User Reviews

Strange Brew rules. Those who have not seen the film must see it immediately or remain ignorant like the rest of the human filth. Strange Brew is yet again one of those movies that I have been watching since I was a kid and it has not lost any of it's charm. Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis have come up with two great characters in the McKenzie Brothers. Not too bright and surviving on donuts and beer, the film follows the McKenzies as they get a job at a brewery to get free beer and in the process stop a world takeover by power mad Brewmeister Smith. This flick doesn't really have much in the way of plot or acting or effects or anything that usually makes a movie great. It doesn't need all that though because just having Bob and Doug onscreen is worth the price of admission or in this case the DVD. Just watching Bob and Doug attempt to function is funny enough. I heard that Moranis and Thomas were working on a sequel and were just getting ready to film when the financing fell through. That really sucks and I hope that they can bring Bob and Doug back to the screen before they get too old to play them. Bottom Line: This movie is a must have. It's great, deal with it, buy it and then look at Canada (The Great White North) in a different light.

"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.

I love this movie so much, I even have a poster of it hanging on my door, eh! I first viewed it in my eighth grade geometry class (where we never did anything but watch movies--this class also introduced me to classics such as "Back to the Future" and "Little Shop of Horrors").

This is from the peak of the so-stupid-it's-funny era of comedy (which is starting to become popular again, only this time around it's just not funny), and it may very well be the best of them all, even better than "Airplane!". It's one of those beautiful comedies where all the jokes are incredibly stupid and incredibly smart at the same time. The courtroom scene and the "death" scene rate as two of the funniest moments in comedy history, in my opinion.

Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas have perfect chemistry together, too. The stupid bickering between Bob and Doug is hilarious (I love it when they have to go in separate directions for the first time in their life). If you haven't seen this, I cannot recommend it enough.

9/10 stars. Now take off, eh!

This is one of those classic comedies that everyone has to love. Right? Well, not everyone loves this movie, but I do. I have three roommates, two of which had never even heard of, let alone seen, Strange Brew. About a month ago I popped it in for them, thinking they would think it was a stupid movie. They loved it, they said it was maybe the funniest movie they'd ever seen. Although, I disagree with that, I must certainly say it is funny.

The plot of the movie is stupid...an evil brewmaster plans on taking over the world by putting something in the beer that will allow him to control those who drink it. It's up to Bob & Doug and friends to stop him. If the movie had a better plot and more funny characters other than Bob & Doug, it would've been an easy 10 out of 10. However, I had no reason to like any of the other characters or the plot. I was just left yearning for Bob & Doug to be back on the screen whenever they were off.

Like so much comedy, their comedy is stupid yet brilliant at the same time. Just the little things they do and say are hilarious. "Give 'em a jelly, he likes jelly. Hey, jelly donut comin'." "In case she sues for whiplash, I don't know you I'm just a hitchiker." 8 outta 10

After seeing a film like this, made in 1983, why would anybody want to make a film like Canadian Bacon to better signify the Canadian people? Strange Brew captured the true stereotypes of the Canadian people and culture in this off the wall (Shakespeare like) comedy. From their language, their love for beer, their devotion to hockey, and their wardrobe, the true Canadian look is captured best in Strange Brew.

"How's it goin', eh". Those of us blessed to live within the TV reception area of the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) had been privy to Bob & Doug on SCTV long before this movie was released. The running gag on SCTV was that Bob & Doug wandered into the studio one day, the star of a live talkshow was absent and the station manager threw the brothers on stage to fill the dead air. They were a hit and soon were given their own show-within-a-show called "The Great White North". In short order they demanded star treatment as they understood it and soon the stage was surrounded by cases of beer, boxes of donuts and the guys had a campstove to cook Canadian bacon on. Classic. Each show they would have their 'topic of the day' and discuss important issues like 'snow routes', bottled beer verus canned and other things Canadian. You just can't help but love these innocent buffoons. This was the basis of Strangebrew. As silly comedies go, this one is a benchmark. No swearing, hilariously cheesy effects and bathroom humor that is actually funny and not disgusting (see American Pie if you want disgusting). What amazes me is that EVERY single scene with Bob & Doug is funny. Some scenes are truly classic. The dialogue and nuance of this film is so easy to imitate you'll find yourself doing it with friends who have also shared this gem of a film and laughing yourself silly. ("Did you see the way she was looking at me...") See this film, you'll thank me, eh.

