Quasi (film)

Last updated

Quasi
Quasi poster.jpeg
Official release poster
Directed by Kevin Heffernan
Written by
Based on The Hunchback of Notre-Dame
by Victor Hugo
Produced byRichard Perello
Starring
  • Jay Chandrasekhar
  • Kevin Heffernan
  • Steve Lemme
  • Paul Soter
  • Erik Stolhanske
  • Adrianne Palicki
CinematographyJoe Collins
Edited byFrank McGrath
Music byJason Akans
Production
company
Distributed by Searchlight Pictures
Release date
  • April 20, 2023 (2023-04-20)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Quasi is a 2023 American satirical comedy film directed by Kevin Heffernan and written by Heffernan and Broken Lizard members Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. The film takes a satirical take on Victor Hugo's 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame .

Contents

It was released by Searchlight Pictures as a Hulu original film on April 20, 2023.

Plot

In medieval France, Quasi Modo, a hunchback, works as a torturer along with his co-worker and "hut mate" Duchamp; they torture culinary student Michel. Meanwhile, the sinister King Guy is set to marry Queen Catherine in a planned ceremony to unite their kingdoms during Pope Week, which is to be attended by Pope Cornelius, with whom King Guy has a bitter rivalry. During Pope Week, a papal drawing is held, with the winner getting a chance to meet the pope in person. Out of sympathy, Duchamp gives Quasi a ticket so that he can participate. It happens to be the winning ticket, causing Quasi to suddenly become popular and Duchamp visibly becoming jealous.

Catherine takes an interest in Quasi when he leads his coworkers in a brief rebellion against their boss Lucien, and sees potential in him. Later, Quasi is invited to eat with King Guy, who asks him to assassinate Cornelius, much to his shock. He tells Duchamp and Michel, and declares that he must go through with it or else he will be killed. When it is time kill Cornelius, the Pope orders him to kill King Guy during the union ceremony. When King Guy sees that Quasi has not killed Cornelius he threatens him, but then decides to also have the assassination done during the ceremony. He tells his assistant Henri that he plans to kill Quasi afterwards, news that his heard by Catherine.

When he is approached by Catherine, who tells him what she heard, Quasi becomes depressed. They concoct a plan, which Quasi then tells Duchamp about. During the ceremony, Quasi appears to attack both King Guy and Cornelius, but Duchamp "kills" Quasi and becomes a hero. Quasi is whisked away to a cave, where Duchamp promises to look out for him. When Duchamp returns to the kingdom, his heroic deed is forgotten, but everyone is saddened over Quasi's death. Catherine comes to visit Quasi and when Duchamp sees the two of them getting along, he leaves heartbroken. Duchamp gets drunk and tells Lucien that Quasi is still alive, and Lucien tell Henri, who comes and captures Quasi to have him tortured.

Catherine sneaks into the dungeon and kills Lucien before freeing Quasi. The two of them learn that they are both of royal blood and are cousins, news that excites them into having sex. Quasi escapes and seeks out Duchamp, who confesses to betraying him. Quasi escapes the guards, while Duchamp is captured and ordered to be publicly executed. Quasi plans to leave town, but Michel manages to convince him to return and rescue Duchamp. They arrive at the execution, where Quasi discloses that King Guy and Pope Cornelius had ordered each other's deaths, and Catherine reveals that Quasi is of royal blood. A fight breaks out resulting in the deaths of Henri, Cornelius' assistant Claude, and Michel, who in his dying breath asks Quasi and Duchamp to remain friend.

The people of France soon rally behind Quasi, not because of his royal lineage, but because they relate to him. King Guy and Cornelius both fatally stab one another and in their dying moments reveal that they were once lovers at university and broke up due to being cheated on by the same man. They die admitting that they still love each other. Quasi renews his friendship with Duchamp, and he and Catherine admit their love for each other, and become the new rulers of France. During the credits, Quasi and Duchamp hold a funeral for Michel, who asked that he have a proper burial so that animals do not eat him. However, they have trouble fitting him in the grave due to his height, the result of being repeatedly stretched on the rack. In a post-credits scene, Michel's hands get eaten by dogs.

