‘Catch a fallen star and put it in your pocket…’
And so, falling on some sad times recently, has led me to go on a Chris Farley and Norm Macdonald binge, and I’ve decided to rank these experiences for you today. All of these movies, I’d never seen before, except for Tommy Boy, but that was so recently in my adult years, that it hasn’t had time to seep into my membrane as a beloved movie for me. And with all these movies, looking at the Rotten Tomatoes ratings, and reading Wikipedia Reception entries as I went, you come across the term ‘low-brow’ quite often in describing their comedy, and although it’s all very true, I couldn’t find myself hating on any of it – as a combined average, these movies aren’t good, but I had fun with them all, and as a massive fan of Adam Sandler’s Billy Madison, I can visualise the type of comedic hit these movies were aiming to make. More outwardly, I’ve been toying with the concept of ranking older movies for a while, thinking I’d start with something related to Disney, or Spielberg, or the Coen Brothers. But here we are, and I’m excited to feel out this new project.
There are six movies in the Retro Ranking mixer today: Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Beverly Hills Ninja, Almost Heroes, Dirty Work & Screwed. These are all the movies starring Chris Farley or Norm Macdonald in a leading role. I was young when Farley hit the scene, and therefore late to embrace the comedic energy of Farley during his height in the nineties. But Macdonald’s passing last year was sad for me, and I have spent a fair few quiet moments watching that old chunk of coal’s greatest hits on YouTube – what a legend.
Let’s Rank:
1 – Tommy Boy
Directed by: Peter Segal
Written by: Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner & Fred Wolf
Rotten Tomatoes: 41%
No doubt bolstered in my mind as the movie best associated with Chris Farley cracking into cinema, it’s on a second run through that I understand the entire vibe of Farley far better. Tommy Boy is worthy of appreciation for honest characterisation, comedy, and story, if only compared to the other content on this list.
3.5
2 – Dirty Work
Directed by: Bob Saget
Written by: Frank Sebastiano, Norm Macdonald & Fred Wolf
Rotten Tomatoes: 14%
Wikipedia says critics described this movie’s plot as ‘scattershot’ – well, that’s true, but it’s also funny as hell! Apparently, Bob Saget and Norm Macdonald are on record saying that Dirty Work was supposed to be an R-rated comedy, but the study made them cut it down to be PG instead (and don’t you hate hearing stories like that?). Despite Dirty Work’s low rating, Kevin Hart has also stated this is one of his favourite movies of all time. There’s some signature Norm Macdonald content here, and Farley makes a delightful casual appearance – RIP.
3.0
3 – Screwed
Directed by: Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski
Written by: Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski
Rotten Tomatoes: 10%
For the first half, I just wished it were funnier. And who is actress Elaine Strich? Should I have heard of her? She is very good at being a cruel old biddy. Screwed is plot-heavy, and gets wackier and wackier. For the leading duo, of Norm Macdonald and Dave Chappelle, and with the further talent on show (including Sarah Silverman and Danny DeVito), I’m sure the movie might agree in hindsight, that if it’s stars were looser, held the same confidence in the culture as they do today, then Screwed could’ve been more hilarious, and separated itself from other outlandish capers like Fargo and The Big Lebowksi, where it could proudly stand alone. But, I’d rather watch the Coen’s work.
3.0
4 – Almost Heroes
Directed by: Christopher Guest
Written by: Mark Nutter, Tom Wolfe, & Boyd Hale
Rotten Tomatoes: 5%
It certainly has its major flat spots, but it’s a good vehicle for Chris Farley, as an explosive and unhinged nature expert, sharing the workload on screen with a straight and smarmy Matthew Perry, which is an improvement on the movie that came before this for Farley, Beverly Hills Ninja. My expectations were low based on the critics score, but I laughed more than a few times, and it’s quite clever in parts. I could see this being remade, and beefed up with faster pacing and better editing. Eugene Levy is a scene-stealer. I’ve got to rewatch Year One, to see how these comedies compare.
2.5
5 – Black Sheep
Directed by: Penelope Spheeris
Written by: Fred Wolf
Rotten Tomatoes: 28%
Oh, there’s the nexus of a good story here. Acting as a showcase for Chris Farley, sure, enjoy, but just imagine if the resulting movie was funnier overall. For me, Black Sheep only further highlights how lucky we are, those that adore SNL alum comedies like Wayne’s World and Billy Madison, because they could’ve all been like this – joke to joke, without much care in between. In fact, Penelope Spheeris directed Wayne’s World, The Beverly Hillbillies and The Little Rascals before this; three movies I love from my childhood, so this is literally the… (don’t say it) …black sheep.
2.0
6 – Beverly Hills Ninja
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
Written by: Mark Feldberg & Mitch Klebanoff
Rotten Tomatoes: 14%
This movie is buffoonery. Tepid childish buffoonery. And if you’re in the mood to shut off your brain and maybe lose a few brain cells, why not let the white ninja guide the way. Beverly Hills Ninja scrambles for ideas so hard, that it even tries to ride shotgun with Tommy Boy, giving Farley a new catchphrase of ‘Holy Shinto’, replacing ‘Holy Schnike’. You have to suspend your disbelief further with Beverly Hills Ninja than you do with Kungfu Panda, and one’s a cartoon.
1.5
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To the people out there, have you seen any of these movies? Have you seen all of them? Which movies on this list are special to you? Which have you had to scrape off the bottom of your shoe? Thankfully, I’m know Chris Farley and Norm Macdonald will be remembered beyond just their movie careers; they’ll be remembered for vans down the river and ‘Board’s spelt B-O-R-E-D. Thanks for coming along down the road of this little experiment with me.
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