Collegiate Times

It was a trap.

Before premiering the movie adaptation of his book, "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell," Tucker Max asked audience members at the Lyric to share their embarrassing stories this past Thursday.

For those who grabbed the mic hoping to impress Max with their own stories of debauchery and raunchiness, all they received in return was a shower of verbal acid rain. Max deflected their comedic attempts and launched a barrage of crushing insults. No one escaped his relentless pride-bashing, not even his own crew members.

Max asked one if he had gotten a haircut.

"You look like Calvin," he said. "Like, where's Hobbes?"

Also present in the crowd were Howdy Doody, Shrek, Grover, Doogie Howser, Gwen Stefani, Billy Mays and John McCain.

Some managed to take the abuse in stride while others returned to their corners visibly shaken. The defeated might claim sucker punches, but how could you not enter the venue without your dukes up? If anything, Max simply affirmed what is suggested in every word of his writing: He is an asshole, albeit a self-aware one.

That's why a large group of people, including myself, was drawn to his book. We could abandon our finely-tuned moral compasses for a brief diversion of Tucker Max shock value. His wild memoirs contain no remorse. There is no lesson learned.

And that's what I suppose viewers thought they'd see transposed onto the big screen. Yet, what they saw was - yuck - romance and - gasp - morals. Granted, these were tangents off the expected grotesque humor and imagery.

The movie version of Tucker Max, played by Matt Czuchry, has two close friends: Drew and Dan, portrayed by Jesse Bradford and Geoff Stults respectively.

Dan is a well-groomed, socially humane guy who is happily engaged. With the wedding rapidly approaching, Max wants to bid his friend farewell with a bachelor party.

The celebration serves another purpose as Drew is struggling with a recent breakup. He walked in on his girlfriend pleasuring a talentless rapper played by Paul Wall. Since the event, Drew has been a recluse. He is a contradiction of self-deprecation while shouldering a complete hatred for all other beings, mostly females. The viewer meets him in a dungeon-dark room where he's playing Halo with specially modified controllers and headgear that allows him to trash talk his opponents. Max is forced to wrangle him out of his hole.

The trio drives hours away to a notable strip club, Dan having lied to his fiancee about their destination.

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