Live Free or Die (2006) User Reviews

you can safely skip this one

[ssto · 4/10 · 14 July 2007]

I didn't like this movie much. It is not a total disaster, but a comedy that didn't make me laugh once, probably doesn't work. Its looks good, but the dialog is so poor. The actors are pretty wooden and mediocre, the only exception is Paul Schneider who's part requires him to be wooden and mediocre and he does it well.

Basically this is the story of somebody who wants to be someone, namely a gangster, but although he thinks he tries so hard he can't fool anyone in small town with people who just don't buy it.

Don't want to reveal more from the story, but wouldn't recommend you to find out for your self - you can safely skip it

4/10

peace

I Really Enjoyed it. It was Cool.

[LLAAA4837 · 27 September 2007]

*** out of ****

Aaron Stanford plays a guy named John Ruddgate. He's a wannabe gangster who just can't seem to pull it off no matter how hard he tries. Enter Lagrand(Paul Schneider), a mentally handicapped man who really enjoys John's company. In reality though, John needs Lagrand a lot more than Lagrand needs him. John tries to impress Lagrand, but somehow, everything goes wrong in all the right ways. Both of them are completely oblivious of their situation, and all they want is to put an end to it. Meanwhile, two cops investigate a situation that seems to involve John, but Officer Putney(Michael Rapaport) has more going on in his personal life than it appears, and it looks like it might cause some distress. The film takes place in New Hampshire, but it appears to be filmed in Rutland, Vermont. Since both places look similar, I guess it doesn't matter.

The film is great. What makes it great is it's originality, it's ever twisting plot, and the fact that the characters refuse to be stereotypes. I love it when a refreshing movie like this comes out that is just enjoyable and uncomplicated. This is basically just the kind of film that I can easily get into because of how much it draws you in. It's just a breath of fresh air. It's an even bigger breath of fresh air than TRANSAMERICA or A MIDNIGHT CLEAR. There is just so much to enjoy about it.

Aaron Stanford has proved in the past that he can be very dopey(TADPOLE)and very rugged(HILLS HAVE EYES remake), and now he shows a side of himself that manages to be realistic but true to life at the same time. He has a really believable performance as a guy who just wants to be remembered for something bad and has absolutely nothing to lose, but gets very irritated when things are ruined for him. And Paul Schneider... WOW. He somehow pulls off a very low key performance that has exactly the same effect as if it were over the top He is just fascinating to watch. He has such a unique screen presence in this film. I swear, you could pause the movie and he would still look awkward no matter how he's standing or what he's doing. Even when he holds still, he pulls off being a person who has a mental disability. It's just really subtle, and yet so hypnotic. I was impressed.

So overall, if you're looking for something light and easy to get into, I'd highly recommend LIVE FREE OR DIE. It may not be life changing, but damn. It is damn fine independent cinema. It's really wonderful. Check it out.

Rated R for pervasive language including sex references.

What if dumb and dumber wasn't funny?? It would be this movie.

[dilbertsuperman · 3/10 · 13 September 2007]

This movie has two great characters and a cool little story. However- those two characters and their story is enough to take up 20 minutes of film- after we breeze through that we still have an 1:40+ that is unaccounted for in the planning of this movie...

I like these characters A lot but what the hell was this idiot thinking stretching their material so thin?? They are only two guys- and not THAT interesting- they would make very cool supporting characters in a REAL movie, but this is more like a pilot for these characters than anything else- the actual movie totally, and utterly sucks from start to finish.

This is one of those, I'll keep watching this because it has to get better and it never does kind of movies... It never ever gets better- it's stuck in a rut of idiocy.

There are some good scenes so if you don't mind wasting your life and pissing yourself off- watch this, it's almost worth it to watch the 17 and a half minutes of good footage.

PLOT: a lowlife criminal in a small town is looking for street cred, he concocts a plan to impress a friend that owns a storage facility in the hopes of landing a security job with them, -that he is one bad mo fo that doesn't take any crap from anyone- but the plan kind of goes everywhere but where it's supposed to...

a novel setting and a sweet tone make for a fun offbeat comedy

[Buddy-51 · 7/10 · 22 September 2007]

Scenic New Hampshire serves as the novel setting for "Live Free or Die" (not to be confused with the later Bruce Willis film, "Live Free or Die HARD"), an entertaining indie comedy that takes its title from the state's time-honored motto of in-your-face defiance.

