Director – Mike Clattenburg (Black Jesus)
Starring – Robb Wells (Goon), John Paul Tremblay (Archer), and Mike Smith (Lloyd the Conqueror)
Release Date – 2004
Rating – 4/5
Tagline- “Warning: Contains language some may find fucking offensive”
With the holidays approaching I have been trying to watch more films focused towards the holidays. Last year I went crazy watching and reviewing every Christmas themed horror film I could find. That, however, took the holiday out of my holidays and that is something I refuse to do this year. That is why I turned to Netflix where I watched both Trailer Park Boys Christmas Specials.
The first I watched was the newest special that was released this year. That film, Trailer Park Boys: Live at the North Pole, was fun but also a bit of a let down. I pray that they never stop with the show and decided to do stand up because their characters just can not be adapted to that kind of comedy. I followed that up with their 2004 special simply titled Xmas Special. After reviewingLive at the North Pole I had to follow that up with Xmas Special.
**Spoiler Alert**This special opens in 1997 with Ricky in jail preparing for the 12 days of partying as Julian and Bubbles steal Christmas presents, trees, and decorations to sale to the fine folks of Sunnyvale Trailer Park. However, Julian cant do it on his own and bails Ricky out of jail against his will. Shithead Mr. Lahey soon catches onto what the three are doing and sets out to catch them but he is not alone. His wife picked up a male prostitute named Smokey to come stay with him until he can get back on his feet.
This male prostitute knows Mr. Lahey because he would sometimes visit him while his wife is away. Smokey knows Julian, Bubbles, and Ricky from school and his real name is Randall (Randy). Mr. Lahey starts drinking heavily which compromises his efforts to catch the three. We then end the film with a heartfelt speech from Ricky in church where we learn that the reason for the holiday is to get high and spend time with your family. **Spoiler Alert**
The Trailer Park Boys has their own brand of humor that caters to those that are young at heart but old in body. They are vulgar, mean spirited and have no respect for the laws set forth before them. This is why so many people love the TPB. They are funny to those that never grew up and have a sense of humor. A 4th grade and a grown ass man can all laugh at this show.
The acting in this one is nothing amazing but it is fun. All the characters are over the top and that is what makes them so fun. This movie takes the characters established in the series and puts them in the Christmas setting. However, this special came out when the series was still in it’s infancy so many of the characters are still getting their fine tuning along with the cast and their acting skills.
The story for this one is more of the standard TPB antics but it does bring our boys into the holiday setting making this one essential for Christmas viewing. In fact, the story for this one is so fun the boys would once again use it in their 2014 Christmas special titled Live at the North Pole. With that being said, this version was done perfectly so they had no need going back and making a new film.
Finally, this film has tons of laughs in the same line of jokes we got from the show. We have potty humor, dick joke, and tons of drug use humor. Overall, the Trailer Park Boys Xmas Special is a classic for the season and the perfect reason to watch the boys for the holidays. If you like the show, stoner comedies, and vulgar humor then this one was made for you!
