No Sleep Til Madison (2002)
Directed by David Fleer, Erik Moe, Peter Rudy
Written by Erik Moe, Peter Rudy
Starring T.J Jagadowsky, Jim Gaffigan, Ian Brennan
Release Date April 4th, 2002
Published November 16th, 2003
Ever since graduating high school, Owen Fenby (Jim Gaffigan) has organized a vacation for him and his three closest friends. No matter where they are or what they are doing, the guys drop everything to go to the Wisconsin High School Hockey Tournament. However, after some 13 or so years, the guy’s lives are beginning to get in the way.
Dave (Ian Brennen) is married and just had his first child with his wife Beth who is constantly worried about the baby. Tommy (Michael Gilio) has taken over his family trucking business but is terrified of having left it in the hands of incompetent underlings. And finally Vern (Jed Resnick), who seems to have the same passion for the trip as Owen but has health problems from years of acting like a kid.
Also joining the gang is a high school kid named Greg who tags along to record the trip. The plan is simple: travel across Wisconsin following the best high school hockey teams on the way to the championship game in Madison. Of course, nothing goes as planned as one by one the guys are pulled back to their everyday problems.
Only Owen, whose girlfriend broke up with him over his using her money to purchase a van for the trip, seems committed to getting to Madison. More importantly, he’s trying to keep his friends from growing apart. Owen's misguided and often childish sniping at his friends over their inability to commit to the trip make up the thrust of the plot.
Written and Directed by David Fleer, Peter Rudy and Eric Moe, Madison is a charming little comedy with some delightfully goofy performances and a central theme that really hits home with those in the audience who have fought growing up only to find themselves at thirty with a real life. Friends grow up and often grow apart, other concerns like family and jobs enter the picture. Think for a moment, how many of your friends from high school are you still close to and how many do you wish you still kept in touch with? My guess is there are more people you wished you kept in touch than actually do but that's life.
Jim Gaffigan is a comedian-by-trade and that does show from time to time. However he makes Owen's desperate attempts to hold the trip and his friendships together genuinely sweet. At times, the performance is a little whiny and over the top, but regardless, Gaffigan provides the biggest laughs of the film with his willingness to be the butt of the joke.
Ian Brennen as Dave is the film’s real star. Brennen's affable, everyman performance balances Gaffigan's wackiness and raises the film to a more realistic level. His commitment to a wife who is portrayed as somewhat of a harridan is very sweet and realistic. Brennen has that terrific quality that few actors have, he looks and seems like someone you know or would want to know in real life.
As much as I enjoyed No Sleep ‘Til Madison I was more than a little surprised at the amazing reaction the film got at the film festival. As the film neared its conclusion people cheered and when the film was over the audience stood and cheered. The film went on to win the award for Best Comedy.
I liked No Sleep ‘Til Madison and found it to be consistently funny but a standing ovation seemed a little much. Still, this is a good movie and a good way to throw away a Friday night, especially if you’re a hockey fan.