John Rudgate - who goes by the nickname "Rugged" - is an inept wannabe tough guy who fancies himself a notorious outlaw. He spends most of his days riding around in a dilapidated van trying to convince others - as well as himself - that he is, indeed, the most feared lawbreaker in the county. In reality, the "stolen" merchandise he is moving is actually his own stuff, and the gun he keeps in a drawer in the kitchen is nothing more than a water pistol. The folks in town shrug him off as little more than an irritating pest with delusions of criminal grandeur. Like any villain worth his salt, Rudgate needs to find himself a sycophantic henchman who will do a substantial amount of his dirty work for him. He alights on Lagrand, a simpleminded, but sweet-natured acquaintance who co-owns a storage facility with his sister, a clear-eyed pragmatist who, unlike her brother, knows a BS-ing con artist when she sees one.

Although the movie can't entirely shake free of the "oddball quirkiness" factor that seems to afflict so much of regional film-making these days, movie makers Gregg Kavet and Andy Robin evince a genuine affection for their characters and a sly way with storytelling that go a long way towards mitigating that weakness. They are aided immeasurably by wonderfully self-effacing performances by Paul Schneider, Michael Rapaport, Zooey Deschanel, and, above all, Aaron Stanford, who, as Rudgate, turns a potentially one-note caricature into an endearingly original and surprisingly memorable comic figure. And, besides, the colorful New England setting is alone worth the price of a rental.

It was supposed to be a comedy

[cwhyel · 3/10 · 10 August 2007]

Another waste of time and money.

The disaffected, and smug characters were not interesting or sympathetic in a way that held my interest.

Save your time and money.

Do the right thing. Give it a pass.

I wished I had.

I am typing this part to reach the line minimum because I have no interested in blathering on about this turd of a flick.

I wish the talent well-chalk it up to experience, and move on.

It has Alan Smithee written all over it. There. I think I have reached the minimum amount of lines.

Deadpan humor is funny.

[sado_masochist_666 · 7/10 · 18 August 2007]

I actually liked this movie.

It's funny but in a different way.

Not the whole slap stick comedy that is of today but more deadpan funny.

It's different and interesting.

I found Stanford's and Schneider's performances amazing.

The commentary will have you in tears if you decide to watch it.

If you like off beat humor and dumb wanna be criminals then you'll probably like this movie.

This officially holds a special place in my heart for Stanford's movies.

"The c*nts took the porno. Vintage sh*t. Gone"

Surprisingly funny and original.

Must Flee TV!

[Guerauxguex · 1/10 · 4 April 2008]

I could feel brain cells fleeing. Minutes of my life I'll never get back have been stolen from me. I'm from New Hampshire, I love & miss my home, but even looking at the scenery wasn't enough to continue watching. Oedipus would drive nails in his ears to keep from having to suffer from sensory input from this film. I remember watching Mr Deeds & feeling a mild discomfort- this was like an appendectomy with a can opener in a hay wagon. Honestly, the acting was adequate, the cinematography and technical execution was professional. The problem is: it's just not funny! It's like a stoned middle school a/v class tried to do something along the lines of Super Troopers meets Dumb & Dumber.

Quirky and Amusing

[tweetypez-1 · 7/10 · 25 September 2007]

Small town quirky characters and absurd situations. Aaron Stanford's performance, "Rugged", reminds me somewhat of Steve Buscemi, sort of nervous, hot-tempered, puny, and swaggering.

I agree with a previous comment that Paul Schneider's character does remind me of Will Ferrell.

Not a lot happens in parts of this little movie, but that seems to reflect several independent films.

I loved seeing the setting of New Hampshire, since I lived there for a year. The only thing that was missing was the authentic New Hampshire accents.

Excellent

[wangchungvslopan · 9/10 · 28 June 2006]

I had the pleasure of watching this film in Austin at the SouthbySouth West Film Festival and it was hilarious. It was simple in humor yet that was the funny thing about it. Their wasn't a dry seat in the house. And no they weren't crying out of laughter but for pissing their pants while laughing. Especially with the lines from Paul Schnieder's character Lagrand. I do remember one of the questions that a lot of people wanted to know and that was where could they get a copy of the film. Hopefully they will bring it soon if not release for theaters nationwide. It would totally be a hit. After the film we must of clapped for like a few minutes unfortunately we couldn't ask the director or the cast that many questions because the schedule was very tight and we wanted to go catch another film. Aaron Standford also brings great desperation to his character Rugged who desperately wants to be a notorious gansta. And thankfully not in the ways of a Wigga. Any fans of slacker humor would definitely love this film. "Yep, They Stole My Porn And That was Vintage S"#@ Man"

Awesomely Pointless

[waybright25 · 7/10 · 27 October 2010]

When I first watched this movie I had no expectations. I saw it on Showtime with the free preview weekend i had and randomly decided to watch it. The first thirty minutes had no effect on me and if I had something better to do this day I would not have continued to watch it. However, I DID. This movie is not laugh out loud funny, but the situations presented throughout make this movie worth watching. You do not grip to any character because they are all boring, stupid, ridiculously stupid or all of the above. With that being said, when all is said and done, it is hard not to appreciate the twists and turns and the unpredictable humor throughout this movie. On an average I would give this movie seven stars, but because of the negative reviews I am giving it a ten in order to bump it up a few notches. If anyone decides to watch this movie go into with a mindset of NOTHING, and you will enjoy it greatly!

