As if to justify a serious discussion of this comedy before dissing it, some reviewers have pointed out that it evokes Casablanca.

Its only redeeming value is the killer snowboarding scenes.

Funnier than Woody Allen's last four movies, more exciting than Tarkovski's The Sacrifice, Out Cold will play best if your first legal beer is still far enough into the future to seem a vision of the promised land.

The X-Games-style snowboard action is impressive and thrilling. There are some funny moments, such as when the same hapless dork is tricked into thinking he’s driving a truck about to careen off the road. But most of the humor is of the toilet variety.