Broken Lizard Takes on The Tale of the Hunchback
In a move that surprised many of its fans, the comedy troupe Broken Lizard released a new movie in 2023. Titled simply Quasi, it is a very different take on The Hunchback of Notre Dame than anyone has seen before. It includes the invention of the rack, a plan to kill the Pope (by the King of France), a plan to kill the King of France (by the Pope), and a queen two steps ahead of everyone else.
Broken Lizard is the collective comedic genius of Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. The group became famous with the release of the very funny Super Troopers. They’ve also released The Slammin’ Salmon, Beer Fest, and my favorite of their films, Club Dread. They all write, direct and produce. Lemme and Heffernan star in the humorous Tacoma F.D.
Quasi has a pretty simple plot, but plot is never the top priority in a Broken Lizard movie. Each of the actors plays multiple parts, which serves up some great dialogue. “You don’t see me up there on that stage, do ya?” Heffernan asks as Duchamp. The next character seen on stage is Henri-Francois, played of course by Heffernan. There’s a great recurring visual gag with Stolhanske’s Michel a foot taller every time he appears, thanks to his internship testing out the rack.
The Broken Lizard fellas routinely show up on Tacoma F.D., and it was a delight to see that cast in Quasi. Fans will recognize Eugene Cordero (Loki), Marcus Henderson (Get Out), Gabriel Hogan (Heartland), and Hassie Harrison (Yellowstone). Adrianne Palicki (Friday Night Lights) is the closest thing the movie has to a straight man, but she gets her full share of laughs, also.
Quasi is getting beat up in a lot of reviews comparing it to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It’s not that film. It’s not attempting to be that film. The multiple characters played by the actors is one reason for the comparisons, but that opens up a ton of humor for the writers and cast. It’s not a highbrow film (“Sacre Bleu, that’s good fondue!”) and never attempts to be. The pace of the dialogue and the quick wit of the cast make it closer to a Mel Brooks movie than Python.
If you want Shakespeare, go read Shakespeare. If you want to laugh more than you should, check out Quasi.