Restaurateur and retired Heavy-Weight champion Cleon 'Slammin' Salmon (Michael Clarke Duncan) threatens and beats his wait staff into up-selling their customers so that they can earn 20 grand in one evening to pay off his gambling debt. As the stakes are continually raised, so too are the antics that ensue as each waiter tries to outdo one another, earn the ten thousand dollar cash prize, or save themselves from a brutal beating - while all anxiously await the passing of a diamond ring the manager had swallowed.
This is an enjoyable edition to Broken Lizards filmography. Like their other films, The Slammin' Salmon features excellent, quirky, and weird characters, and an outlandish plot. Here one can also see and appreciate the group's maturity as there is more situational humor, far less shtick, and relatively little scatological humor as compared to their previous films. This is also Kevin Heffernen's amicable debut as a director.
The Slammin' Salmon has fairly good pacing, though it does slow down at times, there are still lots of laugh out loud moments throughout the piece. Of course the true strength of this movie is in the writing and performances. As per usual, the Lizards play a host of characters with personality flaws galore, such as 'Zongo' the OCD/Schizophrenic waiter; or Donnie the alcoholic bus boy with low self esteem. These quirky characters are joined by great performances form Michael Clarke Duncan as 'the champ', April Bowlby as the upbeat 'little train that could' waitress, to the always level-headed Tara, played by Cobie Smulders.
This film could have used a better soundtrack, which had been a staple in other Lizard productions. Although they did write a humorous take off of "The Eye of the Tiger" which is featured during the credits. I also found the scenes in the kitchen and waiter prep area to be altogether unbelievable. Though I've not worked as a cook or a waiter, I've scene the frenetic goings on in the kitchen and prep areas, just passing by on the way to the restroom. They didn't capture that feel nor fully capitalize on this norm as these scenes are most always calm and free of frenzy. This, I believe is one major element that makes the film slow down.
I enjoyed the film. And a fan of the Broken Lizard troupe, I agree with others that it is not as good as Super Troopers. However, with a piece such as great as that, it will be difficult for them to ever match it. An excellent comedy, well worth watching.
This is an enjoyable edition to Broken Lizards filmography. Like their other films, The Slammin' Salmon features excellent, quirky, and weird characters, and an outlandish plot. Here one can also see and appreciate the group's maturity as there is more situational humor, far less shtick, and relatively little scatological humor as compared to their previous films. This is also Kevin Heffernen's amicable debut as a director.
The Slammin' Salmon has fairly good pacing, though it does slow down at times, there are still lots of laugh out loud moments throughout the piece. Of course the true strength of this movie is in the writing and performances. As per usual, the Lizards play a host of characters with personality flaws galore, such as 'Zongo' the OCD/Schizophrenic waiter; or Donnie the alcoholic bus boy with low self esteem. These quirky characters are joined by great performances form Michael Clarke Duncan as 'the champ', April Bowlby as the upbeat 'little train that could' waitress, to the always level-headed Tara, played by Cobie Smulders.
This film could have used a better soundtrack, which had been a staple in other Lizard productions. Although they did write a humorous take off of "The Eye of the Tiger" which is featured during the credits. I also found the scenes in the kitchen and waiter prep area to be altogether unbelievable. Though I've not worked as a cook or a waiter, I've scene the frenetic goings on in the kitchen and prep areas, just passing by on the way to the restroom. They didn't capture that feel nor fully capitalize on this norm as these scenes are most always calm and free of frenzy. This, I believe is one major element that makes the film slow down.
I enjoyed the film. And a fan of the Broken Lizard troupe, I agree with others that it is not as good as Super Troopers. However, with a piece such as great as that, it will be difficult for them to ever match it. An excellent comedy, well worth watching.