Cast

Production

On November 3, 2021, Broken Lizard announced a new film titled Quasi, which would be a co-production with Searchlight Pictures. [1] The film would be a satirical take on by Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame , with Kevin Heffernan directing the film and starring with Broken Lizard members Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. [2] Adrianne Palicki would also star in the film. [2] While working on Super Troopers 3 , the troupe showed the script to Searchlight, with the film being greenlit. [3]

At the film's announcement, production had started in Los Angeles. [4] [1] [5] By April 20, 2022, filming had wrapped up. [6] Filming also took place in Santa Clarita. [3]

Release

Quasi was released by Searchlight Pictures on Hulu in the United States on April 20, 2023. [7] It will also be released on Disney+ via the Star content hub internationally and Star+ in Latin America. [2]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 41% of 32 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.6/10. [8] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [9]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Hunchback of Notre-Dame</i> 1831 novel by Victor Hugo

The Hunchback of Notre-Dame is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. The title refers to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, which features prominently throughout the novel. It focuses on the unfortunate story of Quasimodo, the Roma street dancer Esmeralda and Quasimodo's guardian the Archdeacon Claude Frollo in 15th-century Paris. All its elements—the Renaissance setting, impossible love affairs and marginalized characters—make the work a model of the literary themes of Romanticism.

<i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (1996 film) American animated musical drama film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1996 American animated musical drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is loosely based on the 1831 novel of the same name by Victor Hugo. The film was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise and produced by Don Hahn, from a screenplay written by Tab Murphy, Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and the writing team of Bob Tzudiker and Noni White. Featuring the voices of Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Tony Jay, and Kevin Kline, the film follows Quasimodo, the deformed and confined bell-ringer of Notre Dame, and his yearning to explore the outside world and be accepted by society, against the wishes of his cruel, puritanical foster father Claude Frollo, who also wants to exterminate Paris' Roma population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quasimodo</span> Character in The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

Quasimodo is a fictional character and the titular character of the novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (1831) by Victor Hugo. Quasimodo was born with a hunchback alongside several facial deformities and feared by the townspeople as a sort of monster, but he finds sanctuary in an unlikely love that is fulfilled only in death.

Clopin Trouillefou is a fictional character first created in the 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by French author Victor Hugo, and subsequently adapted.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Broken Lizard</span> American comedy troupe

Broken Lizard is an American comedy troupe that comprises Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. They collaborate on the screen-writing, acting and productions of their films, with Chandrasekhar and Heffernan being the primary directors; the team however does not have any single leader and they work collaboratively when choosing material and writing projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Gringore</span> French poet and playwright

Pierre Gringore was a popular French poet and playwright.

Jayanth Jambulingam Chandrasekhar is an American comedian, film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is best known for his work with the sketch comedy group Broken Lizard and for directing and starring in the Broken Lizard films Super Troopers, Club Dread, Beerfest and Super Troopers 2. Since 2001, he has also worked frequently as a television director on many episodes of Community and The Goldbergs, among dozens of comedy series. He has also occasionally worked as a film director outside of Broken Lizard projects, most notably on the 2005 film The Dukes of Hazzard.

<i>Super Troopers</i> 2001 film by Jay Chandrasekhar

Super Troopers is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by and starring the Broken Lizard comedy group. Marisa Coughlan, Daniel von Bargen and Brian Cox co-star while Lynda Carter has a cameo appearance. In total, Fox Searchlight paid $3.25 million for distribution rights of the film and it grossed $23 million at the box office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Heffernan (actor)</span> American actor and comedian

Kevin Heffernan is an American actor, writer, producer, and director, and member of the Broken Lizard comedy group.

<i>Puddle Cruiser</i> 1996 American film

Puddle Cruiser is a 1996 American comedy film, the first full-length film created by the Broken Lizard comedy group. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The movie was filmed entirely on the campus of Colgate University, the alma mater of all five members of the comedy quintet. It was released on DVD in December 2005; the disc also features a 17-minute documentary called Rodeo Clowns on the marketing of Puddle Cruiser and Super Troopers with free previews on college campuses and using specially-painted tour buses. The extras and actors are almost entirely friends, family and other alumni, due to the very tight budget of the film. The film is repeatedly shown on Comedy Central.

<i>The Hunchback of Notre Dame</i> (1956 film) 1956 Italy/France film

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is a 1956 French-Italian CinemaScope film version of Victor Hugo's 1831 novel, directed by Jean Delannoy and produced by Raymond Hakim and Robert Hakim. It stars American actor Anthony Quinn and Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida. The film is the first version of the novel to be made in color.

