. I saw it in a theater but I can't wait to see it on blu-ray.Want Division III: Football's Finest (2011) Discount?
I'm a huge Andy Dick fan and own the vast majority of his albums, TV shows and movies he's been in. I know he's not everyone's favorite, but I enjoy his funny, weird sense of humor.That said, I didn't really like the movie he was placed into. Division III has quite possibly the worst male lead casting choice I've seen in ages (Marshall Cook). I mean, he literally gives Chris Klein a run for the money in terms of being unlikeable. He's got a bad attitude, a lazy work ethic and has zero charisma. I'm talking about both the character he portays AND him. He literally comes across like he was halfway awake in every scene. That wouldn't be so bad if the female lead (Alison Haislip) wasn't equally annoying on screen. I mean, are we supposed to want this girl to be the one everyone falls for in the film? She's snotty, talks down to everyone she meets and constantly complains about not being able to afford tuition at a college so poor it can't even afford football jerseys. It makes no sense. Like Marshall, I doubt she even wanted to be in this film (and it shows).
I could also complain about the weenie and weird Kevin Covais, a weakling and even nerdier version of McLovin. I mean, WTF! He was giving the male lead pep talks, sleeping with a girl way out of his league and scoring a game winning touch down even though he had never set foot on the field once (during an actual football game). Really? Really....?
As I said, the film around Andy is just mediocre at best. It's not particularly funny, touching or...well, anything. It's just there. I almost get the impression the Director was hesitant to make the whole film about Andy and instead tried to give the younger actors more screen time to balance him out. I think that was actually a poor choice because people will watch and remember Andy Dick in this film and no one else.
I should also say the film is surprisingly well told storytelling-wise and Dick's character is unpredictable enough that the film isn't too formulaic. I also like how non-PC the humor is. There are some gross out bits in the film I didn't expect, but luckily for Andy, they didn't seem beyond the scope of what he is known for (making the audience cringe).
Overall, for Andy Dick fans, it is definitely worth watching, despite the ho-hum story and actors surrounding him. I would recommend Danny Roane: First Time Director over this any day, mainly because that is a film all about Andy Dick and has much, much better actors in general.
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