It's safe to say that the comedy troupe Broken Lizard has a particular sense of humor. Whether you enjoy their feature films like Super Troopers or Club Dread or their current hit series Tacoma F.D., it's safe to assume that you'll like their whole body of work as well. They're crass, they're blunt, and more often than not, these two traits equate to some genuinely hilarious moments. Their upcoming film on Hulu, however, will take the group to a place they've never gone before. Broken Lizard is moving outside the North American continent into the heart of Europe -- right in the middle of the medieval ages.
Quasi is short for "quasimoto," the Hunchback of Notre Dame. Quasi will see our hunchbacked-hero question his loyalties and search for love in-between managing torture sessions in the king's dungeon. Just don't go into it expecting an authentic depiction of the medieval era. This is a Broken Lizard movie, after all. Until the film's eventual release on Hulu, this is everything we know about Quasi.
Quasi: The Plot
The official plot synopsis for Quasi provided by Hulu is as follows:
"A hapless hunchback yearns for love, but finds himself in the middle of a murderous feud between the Pope and the King of France when each orders the hunchback to kill each other."
A lot of what makes Broken Lizard films work isn't the plot itself. If anything, their stories often rely on tried-and-true plot progressions. Their movies typically rely on the "underdog" overcoming impossible odds through determination, sheer luck, or a mix of both. Beerfest did it in a riff on professional sports, and Super Troopers utilized a ragtag group of police officers. We can expect a similar setup in Quasi, albeit with Steve Lemme doing an awkward crab walk for most of it.
But if you enjoyed a movie like Super Troopers, chances are you care more about the jokes than anything else. Seeing as this is a brand-new setting for the comedy troupe, we can hopefully expect them to take full advantage of what it can offer in terms of jokes. After all, why make a comedy set in the medieval ages if it doesn't need to be? While a trailer obviously can't give away the best material, what it does showcase is a handful of decent jabs at some of the less appealing aspects of culture at the time: public executions and exorcisms, crude artworks depicting all kinds of vulgar material, and unflinching loyalty to the monarchy are all ripe for roasting. While the trailer for the film is censored, we're curious to see just how far Broken Lizard are willing to go with the creative freedoms that streaming offers.
The Pope himself will also play a prominent role in the plot. His arrival is preceded by "Pope Week," what we assume to be a hilariously blunt celebration of his role in society. Quasi wins a lottery to have a private meeting with the Pope himself, which is humorously ridiculed by the Pope and his entourage. While the king's involvement remains obscure, it'll be interesting to see if Quasi will ultimately side with one over the other or if he'll branch out of his own volition.
Quasi: The Cast
Being a Broken Lizard production, the comedy troupe will be predominantly featured in the film, with several members playing multiple roles. Our protagonist Quasi, for example, will be played by Steve Lemme, who also doubles as a court-jester character. Paul Soter will be playing the Pope, Erik Stolhanske will be playing a cardinal-type character, Jay Chandrasekhar will be playing the King of Europe, and Kevin Heffernan will serve as both an aide to the king and as one of Quasi's friends. The film was written by all five members of Broken Lizard, similar to their previous films. Heffernan will be directing, having directed The Slammin' Salmon and over a dozen episodes of Tacoma FD prior to Quasi.
Aside from Broken Lizard, you may recognize some names in the supporting cast, including the likes of: Michael Yurchak (Beerfest, Tacoma FD), Gabriel Hogan (Tacoma FD, Heartland), Maetrix Fitten (Hancock), Suzanne Gutierrez (Tacoma FD), Roman Mitichyan (Don't Look Up), and Adrianne Palicki (The Orville, Friday Night Lights).
Release Date
Quasi will be streaming exclusively on Hulu starting Apr. 20.
Quasi: Everything Else
Quasi comes nearly five years after Broken Lizard's latest feature film, Super Troopers 2. Whereas Super Troopers 2 was the product of a lengthy development cycle before eventually being crowdfunded into success, Quasi was presented directly to Searchlight Pictures and approved during the production of Super Troopers 3.
According to Vulture, Quasi is directly inspired by the works of Monty Python, specifically Monty Python and the Holy Grail. The decision for each cast member to play multiple characters stems from this as well. So while we won't see clacking coconuts or a limbless black knight, we'll likely see the British comedy group's influence on the film's structure and pacing.