Very funny movie that may not appeal to everyone

[markam87 · 8/10 · 9 February 2008]

I rented this movie on accident and turned out to be a very good movie. i agree with what "scoochie9" commented about the movie. Different people have different tastes and this movie happens to fit just what i like. the comedy is pretty dry and also subtle, but at the same time there are so many minor details in the movie that are just straight up hilarious (when rugged first talks to the character of Ebon moss and he says "yeah right"). I do agree that the film had a lot of potential that it didn't capitalize on. I thought the characters could have been developed a bit more. i really liked the way they ended the movie. i recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of dry, clever comedy.

Funny Movie, hopefully headed for the big time.

[callieem89 · 8/10 · 31 July 2006]

Last night I decided to go to a movie at the Woods Hole Film Festival. Live Free or Die grabbed my attention, so I blindly went in, hoping for a mediocre movie. The Film Festival is good, but my expectations are never that high. Boy how I was wrong. Written and directed by two former writers from Seinfeld, this movie was wonderfully funny and of a professional quality. It was impossible to believe that they only had one camera and less than $2 million! It was like watching a big name Hollywood picture, except without all the crap product placements. If you have a chance to see this movie, do it. They hope to at least do a New England or a college release, but I sincerely hope that it gets a wider distribution.

Very funny and original

[fiddles5 · 9/10 · 14 December 2006]

I saw this movie at the Portsmouth NH film festival at the Music Hall. I expected to see a lot of short so-so films, but this one was different - An unexpected pleasure. It has ended up to be the best film I've seen all year. Very funny, very New Hampshire, and very original. Story and acting right up there with all the big name films. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters were excellent - Aaron Stanford and Paul Schneider were great together. Schneider's character was so perfect - amazing. Glad I had the chance to see it and wish the rest of my family could have seen it too. Highly recommend this film - it deserves to go on to play on its own in more theaters. Really great!

Fans of Deadpan--Boon! Non-Fans of Deadpan--Bomb.

[scoochie9 · 8/10 · 13 December 2007]

Taste is a funny thing. What one person considers hilarious may well leave another person desperately wishing for something else...anything else. I've seen a lot of indie movies claiming to be "hilarious", and left them depressed, wondering where the comedy actually was.

This movie actually tickled my funny-bone on more than one occasion. I don't think the "mass of men" would have the necessary twist-of-sensibility to appreciate the often subtle comedic aspects of it, and that's just a fact of life. It doesn't mean the detractors are lacking in intelligence...it just means that everybody has his/her own unique taste.

That said, I found this movie to be quite a fun ride. Paul Schneider, I admit, was the great big selling point for me. Every scene he was in made me giggle, and, on occasion, roll upon the floor grasping my sides. Low humor? Maybe, but not entirely.

The rest of it was funny for me in a somewhat cerebral way, possibly. I'm a fan of good, clever, sly, ironic writing, and "Live Free or Die" was certainly chock full of that. Anyway, if your sense of humor tends towards the off-beat, you might want to give this little fire-cracker of a movie a try. You won't regret it.

good and different

[leslieychu · 8/10 · 11 August 2007]

I liked this movie but it is really different from Seinfeld. It is more of a mystery or thriller than a comedy but it does have a lot of funny moment. Paul Schneider is an incredible actor and so it Zoe Deschanel. I am surprised this movie didn't get more attention it was not in theaters near me but I saw it when I was looking at the Bruce Willis Die Hard movie. Anyway, the only problem I have is that the Rugged character dies at the end! I was really bummed out. I felt sorry for him and wanted him to make it. I guess he does get a bad-ass reputation but still I felt really sad. Anyway if you like indie movies and want something smart this is a good choice but don't expect a feel good ending! Leslie DurhamNC

good s--t

[geoff_laff · 8/10 · 9 July 2006]

This movie was totally unique and I agree with the guy who said Paul Schneider is awesome. He played some kind of autistic dumb dude in this totally believable and hilarious way. I wish I got to see it again and will definitely keep my eyes out for it. Also really dug Juda Friedlander who has this obscene scene that I really want to watch again. He plays this guy who has to talk about all the people who might want to get back at him for nasty stuff he did. Always nice to see Michael Rapoport, who was playing a part different from stuff I've seen him in. There was a new face I liked too. don't remember his name but he was the bad-ss on the riding mower. This is a funny movie and if you are sick of the same old puke from ferrell and sandler you will dig it. Oh, and Zooey Deschanel is a fox.

why indies rule

[reggiegiannitti · 9/10 · 23 March 2007]

this movie could never have been made by Hollywood because they will never try something new. If you are sick of dumb and dumberer part 7 check this out. paul schneider was in all the real girsl with zooey deschanel and they are back showing they can act in any role because now they are playing quarreling brother and sister. I did not understand why they cast Stanford because comedy is not his thing but maybe they were not going for comedy with him. Paul Schneider is a riot. Fudah Freedlander is a riot. there is a lot to like but most of all it's DIFFERENT If you liked Fargo you will like this. if you like Bottle Rocket you will like this. If you need everything explained to you you will hate it.

