Those of you educated in the art of cinema- a rare and hardy group though you are- will perhaps instinctively recoil at any film project that openly describes itself as a skiing dramedy. And, if so, it reflects rather well upon your intellect. In this instance, however, there may be a saving grace and that is director
Ron Underwood. If the name doesnt immediately ring a bell it is because he has been relatively quiet on the big-screen during the last decade, but earned his renown with the consecutive films of Tremors and City Slickers, but now he is back and
ready to direct an original screenplay entitled
Woodchucks. Underwoods low profile of late is, broadly speaking, a consequence of a lack of good scripts post-City Slickers which culminated in the appalling The Adventures of Pluto Nash starring Eddie Murphy, which earned him a Razzie nomination and made huge box office losses. However, both Tremors and City Slickers both seemed fairly trivial pictures at the time but have since gone on to acquire classic status, in addition to demonstrating a confidence and lightness of touch that well suits comic drama, which bodes well for the Woodchucks script written by
Len Britton (Precious Find) and
Rick Parks (Ever After). And, in spite of skiing appearing the height of pointless bourgeois preoccupations, Underwood seems to possess a passion for the sport that he hopes to bring to the movie:
Its been a long time since Downhill Racer, and while Woodchucks is certainly a lighter tone, it has the makings of the first exciting narrative ski movie in a long time. Im an avid skier and I cant wait to showcase the sport.
And, in spite of the sports image, the narrative supposedly has an anti-corporate component, and depicts the struggle of a small mountain community to prevent a corporate ski designer buying and taking over their land. Woodchucks will begin shooting during the next Ski season in Vermont with the intention of a theatrical release in 2012.