Customer Reviews

I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood [VHS]

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If you loved the old Canadian comedy series called Second City TV, you'll love "I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood."

This all-new video features most of the cast (though there's no Andrea Martin, unfortunately!) and the comedy is the same: an exaggeration of all those TV/movie cliches you're kind of half aware of, but don't realize are so ridiculous until Martin and the gang bring it out.

As with the series, there's also the overlying gag that this is real television -- a special, put on to promote the career of a real semi-star, Martin Short. Lots of people won't get this, I'm afraid, since Short IS a real comedian, but if you're aware enough of TV's strange, separate kind of reality, the jokes are not only hilarious but also fascinating, sort of like Monty Python's versions of English history. Since the SCTV writers always stay in that twilight zone between "real" TV and satire, though, there are parts that a lot of people just won't get.

Martin starts out with a Woody Allen-type monologue (dropping Woody's name, of course, to show he's in with the movie crowd), gets philosophical a la Woody, and then takes us along to see the real Hollywood.

Among other things, we watch a short history of the man who inspired Short to go into acting (including a spoof of "The Wizard of Oz"); Jackie Robbins Jr. performing live on stage and resisting the temptation to compromise his Art; and a docu-clip about an actor who's just not making it in Hollywood for some reason (!).

We visit a bustling plastic surgeon's office and see him test a face for skin tightness (by bouncing a coin off it and measuring how many feet it travels) and where we catch a glimpse at one of his famous clients ("Make an appointment for Monday, Michael -- no reason that chin has to look that manly!"); and then go to a restaurant where the movie crowd hang out, where we meet Siskel and Ebert (Joe Flaherty and Dave Thomas), Ed Grimley (who's signing a high-powered contract, and has a Hickcockian sequence in the men's room), and lots of movie agents (Tracey Ullman is one).

At the end, Martin gives a private screening of this video to hundreds of his close personal friends at home. They think it's so-so. Martin's crushed, and his large Swedish wife (played by Kathleen O'Hara) tries to console him, but to no avail. Finally, an Oscar-type statue with Jerry Lewis's face and voice tells him to never give up trying to make it in Hollywood.

"I, Martin Short" is wit and satire at its highest level. There's also (unlike the otherwise brilliant Mike Myers' stuff) a minimal amount of sexual and scatalogical explicitness. If I had 3 wishes, one of them would be for the original SCTV programs to be made available on video -- not mangled, like "The Best of John Candy," (you wouldn't cut up "Abbey Road," would you?) but the whole, unedited shows.

what a film! as if one hour of my favorite actor was not enough, roles by joe flahrety, dave thomas, catherine o hera, cristopher guest, tracy ulman, and more made it more facinating plus it was direted by american pie father eugene levy and co-writtenby dick blassuci ( i am not sure how that is spelt, but i do know that he wrote for sctv).
from the opening song to the closing song of 'someday' i laghed my head off. he begins the film by talking about a conversation he was having with the famous woody allen and how he tried to defend his new home of hollywood wich had been insulted during the conversation wich is how the film begins.
martin takes us to visit his home theater which has changed a little ( it now reads sex sex sex ) and gives us a bio of a boyhood hero of his, we meet jackie roggers jr., lawrence orbach, a plastic sergeon, siskel and ebert and of course the famous ed grimly.
this act ( ed grimly ) was definatly the funniest. while considering whether or not he should market the ed grimly silencer to promote himself, ed goes into the bathroom, shortly after siskel and ebert enter and ebert dies of a suden heart attack. siskel realises that it would look like murder. he finds ed grimly, a witness, in a nearby tiolet ( litteraly in the tiolet ) and decides he has to shoot him and to silence the bullets he of course uses the ed grimly silencer. just as he is about to be shot, ed wakes up and descovers that it waqs all a dream. of course he decides to market a board game instead.
all in all i give this film a perfect rating. if you like sctv, saterday night live or just martin short in general, this film is a must get!

I have been looking for this video for 10 years! It was the funniest video I have ever seen in all of my life. Martin is at his best...from Ed Grimley to all of his wonderful characters. This is a one of a kind, laugh until you cry video.

Many times I've seen Martin Short in movie roles and he's been unable to really "show his stuff" comically. In this video, "Martin Short Goes Hollywood," he'll have you laughing till your sides ache. I saw this when it was an HBO original, and I've always remembered how funny it was and wished that I had a copy of it. I was SO glad to find that Amazon.com carried the video. You will be, too.

....It is non-stop, tears in your eyes, laughter. Anyone who loves Marty......this is a must have, and the cream of the crop. Too bad there was no Jiminy Glick back in those days!!! Get the gumdrops , and get ready to fall off your rocker.

I remember seeing this on HBO a long time ago and I swear I never saw anything so funny in my life. I thought I was going to die from laughing. It's worth the 10 bucks just to see Martin as a female that had too much plastic surgery.......and the rest is just as funny! I just ordered this video and can't wait to get it. One sad thing though, I really wish it was available on DVD, other than that, I'm psyched to get it!

I haven't seen this yet, but I love Martin Short and especially Ed Grimly, and would love to see this move!! But... I can't afford a $145 or whatever VHS (which is obsolete technology), even if one could be found! Please, Powers That Be, re-release this!

i've been looking for this thing for years - it's hilarious, just hilarious. my wife and i often remember it and wish we could find a copy, just so damn funny!!!