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OUT COLD

[Out Cold] This screwball lampoon follows in the path of Animal House and Porky's; it doesn't reach the heights of those trailblazers, but it makes a brisk run despite some slippery patches. Rick (Jason London of Dazed and Confused), Luke (Zach Galifianakis), and Pig Pen (Derek Hamilton) are stoner snowboard geeks who work at a family-run ski resort in nowhere Alaska. The owner of the mountain tries to prevent hotshot tycoon (a campy Lee Majors, a/k/a the Six Million Dollar Man) from developing the area into an upscale yuppie haven, and the trio of snowboarders get caught up in the conflict, summoning up their finest sophomoric antics (sexcapades and snowboarding moons) to fight the evil conglomerate.

Directed by the brothers Brendan and Emmett Malloy, the film holds together thanks to Rick's pursuit of two reluctant cuties, but what gives it zip are the hammy high jinks, from the scantily clad ski bunnies stranded in a gondola to the souped-up GTO equipped with a snowplow to the sexually gratifying hot-tub jet. The dialogue and acting, however, come off like a novice dropped onto the mogul slope. Wang Chung and Weezer, both on the soundtrack and as plot elements, are a plus, and make sure you catch the snowboarding stunts/wipe-outs in the end credits. At the Apple Valley, Campus, Entertainment, Flagship, Hoyts Providence 16, Opera House, Showcase, and Tri-Boro cinemas.

By Tom Meek

Issue Date: November 30 - December 6, 2001