Puddle Cruiser (1996)

Director:

Jay Chandrasekhar

Writers:

Jay Chandrasekhar (written by)
Kevin Heffernan (written by)
(more)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

A student falls in love with a fellow student who is defending his buddies in university court. He "proves his love" (more like his masculinity) to her by playing rugby against her ex-boyfriend.

Plot Keywords:

Sketch Comedy | Comedy Troupe | Monty Python | Independent Film

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jay Chandrasekhar	...	Zach
Kevin Heffernan	...	Grogan
Steve Lemme	...	Felix Bean
Paul Soter	...	Matt
Erik Stolhanske	...	Freaky Reaky
Zach Chapman	...	Greg / WCOB Deejay
Alison Bower	...	Emily (as Alison Clapp)
Kayren Butler	...	Suzanne
Arik Treston	...	Bailiff (as Arik Ben Treston)
Jamison Selby	...	Traci Shannon
Charles Lloyd	...	Officer Reese
Leanne Cummings	...	Woman Jogger
Sally Brackett	...	Cup Dropper
James P.Q. Sperber	...	Pasta Fagioli
Patrick R. Heffernan	...	Lamb Chop / Rugby Player #4
Michael Yurchak	...	Waiter
David A. Puner	...	Math Guy
Susan Clarke	...	Rois Rane
Charlene English	...	Superperson
Francesca Olivieri	...	Rimmy Rolson
Laura Satzman	...	Sara
Laura Arieh	...	Jennifer Montgomery
Mia Persson	...	Marjorie Fontaine
Jay Ward	...	Poet
Laura Losada	...	Open Mic Emcee
Jane Heffernan	...	Cafeteria Marjorie
Reid Freeman	...	50's Guy
Kaitlyn E. Lynch	...	Julie
The Bitter Poet	...	Prosecutor
Philip X. Chapman	...	Dean Hedgepeth
Michael Heffernan	...	Alternate Lawyer
John Coen	...	Jug Bartender
Dan Fey	...	Rugby Player #1
Ernie Enzien	...	Rugby Player #2
Tim Bluto	...	Rugby Player #3
Ted Griffin	...	Rick Johnson
Mark Alter	...	Dominco
John Ardolino	...	Dan Fey
Melanie Skehar	...	Ursula (as Melanya Skehar)
Rick Johnson	...	Peck Rugby Coach
Tom Dubreuil	...	Referee
Dusty Brown	...	Officer #1
Michael Lamb	...	Officer #2
K.C. Stewart	...	Officer #3
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Phil Haney	...	Rugby Fan (uncredited)

Directed by
Jay Chandrasekhar

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jay Chandrasekhar		written by (as Broken Lizard)
Kevin Heffernan		written by (as Broken Lizard)
Steve Lemme		written by (as Broken Lizard)
Paul Soter		written by (as Broken Lizard)
Erik Stolhanske		written by (as Broken Lizard)

Produced by
Jay Chandrasekhar	....	co-producer
Brian Cogan	....	line producer
Kevin Heffernan	....	co-producer
Gregory A. Jennings	....	co-producer
Gregory A. Jennings	....	line producer
Richard Perello	....	line producer
Richard Perello	....	producer
Kelley Feldsott Reynolds	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Jim Kremens

Cinematography by
Tony Foresta

Film Editing by
Jay Chandrasekhar
Kevin Heffernan

Production Design by
Suzanne Slomin

Costume Design by
Leanne Cummings

Makeup Department
Shannon Buettow	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Gregory A. Jennings	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Scott Ambrozy	....	first assistant director
Sally Brackett	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Joshua J. Harding	....	assistant to production designer
Gena Konstantinakos	....	props
Brian Twomey	....	property master (as Brian '9 Fingers' Twomey)

Sound Department
David Alvarez	....	sound designer
David Alvarez	....	sound mixer
John D'Aquino	....	sound editor
Corina Dennison	....	foley recordist
Fredrick Helm	....	foley artist (as Fred Helm)
Michael Jordan	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tristan Lawrence	....	production assistant: sound
John Salk	....	dialogue editor
Karl Wasserman	....	boom operator (as Karl G.E. Wasserman)

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Barocci	....	assistant camera
Salvatore Carolei	....	key grip
Nancy K. Crowell	....	assistant camera
Tony Foresta	....	Steadicam operator
Patrick R. Heffernan	....	grip
Patrick R. Heffernan	....	key grip: second unit
Jendra Jarnagin	....	grip (as Jendra Robinson)
Michael Krainak	....	grip
Kevin O. Kuchinski	....	grip
Laura Losada	....	still photographer
Joseph Matina	....	gaffer
Andy S. Montejo	....	Steadicam assistant
David A. Puner	....	camera production assistant
James P.Q. Sperber	....	videographer
Brian Twomey	....	camera production assistant
Brian Twomey	....	vtr operator
Christopher Walsh	....	camera production assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Laura Satzman	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Nick Dibeneditto	....	negative cutter
Stephane Zerbib	....	post-production consultant

Music Department
Robert Barocci	....	music supervisor (as Roberto Barocci)
Andrew G. McCormick	....	music legal services

