Movies

The AFI Dallas International Film Festival is filled with serious stories about war, racism and deadly plane crashes. And then there's Bowling for Soup.

The Denton rock band's docu-concert film, Live and Very Attractive , is 107 minutes of power chords and jokes about bodily functions. In other words, it's Bowling for Soup in full glory.

"We're everyday dudes that make music that's fun, and they totally get it," singer Jaret Reddick said of the English fans who packed Manchester's Apollo theater, where the film was shot last year.

As one British teen says in the movie: "You can be a grumpy ol' sod, but they make you laugh. They turned me happy."

Formed in 1994, Bowling for Soup first caught fire in the U.K. American audiences finally got the joke with 2002's Drunk Enough to Dance and 2004's A Hangover You Don't Deserve.

As its CD titles suggest, booze is a big part of the group's image. The foursome quaffs so many drinks during the film you can't help but wonder if they're alcoholics.

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Clockwise from bottom left: Erik Chandler, Gary Wiseman, Jaret Reddick and Chris Burney.

"We're definitely not," Mr. Reddick said last week by cellphone as he ran errands in Flower Mound. "We do take it a little far sometimes ... but most of us actually don't even drink when we're off the road."

Directed by local filmmaker King Hollis, Live and Very Attractive has another motif – bowels and bladders. A cartoon toilet "counter" pops up to track the many potty jokes.

"It's like anything with our band. It starts with a hint of a joke, and if somebody doesn't squash it, it just snowballs," Mr. Reddick said.

"We're all in our thirties, but we act like we're 13."

DETAILS: Bowling For Soup: Live and Very Attractive screens tonight at 7:15 and Wednesday at 10:15 p.m. at the Angelika Film Center.

Today at AFI

•Before the Rains – Risky doings for a burgeoning spice mogul in India (Linus Roache). 7:30 p.m., Magnolia.

•J.C. Chavez – Fight fans take note: a documentary on the boxer Julio Cesar Chavez. 1 p.m., Magnolia.

•My Brother Is an Only Child – Italian drama about two brothers at odds during the turbulent '60s. 7 p.m., Angelika.

The festival runs through April 6. For a complete schedule and ticket information, go to afidallas.com or call 214-720-0555.