Go West

Go West is an Indie Comedy about the Oregon trail. It's wacky, fun and always entertaining.

Don't go into this expecting a story and you'll get more out of it. The main characters have excellent delivery and lines though some of the side characters fall short. The actors play multiple roles, the most consistent actors are Whitney, Mallory, Steven, Natalie and Matt. A few segments just aren't funny and serve no purpose but these are short thanks to the fast pacing.

Despite its shortcomings the movie is hilarious most of its runtime and the rapid delivery assists when some jokes don't work. The cast is charming and clearly tons of love was poured into the movie.

I'm a big fan of the original cast of Studio C for their light-hearted humor in sketch comedy. This movie is a longer version of a sketch comedy with many jokes- some hits, some misses- that decently highlight the humor style of each of the cast members. You can see hints/characteristics of old Studio C characters throughout the movie. If you are already a fan of the cast and are familiar with their style of humor, I think you will enjoy a decent portion of this film. But if not, maybe try some of their old Studio C videos to see if you like this type of humor first.

My favorite characters in this movie are played by Jason and Whitney as usual.

Some funny stuff, but jokes about bodily functions play way too much of a role in the move (usually bowel movements and farting).

It was kind of a feminist movie (i.e., it likes to man-bash and cry about the oppression of women).

It's basically a compilation of skits thrown together to form a story, and, while some are humorous, many of the skits lack a solid punchline (they just kind of just fizzle out).

Lastly, I am not sure what is included in the content advisory for this film, but there are some aspects of this movie that some audience members will not appreciate. Specifically, the film treats making a deal with the devil as a silly, no-big-deal sort of thing; there is a surprising amount of blood (especially in the blood coughs); and there is a torture scene (that is played for fun but does involve real torture methods).

I wanted to like this movie more than I ended up doing. I enjoyed many of the skits from the original "Studio C" cast, so perhaps I was expecting a bit more. There were things to like and laugh at, others not so much. The packed theater I saw the movie with seemed to get laughs mostly from the younger folks (tweens and teens), not so much from the adults.

Pros: Natalie Madsen and Stephen Meek are good in the lead roles/straight men amid all of the quirky characters. Sean Astin is funny and is good as the narrator. Jason Gray is still the funniest actor in this bunch. No bad language or lewd anything, apart from a veiled reference to a man being attacked in the crotch by a buffalo, resulting in his voice going up a few octaves.

Cons: I was a bit taken back by the puns and jokes about dysentery, polio, skin diseases, etc. Perhaps it's because I have eczema myself, or perhaps it's because I have ancestors who really suffered through these issues while making their way out west, and such ailments were not a joke to them. *Shrug* The cast tries a bit too hard to be Monty Python-esque, with the 10 of them playing multiple characters; it gets a bit confusing at times as to who is who. Sometimes quirky gets mistaken for funny, which is sometimes a downside to both older and new "Studio C" episodes. A few fart jokes.

Overall: good popcorn flick for a Tuesday $6 movie at the Megaplex. If you're a "Studio C" fan, you'll enjoy it. If you're not, I reckon you won't. 6/10.

When I first saw the ads and trailer for this movie (showing in Tucson) I wondered if I should go. But I decided it would be nice to see a NON-MARVEL film, since Marvels are all simply terrible now, and also to support a new film from independent film makers.

I am glad I went! This is a film that looks and IS far better than it's modest budget would indicate! The writing is excellent, incisive and hilarious. You will have to watch closely so you don't miss some of the humor, as it moves very briskly along. There are no slow spots in this film. The photography, the music, and the details of the scenes and wardrobes are all top class. It's kind of like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail Go Cowboy" As one woman who was watching it near me commented at the end: "Well, that was just totally cute, wasn't it?" I had to agree about that! This is a film without a message or agenda, just a fluffy movie of pioneer humor, that works from the beginning to the end. They also take the "mystical advice from beyond the grave" that is taken so seriously in everything from Star Wars to Spiderman, and give it a far more funny twist that is probably more accurate, too, if such phantom advice even exists.

It was an enjoyable afternoon!