Average rating of 6? That's not fair.

[witthayu · 10/10 · 8 May 2007]

It is one of the funniest movies I have seen.

I never watched a whole Seinfeld episode and the few minutes I zapped into that show, I just did not find it funny, so I had no expectations for this movie.

In the beginning I was thinking, aww this movie will be boring, but then it picked up big time. It is the whole way so over the top, maybe a little less and it would have been a movie classic, like say Fargo. I did not quite like the ending, but maybe because the ending meant that the movie was over and I had nothing more to laugh at.

I hope these two guys from Seinfeld will make a lot more movies like this!

Could have been a lot more funny

[Gordon-11 · 29 May 2007]

This film is about a dumb criminal trying to get a job done with another even dumber criminal partner.

I watched this film because of the number of big name actors in the film. I regretted making this decision though. The initial 1 hour of the movie was a pain to watch. I know the film could have been funny, as there were many mischiefs that were momentarily funny. However, the highly annoying characters were so dumb that they are almost unbelievable! Of course, this also signified that the two criminals were portrayed so successfully and realistically that makes me hate them. Anyway, the film picked up a lot more humour in the last 15 minutes, and became a lot more funny.

Funny As S**t!.........

[MovieHoliks · 8/10 · 17 July 2015]

I got out my DVD and watched this again last night, and was LMFAO!! I've seen this several times over the years, and this is one of those little comedies that didn't get much exposure when it first came out ('06 I think??) probably somewhat in part due to it's similar title to a blockbuster that came out close to the same time-?? ("Live Free or Die Hard").

What originally drew me to the DVD cover in the video store was seeing the writers of TV's "Seinfeld" involved, granted two of the writers that were only involved with so many episodes of the show- but I can still see that similar sense of humor with this film.

Aaron Stanford is great in the lead as this bad-ass gangsta-wannabe, as well as the rest of the supporting class, no less than Zooey Deschanel, Paul Schneider (hilarious!-even if he does kinda make fun of "slow people"-??), Kevin Dunn, Judah Friedlander, Clark Middleton (who has a very interesting look to him- like his head is just way too disproportionately large for his body-??) and Michael Rappaport. This is just one of those little movies with a particular brand of humor you have to get. I've seen some user comments describing it as "boring", or maybe "some parts are funny", but one does have to possess that "acquired taste of humor" to enjoy the whole thing really..

"Live Free or Die" (2006) is an American black comedy film

[alexpeychev · 10/10 · 21 March 2024]

"Live Free or Die" (2006) is an American black comedy film starring Aaron Stanford, Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, Michael Rapaport, Judah Friedlander, Kevin Dunn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The film was written and directed by former Seinfeld writers Gregg Kavet and Andy Robin.

Plot Summary: The movie follows John "Rugged" Rudgate (played by Aaron Stanford), a petty criminal who desperately wants the residents of his backwoods New Hampshire community to see him as something more. He teams up with an old buddy (Lagrand, portrayed by Paul Schneider) to poison a local bully, but their plans take an unexpected turn when the man actually dies.

Review: "Live Free or Die" is a comedy that plays with vastly diminished criminal expectations. The fun lies in its quirky characters and their bumbling antics. Aaron Stanford's portrayal of Rugged is both amusing and endearing. The film avoids taking itself too seriously, and that's part of its charm. While it may not be a laugh-out-loud riot, it offers a unique perspective on small-town life and the lengths people will go to prove themselves.

LEGENDS ARE HARD TO COME BY AROUND HERE

[nogodnomasters · 8/10 · 16 May 2019]

John "Rugged" Rudgate (Aaron Stanford) is a legend in his own mind. He rips off barcodes on store items to get rebate checks. He buys speakers and pretends they are stolen so he can get a higher price for them. Rudgate thinks of himself as being a bad criminal, when really he is more of a joke. He teams up with "Special Ed" Lagrand, a slow witted man who is part owner of a U-Lock-it storage facility. A young bland Zooey Deschanel plays Lagrand's sister. She hasn't found her niche as yet.

The criminal activity escalates through a series of misunderstandings. The movie is lightly comical as we laugh at Rudgate and not with him.

F-bomb, C-word, no sex, Nude poster on wall.