Beer League | C+

director: Frank Sebastiano
starring: Artie Lange, Ralph Macchio, Cara Buono, Seymour Cassel

Shakespeare it ain’t, but fans of Howard Stern and Artie Lange alike will find plenty to appreciate about the latter’s crass, new comedy vehicle, Beer League. Written by SNL/Letterman writer Frank Sebastiano and comedian/Howard Stern sidekick Artie Lange, the movie centers around–guess what–a beer league softball team. If you’re unfamiliar with “beer leagues,” just add cases of beer to a few softball teams and you’ve got yourself a beer league. Simple in its’ utter genius. Said team is composed of a bunch of sloppy, drunk malcontents trying to hang onto the faded glory of their youth.

I’m not sure I should really try to analyze Beer League too much deeper, as that would be missing the point. It’s got laughs, beer, cursing and naked women, all in gratuitous amounts. That information alone should be enough to help make your decision on whether to view or not. It’s not gonna win any awards (just like this review), and the production budget looks to have been 20 bucks and a keg of beer, but it’s funny enough to be worth a watch for those who aren’t offended easily. I put about as much work into this review as they did into the movie. Or at least, as much as the appearance of the effort they made; I’m sure they worked hard. If you’re a Stern fan, Beer League is obviously a must-see, if only because you can join in on the ball-busting Artie gets on a daily basis during the show. So, there you go. Beer League.

Oh, and the Karate Kid is in it, albeit sans crane kicks and Mr. Miyagi. Disappointing, I know. This review will undoubtedly be revised or deleted altogether shortly, just because its quality is so overwhelming that every other post I’ve written on this site pales in comparison. So if you’re reading this, consider yourself one of the lucky few to have glimpsed this gem.