Two slackers, Bob and Doug McKenzie, get a job at the Elsinore Brewery. However, strange things are afoot at the brewery: the previous owner has just died under mysterious circumstances and his brother is trying to take over the company. In addition, the chief brewer is also a doctor at the local insane asylum and is testing the beer on the patients.

An unconventional comedy, complete with writer-director-actors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas introducing their own movie. Very funny at times, has great momentum and never tries to be serious.

Also, very silly or incoherent at times. Some parts miss the mark completely and some gags get overused to irritation.

Still, it's never dull and overall is good fun. In addition, you can see the influence of this film on subsequent comedies. One of my favourite comedies of the 90s is Wayne's World and this reminds me of Wayne's World in many respects.

I have to take exception to imdb user "dwpoller" who touts this movie as being "one of the most un-funny 1 1/2 hour stretches" of a movie. Having never seen the SCTV skit until after the movie's release, I found myself rolling on the floor at the Canadian stereotypes from hell, known simply as the MacKenzie Brothers. Being 1/2 Canadian myself, I never once felt offended by the somewhat negative stereotypes. (i.e. ice hockey watching, doughnut slamming, beer swilling half wits.) But rather, I was able to laugh at myself and my other Canadian bretheren through this VERY FUNNY movie.

OK, ok. So it didn't win any major awards, nor should it have. "Strange Brew" is not that kind of movie. You have to know going in that this is not Academy award winning materiel. Oh, and guys, don't bring the wives in to watch this either, they won't get it. (For the same reason they don't get the Three Stooges) You just can't explain why it's so funny, it just is.

3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Boy, this was a fun movie to watch once, at least for me. Additional viewings just didn't have the comedic effect that first one did. It's like good beer that has gone flat. Maybe because by the second viewing I knew I was going to hear "eh" 5,000 times and "hoser" about 500 times. It's fnny at first, but gets a little too annoyingly repetitive after that. It's like, "Ok, we get the joke!"

The movie starts off funny, somewhat of a forerunner of a Wayne's World flick with the boys pretending to be in a film or on TV. Here, the two "stars" are Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, both of whom make light of a couple Canadian guys who love their beer, and little else. Everyone is a "hoser" and every sentence ends in "eh?" Actually, as one who lives close to the border and has been in Canada many times, I laughed at that stuff on the first viewing.

However, that - and the lame gags in here - got just too stupid and plain dumb on subsequent viewings. Yes, I even gave this a third look about a month ago, but only lasted about a half hour. I canned the tape and "cracked open a cold one - a beer not mentioned in the movie but a big favorite around these parts: a Labatt's Blue. It was a lot better than the film.

When it comes to guilty pleasures this film is on my top ten list for sure. Now I can thank Netflix for bringing it into my home. It brings to mind a better time when Rick Moranis was popular (couldn't they find something else for him to shrink or blow up?). It may not be big budget but it stands up as a great comedy even today. The film stars Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas. Also featured is Oscar nominee Max von Sydow.

The film follows Doug and Bob McKenzie, two Canadian brothers, as they attempt to quench their insatiable thirst for beer. After some poorly designed attempts to get free beer they end up as employees of the Elsinore Brewery. There they find that something strange is brewing and unwittingly become part of the solution.

I'm not going to rave about this film. I would suggest this one for anyone who liked Spies Like Us, Airplane, or any films similar to those. It's goofy and silly and fun, something I think the whole family can enjoy.

I give this 2.5 out of 5 stars, but I love this film so much!

This movie was amazing, you have to like SCTV to understand the humor. This movie is fully of stereo-typical canadian humor, but that's why it's good. It's stupid humor at it's finest. A true classic. This is a must see movie for people who like: Beer, back bacon (or to you non-canadians, Canadian Bacon), Flying dogs, murders, or just bob and Doug McKenzie. This is the movie for you

Canada's most famous hosers, Bob and Doug McKenzie, get jobs at the Elsinore Brewery, only to learn that something is rotten with the state of it.

My biggest problem with this film is the overdoing of the Canadian voice (with the "eh", "hoser" and "take off"). I know that is the joke, the exaggeration of the stereotypes, throwing in the Molson beer and the hockey (and the doughnuts are probably from Tim Horton). But it is just too much.

This film's saving grace is Max von Sydow. Such a classy guy and a great villain, I could watch anything he does in English or any other language. In fact, without him, I think this film would be forgettable rather than the cult classic it has become. It is not a bad film, but it is not much more than a good film, either.

