You’ve heard of Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame, the actor Brian Cox announces at the start of “Quasi,” but you haven’t heard this version. And maybe you shouldn’t — unless, that is, you’re in a certain state of mind at a certain time of night. In “Quasi,” the latest film from the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, the disfigured peasant from the famed Victor Hugo novel is working in medieval torture chambers when he’s suddenly thrust into a web of murderous royal intrigue.
After the queen of France (Adrianne Palicki) takes a liking to Quasi, he finds himself at a dinner with the obnoxious king (Jay Chandrasekhar), who asks him to assassinate the pope (Paul Soter), a longtime rival. During the attempt, though, the pope asks Quasi to kill the king, leaving the hunchback in a bind.
The high-stakes political affair takes place with the goofy, lighthearted energy you’d expect from the comedy group behind “Super Troopers” and “Beerfest” (“Quasi” is directed by Kevin Heffernan, who stars in the film alongside the rest of the Broken Lizard troupe): It’s dumb fun that is at times entertaining, at times flat.
At the heart of this film is a thematic twist that would be at home in a Seth Rogen movie: a repressed bromance between Quasi and his “hut-mate,” Duchamp (Heffernan), both of whom refuse to admit they’re each other’s best friends. The parodic period-piece framework lends an added layer of whimsy and offbeat jokes to the Broken Lizard sensibility — though that is perhaps not enough to justify a film that can, at times, feel like a so-so sketch that didn’t warrant a feature. But you’ll most likely get a few laughs and mild enjoyment when you just surrender yourself to the inanity of it all.
Quasi
Rated R for language, some crude/sexual content and violence. Running time: 1 hour 34 minutes. Watch on Hulu.
