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Right on time for 4-20, here comes the newest comedy from stoner legends Broken Lizard: Quasi, now streaming on Hulu. The cannabis-fueled comedy troupe dials back the weed and amps up the wildness in this parody of a legendary Victor Hugo novel. But does that make them high-minded or HIGH-minded? (Sorry, last one … for now.)
QUASI: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: “All you need to know about 13th-century France is that it sucked,” deadpans Brian Cox’s narrator as he welcomes us into the world of Quasi. This madcap medieval mayhem reimagines The Hunchback of Notre Dame through a satirical lens as a lowly torture chamber worker Quasi (Steve Lemme) finds himself caught up in events beyond his wildest imagination. A bit of a crush on Queen Catherine (Adrianne Palicki) eventually leads him to win a lottery to dine with the king. The hunchback then finds himself pitched in the middle of a political battle, with both King Guy (Jay Chandrasekhar) and Pope Cornelius (Paul Soter) giving him conflicting orders to assassinate the other. But the man each views as a useful idiot quickly discovers he has more agency and authority than he thinks, even as events begin to spiral out of his control.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: It’s like any silly satirical movie. While Broken Lizard might think they’re doing the Monty Python version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, however, they’re closer to a Family Guy tangent.
Performance Worth Watching: Broken Lizard is a true comedic ensemble, and one of the virtues of the film is how well the performers play off each other across multiple roles in the film. If there’s a single standout, though, it has to be Steve Lemme as both Quasi and a court jester.
Memorable Dialogue: “Holy shit, I have to take a holy shit,” exclaims the pope who poops. A line like this ought to give you a good sense of the humor level on which this movie is operating.
Sex and Skin: Sure, there’s a sex scene between Quasi and Esmerelda, but it’s played to tease rather than titillate. (Decidedly less sexy is seeing, even out of focus, Quasi’s mate Duchamp get his scrotum nailed to a tree stump.)
Our Take: Quasi is full of limp, lightweight laughs. It’s painfully juvenile in its comedic sensibilities, pitched so squarely at the lowest common denominator that the floor of its humorous capacity becomes the ceiling. Nothing is especially cringeworthy or actively unfunny in Broken Lizard’s latest romp, but watching them strain so hard just for mediocrity becomes its own form of torture in time.
Our Call: SKIP IT. Unless you have the comedic sensibilities of a thirteen-year-old boy, you can safely puff, puff, PASS on Quasi. The satire and the silliness alike fall flat in this Medieval-set mess. It’s bland and boring where it should be bold and brash. It’s nothing you haven’t TH-seen before.
Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, The Playlist and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.
