KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE
Theatrical Release: August 1977... This movie's older than ME!
Genre: Comedy
Sub-genre: Some would call it "screwball comedy" but I think that's degrading. Do you have any idea how hard it is to make people laugh consistently? Surely, you don't!... Now say the rest to yourself... Go ahead... You're already saying it...
Starring: A bunch of no-names! Unless you count the Zucker brothers or Jim Abrahams, which I doubt you would. Who the hell are they, right? I'll get to that... Also: bonus cameo by Donald Sutherland as the world's worst waiter to bring you a sheet cake.
The overview: This movie is just a random hodge-podge of skits thrown together with nothing linking them, no common theme, no overlapping jokes, no rhythm, reason, purpose, or sense of direction is ever shown in this film. And it's perfect that way. The Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams have brought you some of the best movies you've ever seen. Movies like Airplane!, The Naked Gun series, Top Secret!, and Hot Shots! I'm only just now noticing, as I type this out, that the majority of their movies end in an exclamation point (!). That might be just one more inside joke they like to incorporate into their films. In this movie, skits range from a 10-second blurb of a newscaster saying weird to a full half hour long kung fu mini-movie. I won't give away all the details of each individual skit, that would just suck for you and, really, why would you rent it after that? So, in chronological order... (cuz I'm a sucker for lists in chronological order! Cuz I'm a rebel.)
- The Argon Oil public relations mini-infomercial - Some predictable burper-and-farter jokes. Eerily parallels modern problems with oil companies.
- A.M. Today - A gorilla goes apeshit on the set of a morning talk show. Pun intended. Demonstrates the proper way to get rid of your hamster.
- The 11 O'Clock News guy - Sprinkled throughout the movie, he's good for a chuckle.
- Catholic High School Girls In Trouble - Again, just shot after shot of boobs and naked asses. But this was in the good ol' days before implants and collagen made all Hollywood girls' boobs a mile apart and their mouths look like duck bills. I'm looking right at you, Lisa Rinna, aka: the chick who used to play Billie on Days Of Our Lives in the mid-90's.
- Feel-A-Round - Kinda funny, worth a laugh or two.
- High Adventure - You get a feel for things to come in the future from the Zuckers during this one. The boom mike seems to take on a life of it's own, gradually, so it's not trying too hard for the laugh. The MAJOR difference between the Zucker films and the moronic screwball comedies of today (i.e., Scary Movie, Date Movie, Epic Movie, ugh...) is the level of intelligence the film-makers perceive their audiences have. In this skit, the microphone gradually becomes more and more animated, interacting with the actors more over time, but the actors continue to play it straight, as if "What microphone? That? That's just a nuisance." Now if the same gag were tried in, say, one the retardedly named "Movie" movies, the microphone would either turn into a giant dildo that keeps forcing itself in the actors mouths, or it would instantly gravitate to their ass in order to amplify -- you guessed it! -- a fart. I get enough low brow, Larry The Cable Guy jokes as it is, living in Nebraska and all. I don't wanna be entertained by a dick joke or a pubic hair joke or anything involving diarrhea. Essentially this skit is the antithesis of those lame movies, while still managing to be grouped in with that genre.
- Let's Have Sex (on LP) - Has my favorite line in this movie and the best twist for a laugh. The line is delivered by the voice over on the record walking a young couple thru, apparently, their first sexual encounter together. It's very clinical and mundane and then the voiceover says, "If the woman is so inclined, she may now take this opportunity to grab onto the man's honker." Awesomely, stupidly hilarious. And I'll leave the Big Jim Slade joke for you to see.
- Courtroom - This one shows a LOT of what the Zucker brothers will bring in the years to come. Again, watch for the humor that doesn't force itself at you. Pay attention to the court stenographer. Anyone who's a fan of Airplane! will recognize him instantly ("And Leon's getting laaaarrrgggeerr!"). There are a few predictable jokes in here but some unexpected ones and this marks, to my knowledge, the first appearance of Catherine Zucker, the brothers' mother. She's been in every movie they've ever done -- in Airplane!, she was the lady in the bathroom, trying to put makeup on for the duration of the flight and in The Naked Gun!, she was the secretary who tried to kill Mr. Papshmeer (hehehe)...
- Danger Seekers - A bit of a long setup but worth it. The genius of the Zucker brothers is evident here: the joke is delivered with just one word, and it's kinda edgy. Guy looks like Super Dave Osborne. Don't try this at home.
- Eyewitness News - Starts off kinda normal, degenerates into screaming, howling, falling all over each other, and dry-humping of a news anchor. Pretty funny, pretty hot.
As I mentioned earlier, you don't see many movies from others who try this genre out that succeed. For every Hot Shots! or Airplane!, there are a dozen other Dracula: Dead And Loving It's or National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1. Mel Brooks is a pretty close match, but he's a genius of another kind altogether. This is the kind of movie you have to pay attention to in order to get every last joke. If you're laughing too hard in one scene, you might miss the subtle sight joke going on in the background. These movies get funnier every time you watch them and if I hadn't already returned the disc, I'd probably watch it again tonite. Do yourself a favor and rent this movie if you're a guy. Your wife might not enjoy it but how many crappy Lifetime movies do you have to sit thru for her? And did she make you watch The Notebook yet?! How about Steel Magnolias?! Fortunately, I gots me a cool wife and she thought it was funny AND she rarely makes me sit through her Chick Flicks. She's also agreed to watch Mr. Show with me... Enjoy the movie!
Best Scene: My wife might get at mad at me but Catholic High School Girls In Trouble was almost completely gratuitous boob shots. I think my sister hated this movie for this one skit alone. But I think the funniest scene is in A Fistful Of Yen, when he's "sneaking" thru the enemy hideout, ninja style, and knocking over shelves with souvenir glass ashtrays and the guard is about 3 feet away and he's just as oblivious as can be.
Overall: 8 out of 10 - Some predictable jokes but a great deal more UNpredictable. I like the jumping skits format. This seems like a stream-of-consciousness film from three genuinely funny people. I would even buy this movie.
What my wife said: "What a very strange yet comical clusterfuck."
Who would enjoy this movie: People who like dirty jokes and beer. Possibly Colonel Sanders.
Watch it if you like: Airplane!; Mr. Show; Monty Python
Next In My Netflix Q: Just in time for Thanksgiving, the best movie ever for Turkey Day: Planes, Trains, And Automobiles!
**Thanks to Google, Wikipedia, and IMDb for various reference sources**
Yes, one cannot go wrong with Catholic High School Girls in Trouble and the, um, talents of Uschi Digart therein. One day I want to watch Kentucky Fried back to back with Amazon Women on the Moon.
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