Customer Reviews

Cabin Boy [VHS]

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Honestly... the older I get, and the more views I give this flick... the funnier it gets. I've been fan of Elliott's since "Get A Life" and by the time I saw this film, any hope of anyone even knowing who he was, was long gone. But it didn't matter. I struggled through my first viewing thinking, "wow, this movie sucks hard," but for some reason still decided to watch it again. That's Elliott's charm/magic... you don't really get him, sometimes he even annoys you, but you just wanna give him another go. So... 5, 6, 14 viewings later... I get it! I get it every time now! I get a little more each and every time now! Honestly... even my girlfiend didn't want to like this and she was howling! It's about the subtleties... a funny glance, a funny dance, a flying, talking cupcake, or more than likely, a really good one-liner. Anyway... I'm rambling... watch this movie 2-3 times then enjoy!

The first time you watch this movie, you'll probably agree that it is pretty dumb, and from first glance seems like its only intent is cheap laughs and one-liners. When I first saw it, that's pretty much how I pictured it as well. It really didn't seem to have much depth besides the occasional imperceptive joke. Then, I watched it again and the entire point started to slowly unfold. The comedy of this movie is not found in jokes or funny scenes (though these do add to it), but in the plot and characters themselves. This is probably the single biggest reason people consider this movie useless; they don't see past the jokes. The real humor lies in the main character Nathaniel's personality and lifestyle. Nathaniel Mayweather is a resident at the finishing school for young gentlemen, where he puts everyone around him in a terrible mood on a daily basis and yet is able to keep his feminine "Fancy Lad" qualities and gentleman like lifestyle, i.e. powdering his bottom and listening to his dancing ballerina music box before he goes to bed. Ok, I would agree that it does sound pretty childish and immature. But the way it is acted out and all of the subtle things Chris Elliott does to pull it off make it awesome, and even after watching it many times I always find new things that he does that just crack me up. With this kind of comedy, you either get it or you don't. It's as simple as that.
So, to put my theories into action, I had my brother watch the movie and tell me what he thought about it. John, it's pretty safe to say, is not big into stupidity. The first time he saw it, he had a look of pure disgust on his face. As I said before, the jokes and "obvious comedy" about it are pretty dumb. So, later that month, I made him watch it with me again, this time pointing out some of the subtleties that I thought made it great. This time, I noticed a few more laughs than before, and even a couple impressions from the last time he saw it. By the third viewing, he was all over it. To get my brother to enjoy something that has no value or just bad jokes is almost impossible, and by getting him to look past that aspect of it and see into it more, he found a very laudable experience to be had and enjoys watching it to this day. So, in conclusion, if you're interested in trying to explore a new depth of comedy, this is really a great movie to try. Just make sure you watch it more than once. If you don't, you're in for a terrible surprise...

When I first saw this film in a theater with a broken heater suffering through a 103 degree fever, I believed that it was either a twisted flu triggered dream or one of the most delightfully insane films ever made. After all, could I attribute the presence of a mermaid Russ Tamblyn and a tabacco chewing talking cupcake to anything other than my own cooking brain. It seems that the filmmakers were under the same spell when they made this delightfully hilarious - yet horridly absurd film that has seemed to attract a legion of followers (and an equally strong army of detractors). Showcasing the talent of former Late Night with David Letterman regular Chris Elliot - fresh from the mixed success of his sitcom Get a Life (which managed to survive at Fox until a new head of programming decided he hated the show and vowed to cancel it despite decent ratings in even the worst time slots) - brought his charm to the big screen as a "fancy lad" who signs on as a cabin boy on a ship of crusty seamen after he manages to get the regular cabin boy (a great cameo by Conan O'Brien's own Andy Richter) knocked overboard and killed. Hilarity ensues as Elliot manages to upset the crew in every way imaginable - with absurd results. Full of cameos from favorites like David Letterman and Ann Magnuson - the film coasts through its 80+ minutes with ease, never stopping to try and take itself seriously. Full of extraneous bits of absurd humor and anachronisms galore - the film is like a live action episode of The Simpsons. While most Hollywood films pretend to try and make sense, its nice to have a film like Cabin Boy that completely defies sense. And Chris Elliot is so affable an actor that he manages to bring humor to even the most unfunny scenes. This is one comedy that grows in my esteem with each viewing and I never fail to find something new to laugh at.

