Easily one of the most joyous and hilarious films of the festival so far is Chop & Steele, the sweet-natured tale of two merry pranksters whose tomfoolery as guests on a variety of morning shows landed them in legal hot water. You’ve probably seen one of their many characters in a series of now viral videos. There’s K-Strass the Yo-Yo Master, a soft-spoken “award-winning” yo-yo enthusiast who isn’t actually very good at his chosen vocation; Chef Keith, the leftovers specialist whose “fun” culinary creations would never pass muster on the Food Network; and there’s Chop & Steele, the duo of strongmen who aren’t very strong, and who are at the center of the main conflict of the film.
All of these characters were created by Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher, lifelong friends, comedians, and film archivists. Their archive, however, is not obscure French New Wave or Pre-Code romances, but rather any and all old VHS tapes with weird shit on them. Workout videos, McDonald’s training tapes, even a “where do babies come from” educational cartoon narrated by Howie Mandel. Nick and Joe raid thrift shops and yard sales for such obscurities and exhibit their discoveries as part of their very own touring show, The Found Footage Festival.
Along the way they discovered, via a shared hatred for appearing on morning TV as promotion of their show, that the “journalists” who book these shows do very little by way of preparation, which provides a perfect opportunity for this comedic duo to have a little fun. But when a large media conglomerate takes issue with having been lampooned on a national stage, an utterly ridiculous lawsuit is filed, leaving the brains behind Chop & Steele scrambling to stay out of bankruptcy without selling out their artistic chops.
The film tells the story of their friendship, their business partnership, and their unwavering commitment to the bit, while navigating legal waters way out of their depth (and ultimately, a revenue-killing pandemic). Nick and Joe are easy to root for, showing commendable courage every step of the way. What starts as a showcase of their many comedic efforts, all of which are hilarious, soon becomes a warm deconstruction of friendship, maturity, and the medicinal nature of comedy.
A roster of surprising talking heads are on hand to discuss every step of this journey, including one celebrity name that is best kept a surprise, but I will say this: he’s there to commend the boys for turning what could’ve been a big sellout move into one of the greatest “fuck the establishment” moves in the history of large scale pranks.
Directed by Berndt Mader, Ben Steinbauer
Written by Alex Mackenzie
Starring Joe Pickett, Nick Prueher, and Joe’s infinitely patient wife
Not Rated, 81 minutes