"Strange Brew" is a spin-off of the Bob and Doug McKenzie shorts on Canada's export "SCTV" (which started in the early '80s on US television and won some awards). This movie is very much low budget and doesn't concern itself with continuity or much of a plot either -- it's a retread of "Hamlet" (that's right!) and one William Shakespeare even gets a co-writing credit.
Anyway, the film is not by any means a masterpiece but it's amusing in a so-bad-it's-good kind of way. (And incidentally this was purposefully bad, and Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas -- who directed and wrote it -- make no effort to conceal this.) The best part is actually the beginning when Bob and Doug reveal their movie about a man who survives the holocaust and wonders the earth in search of beer. I've rarely laughed so hard. "Pss, act!" is one of the funniest lines in cinema history.
After that it goes downhill but remains entertaining... Bob and Doug become embroiled in a plot by mad scientist Mad Von Sydow, who wants to take over the world and all the other stuff mad scientists like to do.
I've never seen such a pieced-together, fragmented movie in all my life. A number of scenes pay nothing to the film whatsoever. One hockey game sequence goes on for about seven minutes and doesn't really have anything to do with... well... anything! On top of that, characters come and go and disappear without mention again -- towards the end of the film, one of the bad guys gets his comeuppance, but the film doesn't even reveal how! Also the woman playing the ex-brewster's daughter is supposed to be about 21 but she's clearly in her mid to late thirties... and at one point her birthdate is revealed in the film, and according to the date of the film, it places her at a much older age... so evidently Moranis and Thomas didn't really care at all about trying to convince audiences of anything with this film.
And it's better that way. This is a really smug and self-knowing comedy, but in a good way. It's light-hearted and doesn't take itself seriously. Even during the end credits, Bob and Doug give their film a review and mention its plot weaknesses, but claim it's just good family fun and worth five bucks, and I agree. On an aside note I will have to say that the film's best sequences are those in which Bob and Doug are actually hosting their show, and sometimes I wonder if that would have made a better 90 minutes than attempting to come up with a half-a$$ed plot. But oh well, it's still pretty funny and amusing as it is.
Anyway, the film is not by any means a masterpiece but it's amusing in a so-bad-it's-good kind of way. (And incidentally this was purposefully bad, and Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas -- who directed and wrote it -- make no effort to conceal this.) The best part is actually the beginning when Bob and Doug reveal their movie about a man who survives the holocaust and wonders the earth in search of beer. I've rarely laughed so hard. "Pss, act!" is one of the funniest lines in cinema history.
After that it goes downhill but remains entertaining... Bob and Doug become embroiled in a plot by mad scientist Mad Von Sydow, who wants to take over the world and all the other stuff mad scientists like to do.
I've never seen such a pieced-together, fragmented movie in all my life. A number of scenes pay nothing to the film whatsoever. One hockey game sequence goes on for about seven minutes and doesn't really have anything to do with... well... anything! On top of that, characters come and go and disappear without mention again -- towards the end of the film, one of the bad guys gets his comeuppance, but the film doesn't even reveal how! Also the woman playing the ex-brewster's daughter is supposed to be about 21 but she's clearly in her mid to late thirties... and at one point her birthdate is revealed in the film, and according to the date of the film, it places her at a much older age... so evidently Moranis and Thomas didn't really care at all about trying to convince audiences of anything with this film.
And it's better that way. This is a really smug and self-knowing comedy, but in a good way. It's light-hearted and doesn't take itself seriously. Even during the end credits, Bob and Doug give their film a review and mention its plot weaknesses, but claim it's just good family fun and worth five bucks, and I agree. On an aside note I will have to say that the film's best sequences are those in which Bob and Doug are actually hosting their show, and sometimes I wonder if that would have made a better 90 minutes than attempting to come up with a half-a$$ed plot. But oh well, it's still pretty funny and amusing as it is.