Movie Review: Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day (2009) seen in theatres and on DVD

Comedy: not recommended for young children; coarse language, violence, nudity, sexuality, drug use

Everyone’s favourite foul mouthed trio from Sunnyvale Trailer Park returns for their second film based on the tv series which sees Ricky, Julian and Bubbles attempt to raise money for Bubbles cats to be released from the SPCA after Mr. Lahey has them brought there. They will attempt to achieve this by any illegal means necessary.

Anyone who has seen the tv show of the same name will recognize the format in which things are done…..episodes will usually open with them being released from jail only to find themselves in many crimes which more often than not land at least one of the three, (mostly Ricky,) in jail by the end of the episode despite the three of them saying they are done with crime and will never return to jail. This movie is based on that formula with Ricky and Julian first opening up an illegal mechanic shop. After not having any customers for the first day, they decide to steal a police van and rob a bank while disguised as security guards to arouse the least suspicion. However, in true TPB fashion, their plans are in danger of being thwarted by the drunk and sometimes power hungry trailer park supervisor Mr. Lahey and his assistant Randy, though in this movie, their relationship is severely tested due to Lahey stating that he is done with liquor only to be caught by Randy drinking it again. For most of this movie, Randy is seen to have moved on From Lahey and even shows solidarity to the boys in their efforts to help Bubbles get back his furry friends. Along the way, Bubbles encounters his first love interest, the veterinary assistant named Jenny who allows Bubbles to see the cats once the vet has closed and they smoke a joint. However, it’s not clear as to whether or not they start dating as this is never addressed by the end of the film. Like many episodes of the tv show, the trio end up in jail again where Jenny has struck an agreement with the prison guards to allow Bubbles cats to be delivered to him while he is in jail.

Trivia: This is the first movie blog that I’ve done about Trailer Park Boys, though it is not the first movie of theirs I have seen. I’ve also seen the first one titled “Trailer Park Boys: The movie,” (2006) and “Trailer Park Boys: Don’t Legalize it.” (2014)

Something that I feel is different from the tv show as opposed to the movie is the fact that Ricky doesn’t swear as much in the movie as he does in the tv show. Also, in the show, Bubbles is the only one out of the trio who has never been shown to have had a love interest other than his cats and Ricky and Julian who he calls his family. This movie is the first instance of Bubbles having found a potential love interest.

There also appears to be more instances of the boys getting away with their pranks towards Lahey and Randy in the movie as opposed to the show. In multiple scenes throughout this film, the door to Lahey and Randy’s trailer get torn off. Ricky also succeeds in shaving Randy’s head bald after he left Bubbles with a bald spot during an altercation early on in the film. In the show, most times when the boys fight with Lahey and Randy, the police are called where the boys must find a way to outsmart them.

This movie should be recommended to anyone who was a fan of the original tv show like I was and still am to this day.

However, due to Ricky’s lack of use of profanity throughout the movie, (which in my mind is what makes his character great,) I will have to knock off a rating from what would be a perfect score otherwise.

Movie rating 9 out of 10