If you can make it through the first 20 minutes of "Hirschen," it becomes watchable, mildly interesting, and a little bit fun. I almost gave up. Four guys who aren't the brightest bulbs in the package come up with a harebrained scheme to save the village, and go about it in a goofy way. You think you're facing two hours of Leslie-Nielsen-inspired heavy-handed farce, and the blaring, incessant, beer-garden-polka soundtrack keeps hammering your brain cells without remorse.

But it gets better. Their scheme doesn't fall flat, and you begin to wonder if it can succeed. A little mystery crops up, and a nemesis, and a touch of romance. The characters, it turns out, are okay people, and you want them to prevail, except for the obvious moral dilemma. And the polka fades away, hallelujah! The plot thickens, but not enough to strain anyone's intellect.

So it's light, but it's also light-hearted and enjoyable; the outcomes are somewhat predictable, but in "Hirschen" the journey is as important as the destination. Although I guess it's a fairly low-budget film - some actors also serve in crew roles - the technical production is high quality, with good cinematography and sound. The views of the "Bavarian" countryside (filmed in Austria) and the village are outstanding. Ten minutes of ending credits is excessive, but at least they put faces to the names. I enjoyed it.