This twisted little adventure tale is either a full-sail comedy classic or a rudderless shipwreck, depending on your opinion of star Chris Elliott, the only true heir to the late Andy Kaufman. Like Kaufman before him, Elliott's comedic ouvre is something you "get", or you don't (before I am accused of being a snob, let me freely admit that there are comedians I don't "get": Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler and George W. Bush). The man who gave us "FDR: The One-Man Show" embarks on a rollicking voyage through a sea of Irony when his "fancy lad" books passage on the barely seaworthy "Filthy Whore". Brian Doyle-Murray (who played Elliott's crusty landlord on his short-lived Fox TV series) is memorable as the fishing boat's captain. Great cameos by "Tumblin'" Russ Tamblyn (as a Mer-Man!) and Ann Magnuson as the sex-starved, multi-limbed wife of a cranky ogre. Crew member Brion James (who you may recognize as one of the replicants in "Blade Runner") gets to deliver the movie's best line: "Oh-purple lightning. THAT'S always a good sign." Don't throw this one back!

Chris Elliott first gained national recognition as a writer and featured player on "Late Night with David Letterman". He parlayed his success there with the cult series "Get A Life" playing a thirty year old paperboy. Though the series had a loyal following it was usually dead last in the ratings. To this day Elliott is still playing the man-child most recently with a recurring role on the now defunct "Everybody Loves Raymond". The question to be asked is how did Elliott land a starring role in a film with a decidedly offbeat premise? Well, it helps if one of the producers of said project is Tim Burton coming of the success of the "Batman" films and "Edward Scissorhands". So what can you say about "Cabin Boy" itself? I think your enjoyment of the film depends on your threshold for Elliott's askewed persona. As far as I'm concerned how can you dislike a film that contains sharkmen, menacing human icebergs, and eight-armed women who initiate green cabin boys into the rites of manhood? The film had me hooked.

Ya gotta love this. I mean, really. Just the short scene with David Letterman (uncredited) alone is worth it. "Wouldja like to buy a monkey?" This is one of my all-time favorite comedy lines in any movie. You watch Dave and Chris do the back and forth thing and I promise if you don't tinkle in your trousers from guffawing, I will personally send you a Laugh-A-Gram. (OK, maybe not, but I mean, seriously. This is VERY funny stuff.)

Chris casts himself perfectly as an obnoxious "fancy lad" in some snobby boarding school, complete with wig, short pants, shiny shoes, and upper crustean attitude that, right from the beginning, is ripe for complete hilarity. When his dad (whom we finally see near the end of the film, and played by Chris' real-life father, Ray Elliot, of the famous Bob and Ray duo from years ago) leaves him a big chunka inheritance dough, he has to take a fancy ship to sail to Hawaii to claim it.

Unfortunately, owing to his doofish intellect, he boards the wrong ship and is confronted by the sorriest bunch of sea dogs in the known universe, played for broad laughs by Brion James, Brian Doyle-Murray (Bill Murray's bro), James Gammon, and Rich Brinkley as the Cap. Ricki Lake is the silent bowsprit maiden wooden ornament kinda thing; the ship's name--wouldncha know it?--is the Filthy Whore. Groan.

Lots of really funny stuff here and some nifty cameos and smaller roles--by Anne Magnuson, Mike Starr, Russ Tamblyn (formerly of West Side Story), a walking iceberg, and a flying cupcake. Don't ask.

There's even a love story, and you also get to see Chris fight a giant shoe salesman. Yep, that's right.

Whenever I just HAVE to laugh, I put this one on. Works every time. Guaranteed.

Chris Elliot is the greatest comic of our day and this truly is HIS "Boyz in tha Hood." After a longer than expected run on "Get a Life" a thought it would be impossibe for Chris to out-do himself. Cabin Boy has something new each time you see it. I missed the floating cupcake the first 3 times! This movie changes my life.

This film isn't likely to crack anyone's Top 25 list, but it's a riot nonetheless. Effectively a montage of skits, most of which work, the film is a sort of twisted version of The Odyssey, starring Chris Elliot as a snooty Fancy Lad who accidentally ships port on a crude fishing boat instead of his chartered luxury cruiser. Lessons in humility and surreality abound, including a truly spectacular "outward watch" period when Elliot, half mad with exposure, meets a flying cupcake that spits tobacco juice. This is probably one of the best DVD deals I've seen here for the price, and I recommend you check it out.

This movie is funny, although at times to strange for me. I was intrigued to see it because someone I know encouraged me to. I thought it was pretty funny, for example a part where I laughed might have been seeing the little "fish stick kitties". Charki (or Sharky, whatever they call him) was pretty comical too, although he didnt even talk, just the appearance of him himself was pretty funny. I do admit I laughed. Yet it was mostly a very weird ( or you could say silly) storyline, which leads my score down a bit for the movie from the top rank 5 stars to 3. I guess that it is just a movie that you kinda' like, like, or don't like at all. I will just put it that way.

"We're just here to catch fish and stink," says one fisherman. "Mostly the latter," adds another.
This is quite simply one of the most sublimely stupid films ever made.