Live Free or Die is a new film to be released in theatres Friday, March 30. As the title would suggest, Live Free or Die is a new movie set in New Hampshire. The setting may look familiar but be assured the movie will not. The comedy is very unique, only comparable to the likes of other deadpan comedy films like Office Space.
“These days, lots of comedies are about one high concept idea you can jam into a title and pepper with set pieces,” director Gregg Kavet said, “We wanted to do something more complicated, less familiar, and based on a mix of people we knew.”
They hit the nail on the head. The movie succeeds in doing all these things as well being extremely funny. The story revolves around main character, John “Rugged” Rudgate who sells speakers out the back of his van and forges rebate coupons. In addition to his aspiring criminal career, he helps his dumb-witted friend Jeff Lagrand (Paul Schneider) to run the family business he just inherited. However, when Rugged decides to force his way into the business, things go very wrong.
The plot is not the only part of the movie that included mishaps. “We chose to shoot in New Hampshire in November, which was perfect for the film but bad for our warm-blooded cast and crew,” Kravet said. “The first week was entirely outdoors with an average temperature of 33 degrees. We owe a lot to those who stayed on for the entire shoot. We’d like to thank them but we’re not sure who they are because they all wore ski masks.”
The idea for the film orginially came about as a proposal for a television pilot. It never made it to television but now, six years later, it’s showing up on the big screen. The movie runs 92 minutes and is rated R for pervasive language including sex references, according to Imdb.com.