Hey gang, Valkor here. One of my favorite film series that I'll
always fall back on whenever I need a chill moment mixed in with
some laughs is “The Hangover” series; their shenanigans, for me,
never gets old and it's the perfect bro-comedy. And then I fell
onto this latest film – Bordering on Bad Behavior; I didn’t expect
it to be a bro-film and it's certainly not an over-the-top comedy
as The Hangover, but it’s still pretty awesome in its own right.
Bordering on Bad Behavior finds three men of three different backgrounds, trapped in a room for six hours with no way out until the six-hour time cycle completes. And for one of them, time is seriously running out. First up we have Lebanese Baz (Bernard Curry), who gets most of the focus in the film. Baz was out doing border patrol on the Lebanese/Israel border with his cousin when he inadvertently walks into a top secret Israeli complex manned by an American named Bob (Tom Sizemore) and an Israeli Special Ops named Ari (Oz Zehavi). Things get pretty intense in the beginning – especially between Ari and Baz, who for obvious reasons, don’t care for one another. But when the culture clash settles, they start to realize that the fighting between one another is all for naught and that no matter the race, religion, country whatever… it's all about peace and brotherly love. And the three push through whatever hatred or objections they have for another, to come together to enjoy a good smoke, good drink, good eats and good times - weed, beer and meat are all we need to bring us together! But we can’t forget that for Baz, time really is closing in on him fast. And just how he’ll get out of this tight squeeze? You’ll have to watch to find out.
From the box art, I was expecting something entirely different from what I ultimately wound up watching; I thought "Bordering on Bad Behavior" would be more of a dramatical, emotional tour de force, where tempers flared throughout the entire film with either a resolution of agreeing to disagree and/or someone (or everyone) winding up dead. But that doesn’t happen, which is something totally unexpected and yet I can appreciate it. And I’ll tell you why in the TOV Breakdown.
The Good:
I fucking loved this film! Bordering on Bad Behavior is a comedy that takes a deep, yet lighthearted look at the issues in the Middle East as well as points a finger at a lot of American stereotypes. However it dispatches the discussion straight away to just a bunch of bros who make the best of their predicament, poke fun at one another and come to an agreeable resolution to set aside their differences and do what bros do best – eat, drink and be merry. And the one moment when you think shit’s about to get serious and intense (the Texas roulette scene), it turns playful straight away. The story does a fine job of mixing loads of fun with emotion as we progress and see where each character has come from and where the future will take them. For instance, Bob is Christian yet he's in love with a Muslim; this weighs heavy with the character as he fears rejection from his church, yet he doesn’t care because he wants to be the perfect husband. Respect, my brother! And just because there’s loads of drinking and smoking, the film doesn’t get too goofy or over the top, yet it also doesn’t get too serious. The acting is on the money as the three actors play well off one another producing rock solid performances, with each character getting their moment to shine, which produces a fine chemistry between the three. I went into Bordering on Bad Behavior expecting something deep and thought-provoking. And while the film takes a look into the lives, history and stereotypes of our major players, it ultimately turns into a fun and entertaining little comedy that can’t and shouldn’t be missed.
The Bad:
I don’t care for the box art all that much.
The Ugly:
N/A
The Funny:
Baz walks over to Ari, who is stretched out on a counter and says “that boy just marinated the brisket”. I don’t know why, but I LOL’d!
Bordering on Bad Behavior is a film that teaches us that we need to set aside our differences and just embrace and enjoy life - no matter where we come from. Though the discussions contained within might set some people off, if you can look past the commentary, you’ll find a film that to me was unexpectedly loads of fun and highly entertaining. And out of TOV 5 stars, Bordering on Bad Behavior gets a TOV perfect 5 stars and stands to be one of my favorite films of 2015.
