Out Cold is a little-known comedy gem from 2001 that has somehow managed to find its way on my list of movies that I watch on a semi-regular basis.
The film is set in the fictional ski town of Bull Mountain, Alaska, a place which manages to maintain its unpretentious, laid-back small town atmosphere despite being located in an area famous for its great skiing and snowboarding. The plot focuses on a group of young twenty-something local residents who enjoy snowboarding, getting drunk, getting high, and playing practical jokes on each other. Leading this group of likable misfits is a man named Rick Rambis (played by Jason London), who is unable to form a relationship with attractive snowboarding instructor Jenny (played by A.J. Cook) because he is still pining over a girl he met during a drunken binge in Cancun, Mexico.
When wealthy businessman John Majors (played by veteran actor Lee Majors) steps in with the intent of buying Bull Mountain and turning it into an Aspen-like "espresso and tofu" resort that caters to rich yuppies, the residents of Bull Mountain begin to fear that they will all be fired and forced to leave town. Adding to the turmoil is the arrival of Majors' two daughters: Inga, (played by former Playboy Playmate of the Year Victoria Silvstedt) a gorgeous blonde bombshell, and Anna (played by Caroline Dhavernas), Rick's old flame from his Cancun vacation.
What follows is a slobs versus snobs comedy in the tradition of "Caddyshack" and "Animal House" as the locals try to stop their town from being taken over by Majors and his cronies. The film also directly parodies Casablanca in several parts, with Rick finding himself in a situation similar to Humphrey Bogart's most famous character from his most famous film.
The acting or script will never win any awards, but the film does provide enough humor to make it worth a rental. It also features some truly impressive snowboarding footage performed by some of the top snowboarders in the world. I also feel the need to mention David Koechner, who provides a hilarious performance as Stumpy, a hard-drinking, tall-tale telling local who is probably insane.
One complaint I have about the movie is that it feels like several scenes were edited or removed entirely so that it would be given a PG-13 rating rather than an R rating. Hopefully someday an unrated DVD will be released.
I give this film a 7 out of 10. It's not a classic comedy, but it's entertaining enough to be worth a rental.