1st watched 6/28/2002 - 3 out of 10(Dir-Dave Thomas&Rick Moranis): Mostly un-funny 1 and 1/2 hour stretch based on a typical 5-minute sketch on the old SCTV comedy program. The best parts of this movie are the beginning and the end when they're doing their "Great White North" TV show which is what they probably should have stuck to. This is one of the many example of comedy skits that don't hold up for a whole movie. There are "some" funny spots, but mostly we are subjected to a laughable storyline and Bob & Doug coming out to be the goofball heroes in the story. What else is new? Take off, you hosers, and please don't make another movie(stick to the TV shows they're funnier).

If you love stupid comedy this movie is DEFINITELY for you! Animal House, Super Troopers, & The Blues Brothers. If you liked these movies you'll love Strange Brew. It's classic! A MUST SEE!!! Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas make an awesome team of crazy Canadian brothers, or should I say "hosers", eh? The plotline is kinda sketchy, but then again, the movie isn't exactly made for a great plotline. It's made for the comedy. Made in 1983 and it still kicks some royal butt! So sit back and enjoy as the two "hosers" bumble their way to some crazy times!

There's no way you can describe the vibe of "SCTV" (TV series, 1977-84) to anyone who wasn't in on it to start with. It's like trying to describe how you felt when you saw the original cast of "Saturday Night Live." However, for the pop-culture-history-impaired, "SCTV" was set at an imaginary TV station that allowed for wacko "local" characters as well as dead-on parodies of any major film or TV show you've ever seen. Since the show was produced in Canada, Canadian TV decided they needed two minutes of Canadian content each week. Thus were born Bob and Doug MacKenzie (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas), two toque-wearing siblings who blathered on about the virtues of beer and back bacon.

"Bob and Doug Mackenzie" were like "SNL's" "Wayne's World" in the early '90s. The first time I saw them, I completely did not get them. After that, I couldn't wait for their next appearance.

All that is by way of saying that "Strange Brew" is about as funny a movie version of the Mackenzie Bros. sketches as you could ask for. The movie begins predictably (and hilariously) with Bob and Doug trying and failing miserably to move their "Great White North" TV segment into feature films. (The moment where Doug does the "movie theme" kills me every time.) From there, the movie goes on to a half-baked plot about the brothers uncovering espionage at the local brewery (run by Paul Dooley and Ingmar Bergman veteran Max von Sydow, neither of whom seems to have any idea how they got into this movie). Basically, it plays like a Cheech & Chong movie for the '80s, with beer taking the place of illicit drugs.

That said, it manages to come up with a fair number of laughs, as when the Mackenzies take brief digs at "Star Wars," or when their dog Hosehead unexpectedly saves the day at movie's end.

If you're unfamiliar with the Mackenzie milieu, the DVD of the movie will help you out. It has an old "SCTV" Mackenzie sketch, as well as a brief but funny animated version of the brothers.

Great comedy can never be properly explained to the uninitiated. On that basis, "Strange Brew" is a classic.

Brothers Doug (Dave Thomas) and Bob McKenzie (Rick Moranis) are the idiot Canadian presenters on the television show SCTV. They show a movie that they've made. It doesn't go well. They try the mouse-in-the-bottle scam to get free Elsinore beer. They rescue Pam Elsinore (Lynne Griffin) from a jam gate. The owner died and Pam is set to inherit the brewery upon turning 21. Claude Elsinore (Paul Dooley) married his brother's wife and took over the company. Claude tries to buy out Pam but she refuses. Pam hires the brothers to inspect for mice. Brewmeister Smith (Max von Sydow) is experimenting the new brew on lunatics from the neighboring asylum with disturbing results.

The idiot brothers are hilarious and one of the best part of SCTV. The self-aware opening is fun. The rest of it is ridiculous idiocy. It needs some breaking down the 4th wall. This is for McKenzie brothers' fans and people who like their brand of silly. Von Sydow provides important acting power. It's likable fun.

I never liked Shakespeare when I was a student. I found it boring and long-winded. However, after seeing this movie I realize that the Bard was a genius, as this movie is (believe it or not) a modern re-working of HAMLET! In fact, the first time I saw the movie, I didn't even realize this. It was only the second time, I began putting things together (the name "Elsinore" for the brewery as well as the basic plot when you subtract Doug and Bob from the equation).

