I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell

Tucker Max, author of I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell, made a lot of promises pertaining to his book being made into a film. He mentioned a possible Oscar nomination for his script, a huge success in the box office, and a firm anti-Hollywood film to please the masses. What was produced was a complete failure. I haven’t read the book, and despite the far from entertaining movie, still hope to get my hands on it after hearing a lot of good things. Seeing as the book is a bestseller, its possible the movie had the potential to bring in a reasonably large revenue. After seeing I Hope they Serve Beer in Hell it is easy to see why it only hit 1.4 million dollars in the box office so far and will not do much better.
The adapted film is based loosely off “The Austin Road Trip” chapter of the book which follows Tucker Max (Matt Czuchry), and his friends Drew (Jesse Bradford) and Dan (Geoff Stults) as they venture to a highly acclaimed strip club to celebrate Dan’s final days as a bachelor. Tucker talks Dan into lying to his fiancée by telling her they will go to a strip club near home when really they will travel three and a half hours to their true destination. Seeing as Dan has important obligations early the following day, the decision of Tucker to take Dan so far from home will undoubtedly lead to many problems.
Tucker’s narcissistic attributes quickly prove to be a hassle to Drew and Dan as he constantly lies to them and proves to be a very disloyal friend. At a time Dan needs Tucker’s friendship the most, Tucker is nowhere to be found. Dan lands himself in jail after an alcohol induced mishap while Tucker fulfills a long term goal and fantasy of hooking up with a circus stripper dwarf. The next morning Drew and Tucker go to the police station and find their bloodied, disgruntled friend. While eating at a diner Tucker reveals the true purpose of their trip; to shack up with the dwarf. Enraged to learn that Tucker made him lie to his fiancée because of his selfishness, Dan abandons his so-called friend and takes a bus home. Alas, Tucker is uninvited from Dan’s wedding and must find a way to set aside his narcissism and mend his friendship, which he does so in a typical Tucker Max way.
We are established in to the story after a graphic opening scene. Police officers on call raid a house that was suspected to have animals being tortured inside (because of awkward yells and moans coming from inside). What they find is a Tucker Max going at it with a deaf girl. The next day in class at college, Tucker tells his friend the story and insists that he finds the humor in the situation. Tucker’s friend is getting married and Tucker has decided that it is up to him to plan the bachelor party. This is the inciting incident.
The first plot point happens when Dan and Tucker finally convince Dan’s fiancée that the bachelor party is completely harmless. The harmlessness is lost when Tucker forces Dan to go to a far away strip club that his fiancée won’t know about. Now Dan is caught in a lie.
Deep into the night, and many drinks later, Dan is called on stage in the strip club so everyone can celebrate his bachelor’s night with him. Since he was so drunk, he accidently hits a stripper and falls off stage. Bouncers beat him up and kick him out, leaving him the streets. Dan finds a dumpster and pees on it right in front of a cop car. This is the second plot point, and now Dan is in jail with no way to get a hold of his fiancée or his friends.
Tucker finds Dan the next in the station and they travel back home. While at a diner, Dan learns that the whole reason Tucker wanted to go to a strip club that was three hours away was because he wanted to hook up with the stripper midget there. This enrages Dan and he opts to kick Tucker out of the wedding.
Tucker, who does not feel like what he did to Dan was a bad thing, must find a way to get his friendship back. He gives a heartfelt but slightly vulgar toast at Dan’s wedding and earns back his friendship. A ridiculously climaxed story for a ridiculously written screenplay...

Written by: Tucker Max and Nils Parker