<i>Club Dread</i> 2004 film by Jay Chandrasekhar

Club Dread is a 2004 comedy slasher film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by and starring the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolhanske, Brittany Daniel, and Bill Paxton. The film follows a group of staff members on a tropical island resort, where an unknown killer begins a murder spree.

<i>Beerfest</i> 2006 comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar

Beerfest is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and written by the comedy group Broken Lizard, who also star in the film alongside Nat Faxon, Will Forte, Ralf Möller, Mo'Nique, Eric Christian Olsen, Jürgen Prochnow, Cloris Leachman, and Donald Sutherland. The film was theatrically released on August 25, 2006.

<i>Big Helium Dog</i> 1999 film

Big Helium Dog is a 1999 comedy film. It is produced by Kevin Smith's View Askew production company and also features the Broken Lizard comedy troupe in starring and supporting roles.

<i>Watching the Detectives</i> (film) 2007 film by Paul Soter

Watching the Detectives is a 2007 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Paul Soter. The film stars Cillian Murphy as the film geek owner of an independent video rental store whose life is turned upside down when a femme fatale comes into his life.

<i>The Hunchback</i> (1997 film) 1997 television film by Peter Medak

The Hunchback is a 1997 made-for-television romantic drama film based on Victor Hugo's iconic 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, directed by Peter Medak and produced by Stephane Reichel. It stars Richard Harris as Claude Frollo, Salma Hayek as Esmeralda and Mandy Patinkin as Quasimodo, the titular hunchback of Notre Dame. The film premiered on March 16, 1997 on TNT.

<i>The Slammin Salmon</i> 2009 American film

The Slammin' Salmon is a 2009 American comedy film by the comedy troupe Broken Lizard. It is about the owner of a restaurant who holds a contest to see which one of his waiters can earn the most money in a single night. The winner receives $10,000, and the loser receives a "beat down" by the owner, Cleon Salmon, a former heavyweight boxer. Kevin Heffernan directed the film, his first time for a Broken Lizard film.

<i>Freeloaders</i> (film) 2012 American film

Freeloaders is a 2012 American ensemble comedy film directed by Dan Rosen, and written by Rosen and singer Dave Gibbs. The film is produced by the Broken Lizard comedy troupe and is independently financed. Freeloaders stars Clifton Collins Jr., Josh Lawson, Kevin Sussman, Zoe Boyle, Nat Faxon, Warren Hutcherson, Jane Seymour, Olivia Munn, Dave Foley, and Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz. It follows a group of friends who find their luxurious lifestyle threatened when the rock star they freeload off decides to sell his home.

<i>Super Troopers 2</i> 2018 American film

Super Troopers 2 is a 2018 American comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar. A sequel to the 2001 film Super Troopers, the film was written by and stars the Broken Lizard comedy team, made up of Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske. The plot follows the Super Troopers being called upon to set up a new Highway Patrol station when an international border dispute arises between the United States and Canada.

"A Guy Like You" is a song from Disney's 1996 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It is performed by the three gargoyles as they try to console Quasimodo. The song was also featured in the German stage musical version, but was replaced with "Flight into Egypt" for the North American stage production.

References

  1. 1 2 Donnelly, Matt (November 3, 2021). "'Super Troopers' Team Sets Hunchback of Notre Dame Satire 'Quasi' at Searchlight". Variety . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 Kroll, Justin (November 3, 2021). "Broken Lizard Starts Production On 'Quasi', A New Satirical Take On The 'Hunchback Of Notre Dame' Story". Deadline Hollywood . Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Pandya, Hershal (March 21, 2023). "In the Quasi Trailer, the Super Troopers Gang Gets Medieval". Vulture. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  4. ↑ @HeffernanRules (November 3, 2021). "We're shooting a new movie! @QuasiMovie @brokenlizard The Gang is back together. Coming ur way soon!" (Tweet). Retrieved January 11, 2023– via Twitter.
  5. ↑ King, Aidan (November 3, 2021). "Broken Lizard Tackking 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' With 'Quasi' Satire". Collider . Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Happy 420! The Broken Lizards have wrapped Quasi. Rolling out soon". Twitter . Broken Lizard. April 20, 2022. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  7. ↑ Tinoco, Armando (November 12, 2022). "Broken Lizard's 'Quasi' Gets Release Date For Satirical Take On 'The Hunchback Of Notre Dame'". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 25, 2022. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Quasi". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved April 25, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Quasi". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved April 25, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.