In fact, I would say this is far BETTER than Shakepeare. Who wants to hear "alas, poor Yorik I knew him,...." or see a crazed Ophelia when instead you can see a flying dog and maniacal hockey players? Brilliant! I only wish Doug and Bob had taken on other dull literary favorites and converted them to modern Canadian classics! A must see for all weird movie buffs.

Let's break this down into the "positive" and "potentially negative if you're a glass is half empty type"

"Potentially negative if you're a glass is half empty type"

• Perceived length - First of all let me just say, I can't believe that the run-time of this movie is only 90 minutes. If you sit down to watch it, you'll swear it was 2 ½ hours long.

• Overall quality - The budget looks pretty slim.

• Fart jokes - If you hate the stupidity of Beavis and Butthead you'll hate Bob and Doug.

• Soundtrack - Horrible theme song, absolutely horrible.

"Positive"

• Perceived length - You'll swear the movie is 2 ½ hours long. There is so much going on and the plot is so intricate, albeit borrowed. It ends up feeling like about 4 different movies combined into one.

• Brotherhood hilarity - This perfectly captures the interactions of young siblings and/or close friends, especially the larger and smaller dynamic. I mean come on, who has never been "steamrolled" as a child?

• Beer drinking - If you want something to make drinking beer seem more exciting, watch this movie. For an added bonus, try the Strange Brew drinking game while watching the movie.

• Repeat watchings – As with any favorite movie, Strange Brew lends itself to repeated watchings where subtleties and nuances that were previously overlooked can now be enjoyed. Strange Brew continues to grow on you the more times you watch it.

The positives could go on and on. Watch it yourself and see. Watch it all at once. Watch it in pieces. Watch it!!!!

I didn't think much of Strange Brew when I saw the opening sequence. Bob and Doug McKenzie were just stinking up the place with that movie-in-a-movie bit. But like any hoser, I was wrong, aye! (Note: after watching this movie, it takes a while to stop saying like...hoser...and aye in your sentences).

Every few years, a film puts together a classic comedy duo. Cheech and Chong, Bill and Ted, Beavis and Butthead, Wayne and Garth (to which Bob and Doug McKenzie most resemble, aye), and the McKenzie brothers are one of them.

The story resembles the movie Surf II (which I recommend if you like this one--it is a movie about a bunch of dumb surfers who haphazardly are the target of a nerd's evil plot to make evil, but popular cola drinks for unsuspecting consumers). Bob and Doug McKenzie, confront a similar misadventure as they are on the quest to get a case of free beer from their local brewery based on fabricated reports of a mouse being found in their beer. Soon, however, they are hired by the brewery, and are unwittingly the vehicles for the brewery's plan to create a beer who's drinkers obey the creator's every command. And like every bumbling, but good hearted duo, it is their unwitting mishaps that put an end to the fiendish plans of their unknown nemesis. It is non-stop humor as the two childish beer lover McKenzie brothers navigate their way through the story. No wonder it has turned into a classic and one that has borrowed on by many other teams of comedic imbeciles (like Half Baked).

Like give into the dark side, you nop!

My friend and I took a two day road trip to Canada. Windsor to be exact. We went there to drink, meet Canadian chicks and drink some more. After having a taste of Canada we've come to the final conclusion that the movie Strange Brew is not a comedy. It is a documentary on Canadian culture! The use of the word "eh".....true. It's not just a stereotyping of Canadian people. The beer stores with the conveyer belts......true! Endless donut shops as far as the eye can see........true! The obssesive love of back bacon.......true. It's true, it's all true!!!! I talked to locals, I visited The Beer Store, I went into Canadian bars. It's a documentary TRUST ME!

This film can only be endured drunk.

It's not funny, just stupid.

The plot does not exist and there is no message.

The movie is just rubbish!

I don't see how anyone can dislike this movie. It is laugh out loud fun from beginning to end and there is not a single scene that is not hilarious. This team sure shows what a positive affect alcohol has on Canadian comedians. I would have to say this is the best movie ever made and I give it an A++ for effort, hilarity, and genius, eh. The reason it is so great is that it is incomparable to any other movie of its comedy genre. It is a journey into the world of two brothers who have never been apart, and their adventures. While trying to get beer for their father, they stumble upon Elsinore Brewery, and get jobs checking for rodents in the bottles. While there, they discover some strange things are happening at the brewery. It is a must see for all ages.