A Lemme/Heffernan show is a hybrid. The stand-up portion consists of Lemme and Heffernan performing separate sets, finding humor in the more profane aspects of family life. There’s an audience interaction phase where they invite people onstage, and a storytelling section, where both men appear together to talk about the films.
“Fans usually want to hear about the behind-the-scenes stuff,” Heffernan said. “You’ll hear a lot about ‘Beerfest’ (2006). A demand for ‘Club Dread’ (2004) has been increasing, which is interesting because that was one of our most misunderstood movies. Of course, you’ll hear a lot about ‘Super Troopers,’ and ‘Super Troopers 2.’ There’s a pretty, um, significant scene between me and Steve.” (We won’t spoil it, but suffice it to say it involves some “moustache love.”)
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Given the ultimate popularity of “Super Troopers,” it might be surprising that 17 years would pass before a sequel was released. According to Lemme and Heffernan, several factors contributed to the delay.
“We wanted to different things after ‘Super Troopers,’ like ‘Club Dread,’” which was a big genre shift,” Heffernan said. “Then there were legal issues. The first movie got audited. Then, when we finally dove back into it, the studio process was tough.”
Broken Lizard ultimately turned to crowdfunding to finance “Super Troopers 2.” As with the first “Austin Powers” movie, “Super Troopers” got big on home video after a lackluster theatrical run. So why would studios pass on a sequel to what was ultimately a very popular film? Short-sightedness and a changing industry seem to be the culprits.
“When the first movie came out, the DVD market was huge,” Lemme said. “Now it’s all streaming, and I guess they haven’t figured out how to monetize that. So they just looked at the box office receipts of the original.”
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Unsurprisingly, “Super Troopers” was huge with actual cops.
“They always tell us that we really captured the essence of what they do when they’re bored,” Lemme said.
Another reason is it was the rare Hollywood comedy that portrayed police as the merry pranksters instead of the buzzkills that were always putting the pranksters in jail. For the live show, this has led to some interesting unintended consequences.
“You’ll see lots of cops and stoners sitting together at our shows,” Lemme said. “’Super Troopers’ really appealed to a broad audience.”
WANT TO GO?
What: Steve Lemme and Kevin Heffernan
Where: Bogart's, 2621 Vine St., Cincinnati
When: Jan. 26, 7 p.m.
Cost: $25-$30
More Info: 513-872-8801 or visit www.bogarts.com
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