Three buddies drive across the country in a van, wreaking havoc on their way to L.A., where they are set to play as the opening act for Green Day on New Year’s Eve.
Chuck says:
Far better than it has a right to be, Lee Kirk’s “Nimrods” is a rollicking, if meandering coming-of-age story that uses the music of “Green Day” as a soundtrack to underscore the adventures of its three principals. Though some may look at the venture as an attempt to renew interest in the band’s catalog, there’s more at play than mercenary financial concerns. As written by Kirk and the members of the band, the film comes off as a thank you to those that have followed them over the years as well as a look back by Billie Jo Armstrong and his mates at their roots.
The movie is based loosely on the experiences of the band “Waterdog” which opened for “Green Day” after being discovered through a demo tape given to their manager. Similarly, Tommy’s (Mason Thames) group “Analog Dogs,” which is mangled to comic effect throughout, employs a similar tack. Encountering the band at a record store appearance, he and his bassist Fred (Kylr Coffman) slip them a recording of their best song in the hopes of getting noticed.
Unfortunately, Tommy’s brother Wayne (Keen Ruffalo) catches wind of this. He decides to prank his gullible sibling, calls him pretending to be “Green Day’s” manager and invites them to open for them on New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles. Youthful enthusiasm and a healthy dose of delusion trump Tommy and Fred’s common sense. With their drummer Chad (Ryan Foust), the pair begin to scheme how they’re going to make it from Kansas City to L.A. in just four days to play their dream gig.
It wouldn’t be a road trip if there weren’t complications and in this instance there’s more than enough to go around. The fact the trio has no car at their disposal is solved by their stealing Wayne’s, while their lack of funds is answered continually by one financial deus ex machina after another, until the issue is simply brushed aside. Before all is said and done, the boys end up rolling down the highway in a rundown ice cream truck, have perhaps dodged a grisly fate at the hands of a sketchy hotel owner (Fred Armison) and won over a tough crowd in a country bar during a band contest.
While none of this is particularly original, it’s pulled off with a sense of enthusiasm and sincerity that makes it all work. Much of this is due to the work of the three principals who play off one another beautifully, effortlessly generating laughs and even a bit of poignancy along the way. Tommy’s drive and enthusiasm clashes with Fred’s laid-back stoner sensibility time and again, while the pair’s inability to comprehend Chad’s strait-laced nature flummoxes them to no end. Getting to see these three actors interact in another film would not be a disagreeable notion.
The film does get a bit lost when a mandatory love interest is introduced in the person of Olivia (McKenna Grace), which seriously impedes its momentum. Fortunately, this doesn’t last long and the audience’s patience is rewarded once the trio arrives at the show on time and their dream comes true, but not in the way they expected.
In the end, the theme of family proves to be the movie’s driving force. Kirk’s wife Jenna Fischer appears as Tommy’s widowed mother, conveying a quiet courage beneath her pain which her sons both draw from. The lessons regarding loyalty and perseverance they learn from her and convey to others is the foundation of “Nimrods,” yet another road movie that isn’t amount the miles you travel but your moral destination.
3 Stars