Other crew
Shane Bogardus	....	production assistant
Paul Brennan	....	legal services
Drew B. Catlin	....	production assistant
Reid Freeman	....	production assistant
Michael Heffernan	....	location manager
Cara Hill	....	script supervisor (as Cara Hill)
Jesse Johnston	....	production coordinator (as Jesse H. Johnston)
Karen Lamb	....	assistant to chef
Travis Leach	....	production assistant
Joanne Lloyd	....	chef
Kaitlyn E. Lynch	....	craft service
Kaitlyn E. Lynch	....	production coordinator
Bob Manger	....	accountant
Katie Matteson	....	assistant to chef
Levent Ozgur	....	production assistant
Jodi Peikoff	....	legal services
John Sloss	....	legal services
Paul Soter	....	edit perusal monkey
Vignesh Swaminathan	....	production assistant
Arik Treston	....	production assistant (as Arik Ben Treston)
Michael Yurchak	....	boy servant: Laura

Production Companies

• Broken Lizard Industries
• Cataland Films

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
• Oasis International (worldwide rights)

Other Companies

• Chromavision and Katina  dubs
• Cyclops Pictures & Sound  picture editing
• Cyclops Pictures & Sound  sound post-production
• Cynosure Visuals  titles and opticals
• N&D Film and Video  negative cutting
• Sloss Law Office  legal services

MPAA:

Rated R for language, sexual content and brief drug use

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Colgate University, Hamilton, New York, USA

Company:

Broken Lizard Industries

Trivia:

The cafeteria woman who answers the phone while Zach is trying to get in touch with the girl is actually Kevin Heffernan's mother. The man who plays the character of Pork Chop and one of the Rugby players is his brother.

Quotes:

Julie:Is Matt okay?
Grogan:He looks pretty good to me.
Julie:Well, does he have a girlfriend?
Grogan:No, no, no.
Julie:Cool.
Grogan:No girlfriend. He's too loyal.
Julie:What do you mean?
Grogan:Well, I think he's still married... Actually, I don't know if he's legally married. See he spent last summer in Natchez, Mississippi. Had a thing with a 12-year-old. I shouldn't be talking about this.
Julie:Twelve?
Grogan:See, they got married, and the cops found out, and, well, you know cops. That kinda ended it. They still write, though. Well, he writes. She's still learnin'. Ah, it's no big deal, you know, it's over. He's not allowed into Mississippi anymore, and she wanted to raise the kid there, and, uh, between you and me, I think that's for the best.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (1977)

Comedy About College Done Right . . . Pretty Much

"Puddle Cruiser" is a very funny movie, and it surprised me how good it was when I saw it. I saw the movie recently after seeing Broken Lizards other three more recent and more popular movies. There was the hilarious "Super Troopers" (2001), the not-quite-as-funny follow-up "Club Dread"(2004), and the redeemingly funny "Beerfest" (2006).

One of my friends had a DVD copy of "Puddle Cruiser" which had the cover art stating "From the guys who brought you 'Super Troopers'". I read the description on the back and thought that because this movie takes place on a college campus, it could be either really good, or really bad.

One problem with movie comedies that take place in college is that it seems as though the movie makers want to make another "Animal House". Hence, they inundate the movie with binge drinking, dumb frat guys with no apparent study habits or visible means of income, bikini-clad girls with similar ambitions, and the tired misconception that college is one big 24-hour orgy. Mind you "Animal House" was a great movie, and one of the Top 10 best comedies of the last 50 years. However, when other filmmakers try to top the "Animal House" antics with outrageous stunts, they forget one main ingredient: actual genuine humor.

Fortunately, to Broken Lizard's credit, they made here a smart college movie with absolutely no ambition to be the next "Animal House". They made a college comedy on their own terms, and the results are surprisingly good.

The characters in the film are well developed and often times appealing, even when they're dislikeable (the character of Traci Shannon comes particularly to mind here). They're also memorable with a slew of unforgettable lines. My personal favorite characters include Freaky Reaky (Erik Stolhanske), the mailroom worker who talks like a late night DJ, and Emily (Alison Clapp), the hottie's best friend who really sells each scene she's in. It's surprising that this movie is Clapp's only movie credit to date. All the performances are relatively consistent, and that's rare for a movie made by first timers.

The scene at the end is probably the best, when the big rugby match is about to be played. Not only does it start out very funny with a scene that deliberately spoofs "Spartacus" (1960), but the game commences in a very unpredictable way. It still has me laughing weeks after seeing it.

What differentiates this film from "Super Troopers" is the fact that the humor is very deadpan. There isn't as many visual gags, nor is there as much swearing, as in Broken Lizard's breakthrough cult hit. It also seems as though each member of Broken Lizard takes turns in each movie playing the straight man and the funny man. The character Steve Lemme plays in "Puddle Cruiser" is mild mannered, likable, and slightly naive, far different from the slightly dumb risk taker he later played in "Super Troopers". I could go on forever with comparisons between the two movies, but the films should really be watched side by side because they are funny differently, but equally.

Regardless of whether you've seen "Super Troopers" already, this film is worth checking out. I'm not sure its cult status, but it deserves to be recognized for the incredibly funny movie it is. I highly recommend it.