Snowboards, Beer, and Casablanca

Snowboards, Beer and Casablanca

Widely underrated by critics, Out Cold combines X-Games style snowboarding and

sexual comedy with classic romance.

Set in a small ski town in Alaska known as Bull Mountain (which was actually filmed in British Columbia) Out Cold takes us into the lives of a group of tokin’ ski bum locals who’s town and way of life are put in jeopardy when the owner of the mountain decides to sell it to John Majors (Lee Majors, tv’s Six Million Dollar Man). The gang is distressed by the fear of change, liking the mountain the way it is. They are rallied together by our main character Rick Rambis (Jason London) who offers the suggestion that Majors might bring this town what it really need, “Hot frickin’ chicks.” The town begins to be taken over by yuppies and the streets flow with late. Unhappy with the changes and after hearing that Majors has fired all of his friends, Rick devises a plan to stop Majors by causing havoc during the unveiling of the new resort to his investors.

Out Cold has the classic romantic story, boy meets girl, girl has fiancй, boy tries to win over girl. Almost all the romantic plot in this move is in tribute to Casablanca, even the main character’s name is Rick. Rick meets the girl of his dreams, Anna, while vacationing in, what he describes as “the most beautiful, romantic place on earth, Cancun Mexico”, and then is stood up, never to see her again. Heartbroken, Rick is just beginning to get over her when she turns up in his bar as Mr. Majors Daughter. “Out of all the bars in all the ski towns in Alaska, why did she have to come to this one?” Not wanting to lose her again he vows to get her back, there is just one problem, her fiancй (Barry). Regardless he pursues her, figuring he will just tell her fiancй how he feels, or just kick his ass. His plan falls through when Barry rolls into town in a wheelchair, unwilling to beat up a crippled guy he concedes defeat and lets her go saying “We’ll always have Pedro O’Horney’s” (the bar where they met in Cancun) in a classic ending where she fly’s off with her fiancй.

Directors Emmett and Brendan Malloy employed a delightfully funny cast that bring you into their little ski town and make you feel like they could really be your friends. Luke (Zach Galifianakis, a stand up comedian) provides most of the physical comedy from getting his “little Elvis” stuck in a hot tub jet to getting pranks pulled on him by his dumb-as-a-brick brother Pig Pen (Derek Hamilton), like getting duct taped to a mechanical bull when he passes out from drinking. There is also their black friend Anthony (Flex Alexander), who can’t make it down the mountain without wiping