Broken Lizard are truly the resident Hollywood oddballs. Since 1996, they’ve been filling the void left by franchises such as the Naked Gun, the inactivity of Mel Brooks, and the screwball comedy genre in general. Not to say their filmography measures up to those titans of comedy, but they’re legitimate contenders for the baton. From the desert island resort slasher/comedy ofClub Dreadto the aptly andsimply titledBeerfest, the Broken Lizard team has been dropping movies at a steady clip for 25 years. But it started with the classic breakoutSuper Troopers.
From the dopey, stoner terrorizing prank of the opening sequence on through firing live weapons at each other’s bulletproof vest-clad chests to the large Favre, the Vermont barracks goons’ exploits still hit 25 years later.Super Troopersstill holds up, and it spawned a solid sequel in 2018’sSuper Troopers 2.The Broken Lizard crew of Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske are back withQuasi,a send-up of the exploits of a certain Hunchback of Notre Dame. The official synopsis for the film reads, “A hapless hunchback yearns for love but finds himself in the middle of a murderous feud between the Pope and the king of France when each orders the hunchback to kill the other.” TheQuasitrailer was recently released. Here’s a recap of the footage we’ve seen so far.
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Medieval France
The trailer begins with a roving shot of snow-capped mountains and countryside dotted by a massive castle, with the movie set in medieval France. The king (Chandrasekhar) and his right-hand man (Hefferman) implore one guard to kill the other in front of them for their personal amusement. The intended murderer hesitates, as he and his ordered victim “came up together” and have been friends for many years. The king suggests they call in a third guard to kill them both, and the reluctant guard caves and murders his friend with a painful smile on his face. The king and his man both nod in approval of the vicious impaling.
Outside the sprawling castle, another character, also played by Hefferman, yells for the titular character to come out, as they’re both late for work. Quasi’s friend asks him if he knows what his problem is, to which Quasi sarcastically responds, “I have a fatty deposit the size of a giant gourd in my back?” Further, on their trip to work, Quasi is pelted with vegetables from villagers who scream out “Freak!” at the hunchback. “Good morning,” he politely says.
Working for the Man
It is revealed that the two work as torturers, or “Back to the daily grind,” with Quasi working the rack, stretching out one of his fellow Frenchmen. They’re made aware that “Pope week” will be happening soon, immediately followed by a cardinal screaming, “WHO WANTS TO SEE AN EXORCISM?!” to an adoring crowd. The question is posed with the tone of a man who will drunkenly jump off a roof into a pool.
As part of Pope Week, there is a Papal lottery, where the participants write their names on a slip of paper. The randomly chosen winner will get a private audience with the Pope to confess their sins to the head of the church. Quasi wins this drawing, followed by the Pope lamenting having to listen to the sins andcomplaints of the hunchback, mocking Quasi with a lispy voice.
Enter the Queen
Meanwhile, Quasi is cheered by his fellow peasants as they carry him on their shoulders back to the torture chambers. One man asks if he’ll ask His Holiness for a new back or maybe even a new face. A beautifulwoman of royalty (Adrianne Palicki) shows up at the racks, and everyone bows to her in awe. It cuts to a shot of Quasi in a sword fight, getting stabbed in his gut, and the King and the Pope brawling.
Related:Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame: Plot, Cast, Release Date, and Everything Else We Know
Quasi is thenshown illustrations of the Popehaving sex with various women in various ways, possibly to help Quasi see him as a degenerate worth taking out. The trailer concludes with Hefferman’s king crony ordering a guard to fire a warning shot over the head of a peasant holding a knife to the neck of another guard. The first guard lets an arrow fly, striking the peasant in the side of the neck and earning him a belittling by the king’s man. The guard insists it wasn’t his arrow that found the peasant’s jugular.
Quasilooks like typical Broken Lizard fare; silly, somewhat satirical, and most likely filthy as it gets. However, it’s worked for the roving group of performers/writers so far, so there’s no reason to believe thatQuasiwon’t fit perfectly into Broken Lizard’s bizarre filmography.Quasiwill stream on Hulu on Apr. 20.
