Tucker and Dale vs. Evil
You decide to go camping with a couple of friends in the backwoods and run into two dirty, intimidating country guys, what is your first thought? Are you immediately frightened beyond all belief thinking they are going to murder you all in a bloodbath? If so, you probably watch too many slasher films. Luckily, there are some kind-hearted country boys like Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) to squash those stereotypes as they are caught in a giant, fatal misunderstanding in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.
Grade:
Allison (Katrina Bowden) and a few of her friends decide to go camping and run into Tucker and Dale, who happen to be going into the woods to renovate Tucker’s recently purchased vacation home. After saving her from drowning, Tucker and Dale find themselves under siege from college kids that clearly are incapable of separating tales from reality. The boys are just trying to avoid hurting anyone as blood is shed in every imaginable way around them.
Right off the bat, Tucker and Dale starts quickly setting up the typical horror film with them as the dirty hillbilly bad guys. Then we get to hear them talk and discover they are two normal guys trying to have a good time. Dale is a giant teddy bear who gets nervous talking to girls, which doesn’t help the already slanted perception the kids have of him. Tucker has a stronger personality, but is still a likable guy who simply wants to renovate his new house and drink with his best friend. Labine and Tudyk are incredibly funny together. Labine has perfected the “aw shucks” persona of a guy who can’t do anything right and has no self-confidence as a result. After seeing them in so many supporting roles, I was very surprised to see how well they were able to carry a movie with almost no help.
The only relevant college kids are the aforementioned Allison, and Chad (Jesse Moss). Chad, who from the get-go has serious problems, is hell-bent on inciting fear into his friends about the “murderous hillbillies” with absolutely no evidence whatsoever. Both Moss and Bowden are absent for pieces of the film, which turns out to be a blessing considering Chad is annoying and Bowden is mediocre at best.
There is so much action and humor in the initial sequences you begin to wonder how the film will fill the entire ninety minutes. The full-time is achieved due to a significant drop in pace once the number of participants decreases (warning: there is a fair amount of blood, but it is relatively tame/fake/ridiculous). Fortunately, the humor is so uniquely portrayed that it overshadows the dull parts. The mocking nature of the film is a perfect blend of subtle and blatant that you will end up laughing and at times not even know why. The reactions to each and every mess by Tucker and Dale are the high points as we are given chances to see Labine and Tudyk play off one another.
Tucker and Dale requires an open mind and a willingness to laugh because, while being a mock horror film, it does have a horror element that ties the movie together. The beauty lies in how messed up the situation gets and you still laugh. If you’re a fan of the horror genre, you will be overwhelmed with laughter at the subtle jabs thrown. Rest assured if you are not a fan, like yours truly, you will still have a ton of fun.
MH Movie Reviews 
I skipped this movie as I thought it was a horror movie until a friend insisted I’d see it. It was a very nice surprise and really funny. Great review!
I thought the same thing until I read a small description. I’m glad I (and you) decided to watch it. Definitely worth it.