American Sausage Standoff ( Gutterbee )

A lot of people love films where you can predict the plot, and you want that classic formula that you have seen so many times before. I actually prefer films that do the opposite, and go in a complete different direction, and do as many crazy things as possible. It does not work in all films of course, since it has to work with the plot. But if it does work, i am definetely interested. There are a few titles that comes to my mind when i think about odd films, but let us bring up one film that i really love. A film i probably have seen at least 15 times since the film came out, and that is the 2009 comedy known as Gentlemen Broncos. This is one of those films that barely anyone have heard of, and that is such a shame. This is pure comedy gold that should be seen by all ages, that´s definetely different than any film you have seen before. Gentlemen Broncos is directed by Jared Hess ( director of the cult classic Napoleon Dynamite ), and tells the story of Benjamin Purvis ( Michael Angarano ), a young sci fi writer who lives with his mother Judith Purvis ( Jennifer Coolidge ). Benjamin have recently finished a sci fi story called Yeasts Lord. Benjamin bring his story to the two-day writing camp, where he hopes to meet his idol, pretentious writer Ronald Chevalier ( Jemaine Clement ). Chevalier announces a contest for the writers, in wich the winner´s story will be published nationally. After encouragement from fellow camper Tabatha Jenkins ( Halley Feiffer ), Benjamin submits Yeasts Lord. As Chevalier reviews the stories from the campers, he gets a phone call from his publisher rejecting his latest manuscript. Panicked, he picks up Benjamin´s story and use his material, while making some changes to get back on track again. Benjamin finds out and is furious, with all the work he put into this story. Gentlemen Broncos is one insane comedy with so many crazy characters, unexpected twists and turns. i can definetely see this film become a cult film in the future. You have to see this one, so pick it up on DVD or Blu Ray. I have been really excited about an independent comedy known as American Sausage Standoff ( also known as Gutterballs on DVD in Sweden ), that looked really odd. Since i don´t see that many odd comedies coming out very often, this film definetely caught my attention. A conflict between small town folks and a German sausage restaurant? I just had to see this film. Is this one of the better comedies i have seen in recent years, or is this even worse than i expected?

Mike Dankworth McCoid ( Anthony Starr ) is let out of prison and goes back to his hometown Gutterbee, where not many people are staying anymore. Business are shutting down and folks living here see that there is not much hope anymore. Except for sherriff Jimmy Jerry Lee Jones Jr. ( W. Earl Brown ) who still belive this town can survive the American way. Until Mike team up with German suasage specialist Edward Hofler ( Ewen Bremmer ), about the possibility of opening a German sausage restaurant in Gutterbee, to get the town back on track. This is not something that Sherriff Jimmy will ever accept, so he will do anything to stop this from happening.

American Sausage Standoff ( or Gutterbee as the Nordic film title is here in Scandinavia ) is another percfect example of films that not many people have heard of, and this is why i love seeing films such as this one. It may not have been a big box office hit, but that´s exactly why films such as American Sausage Standoff stands out in the crowd for trying something original. Does that mean everything in this film is good? No, but let´s talk about the positive details first, what i do enjoy about this film. First of all i love the idea of this American small town getting into conflicts about German sausages, because the idea itself is quite strange. I can´t say i have ever seen anything similar to this in any film from the past, so this clearly shows that this film does have something unusual for the audience to experience. And when you actually have a plot that is quite different than anything else, it gives us hope that we might actually still have films made in the future, that does have something original to say. When it comes to the characters, i have to mention legendary actor W. Earl Brown ( who have been in a lot of great films such as Kiss The Girls, Wild, Black Mass, and of course Western TV series Deadwood ) as the town sherriff Jimmy Jerry Lee Jones Jr. who is not only a racists, but an asshole as well. He is the perfect example of small town folks that does not want any changes, that everything should be the way that it´s always been, the real American way. Anthony Starr ( who you probably recognize from the Amazon Original TV series The Boys ) is actually quite entertaining as the character Mike, who tries to get back on track after prison, wich of course is not easy to do. At the same time, you know that this is the kind of character that have fooled people in the past, so you can´t really trust him completely. Either way, Anthony does a great job with his character. In this film you also find actor Ewen Bremner ( who i always think about as Spud in the cult film Trainspotting ) as the German sausage specialist Edward Hofler. Even if he does not give one of his strongest acting performances in this film, i still think he deliver some charming moments. My biggest issue in American Sausage Standoff is that some of the comedy scenes are not as funny as i was hoping for. Considering that the plot have some fantastic ideas, this could have been a golden moment for comedy. There are a few scenes that do work, but i feel that we should have been given more, with so many talented actors on board. In the end, i do find enough reasons to enjoy this film for trying a different path. American Sausage Standoff does not follow the usual pattern, and director Ulrich Hansen deliver a film that is actually a nice surprise within independent comedies. If you can go into this film with an open mind, i think you might actually have a good time with this film. American Sausage Standoff is a great choice for the whole family to enjoy. What are you waiting for? It is time you pick it up on DVD or Blu Ray.

Rating: DDD