DELTA FARCE: 3 Stooges Go Eye-Rac

DELTA FARCE (comedy)

Cast: Larry The Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, DJ Qualls and Keith David

Director: C.B. Harding

Time: 87 mins

Rating: * 1/2 (out of 4)

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? The humour in this 'redneck comedy' is so idiotic and rudimentary that it not only seems like we were watching 'The Three Stooges Go To Iraq' but it also feels as if it was written and directed by Larry, Curly and Moe themselves. Yes, it is that kind of gutter comedy trying to spoof America's involvement in Iraq.

WHAT'S IT ABOUT? The story follows three hapless army reservists, Larry (Larry The Cable Guy), Bill (Bill Engvall) and Everett (D.J. Qualls) (picture), who are so out-of-shape that they can't walk down the block without stopping for a rest and a beer. Somehow, they are drafted into the war in Iraq - under the command of Sgt Kilgore (Keith David) - and are to be air-freighted to the Middle East. On route, the plane encounters problems and is forced to jettison some of its load - including our three sleeping stooges and their Sarge.

The guys wake up in a desert in Mexico. However, with the sun, sand and 'people of colour' wandering around, they think that they are deep in Iraq. Getting ready for battle, they mistake a band of 'bandits' for Iraqi insurgents and even manage to drive them out of the village. Soon, Larry, Bill and Everett are feted and treated as heroes by the villagers. Why, Larry even wins the admiration of beautiful Maria (Marisol Nichols), the mayor's daughter. However, when they come to their senses and realise where they really are, it is time for them to face the wrath of bandit leader Carlos Santana (Danny Trejo).

HITS & MISSES: Yes, the 'chief bandido' is so named (like the famous musician) to generate a few laughs. Indeed, laughs are pretty hard to come by in this low-brow comedy aimed at satirising the stupidity of the Southerners (or rednecks). Fat, fart and Fallujah gags abound, and in one scene, the grumpy Sarge is even dressed in drag.
Director C.B. Harding is no Michael Moore (of "Bowling For Columbine" and "Fahrenheit 9/11") when it comes to 'Bush-whacking' or hitting out at America's foreign policy. Harding, a former TV comedy director (who also helmed "The Osbournes") goes for 'hit-and-miss' humour - and we get mostly misses here. Some sequences even turn out pretty bizarre - like when Larry gets a passionate kiss from the sophisticated-looking Maria. It's like giving gratitude a bad taste.
Still, it is to Harding's credit that the comedy is not aimed at insulting any religion or foreigner. Throughout the movie, the jokes seem to be on the cast. Larry and Engvall, for example, portray the stereotype 'beer-guzzlers' of the Mid-West, while the skinny Qualls is a sight gag just by himself.

THE FINAL SHOT: "Delta Farce", like the title suggests, is basically home-brewed American comedy, probably written by someone whose 'mother drank too much during her pregnancy' (to quote Larry).