DELTA FARCE(PG-13)
**1/2 (out of 5)
May 11, 2007
STARRING
Larry the Cable Guy as LARRY
Bill Engvall as BILL
DJ Qualls as EVERETT
Keith David as SGT. KILGORE
Marisol Nichols as MARIA
Studio: Lionsgate
Directed by: C.B. Hardin
BY KEVIN CARR
I’m an idiot. Even though I’m a film-watching professional, I get suckered by some of these movies.
I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I was suckered by “Delta Farce.” Why didn’t I see this one coming? It wasn’t screened for critics at all – never a good sign. It was dropped into the theaters the week between “Spider-Man 3” and “Shrek the Third.” And it had Larry the Cable Guy and DJ Qualls as its headliners.
I should have known it wouldn’t be any good.
But I had some hopes for this film. After all, Hollywood has been withholding screenings more and more lately. And with Larry the Cable Guy as the film’s biggest star (no pun intended), I can’t imagine a universe in which this film would get positive reviews.
I liked “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector,” and with the chubby redneck lending his voice to Disney’s “Cars,” I thought he might turn out another decent film.
I wasn’t totally wrong. “Delta Farce” wasn’t a total waste of time. Trust me, there’s been a lot worse unleashed on the American public over the past five months. I just thought that Larry and his buddies could pull off a better film.
I know. Like I said earlier, I’m an idiot.
“Delta Farce” is a low-rent “Stripes” without the makings of a comedy classic. Larry the Cable Guy, DJ Qualls and Bill Engvall play U.S. Army weekend warriors who are called to duty when the Presidents requires more troops in Fallujah. During their flight, the three misfits are accidentally dumped with the plane’s cargo.
Thinking they have crash-landed in Iraq, these three idiot soldiers try to liberate a village. The only problem is that they are actually in Mexico and have stumbled into a turf war with a local gang. Together, they make the decision to rid the village of the evil gang members and bring freedom to the land.
You’d think that the juxtaposition of Larry the Cable Guy and DJ Qualls running around in Army gear would make for great cinema. And while there are many funny moments, they often lack the punch needed to really make you laugh.
Keith David takes another turn playing the ass-kicking Army officer in charge of the wayward soldiers. He always plays this character well, and he provides more of the comic relief than you might expect. I’ve always liked Keith David, so he’s fun to watch in this film. However, like the rest of the actors (which encompasses a slate of regulars from “24,” including the beautiful and underused Marisol Nichols), he’s saddled with a half-baked script that tries to be edgy but never really manages to push the envelope – even for the PG-13 rating.
Like a dozen other films out there that cater to the redneck crowd, this should play well to the target market. “The Blue Collar Comedy Tour” this is not. Heck, it doesn’t even live up to the high standards of “Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector.”