Product Details

• Actors: Paul Reiser, Robert Townsend, Scott McGinnis, Rick Overton, Paul Provenza
• Directors: Mark Story
• Writers: Peter Wortmann, Robert Conte
• Producers: Keith Rubinstein, Patricia Whitcher
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Hbo Home Video
• VHS Release Date: February 23, 1999
• Run Time: 88 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630193413X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #263,926 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Underrated comedy...RELEASE IT ON DVD!!!, February 20, 2003

By 

Mike Marino (Franklin, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Odd Jobs [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This video came out in theatres in January 1985, but only made it to video in 1999...and is YET to be released on DVD. This situation needs to be fixed and SOON!

On to the review. First, the cast list...a very young Paul Reiser, Robert Townshend, Julianne Phillips, Rick Overton, Richard Dean Anderson (McGyver!), Scott McGinnis and Paul Provenza. A great collection of comics and actors that seem to keep popping up in TV/Movies pretty frequently.

The movie is about a group of college buddies and what they're going to do over the summer, namely work. They start out as waiters, caddies, nuclear vacuum cleaner salesman, and movers. Of course, all of these fall apart and Max (Reiser) decides to start his own business...Maximum Moving ("Max...M-A-X...that's me..."). Max learns a little about life and moving from Wylie (Leo Burmeister), who decides that Max is a "tutti-frutti" name and states, "From now on, your name is CHUCK". Max hits the road with Wylie while working for Cabrizzi Bros moving, a company who doubles as a car theft ring. Once Max and his buddies go into business for themselves and steal some of the Cabrizzi's business, things get destroyed in short order.

The story is okay. The scenes along the way are hilarious. Some of the highlights:

--Woody isn't called Woody because of the toothpick

--Bryon lives with Dwight (Townshend) and decides he wants to fit in by talking about his parents "serious crib", grits that are actually Rice Crispies "snap crackle and pop rockin in my bowl...they spinnin on their heads". Then dons an afro wig at the dinner table.

--Dwight and Bryon work as caddies and insist an extremely elderly man who whiffs on a tee shot and throws his club through several car windows "...really has his sh** together"

--Roy visits a backwoods redneck family to sell them the Monty 2000, a nuclear vacumm cleaner. This is easily the funniest scene from the movie, a classic!

--Any scene with Wylie trying to "make Max a man!"

--Any moving scene with that "Body by Jake" guy...one in particular where he's moving a desk and pushing Max along with it..."heeeeeey, you're a pretty strong guy...you lift weights?"

Those are the highlights that I can recall off the top of my head after watching this movie dozens of times. This is one that you and your friends will revisit over and over...many of my college buddies still call each other "Chuck" because of this movie.

One more time. PUT THE DAMN THING OUT ON DVD ALREADY!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorite obscure movies!, May 30, 2007

By 

Todd Bovair (Wynantskill, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Odd Jobs (DVD)

Let me start this off by saying Odd Jobs in NOT a film for everybody. If you like very wacky comedies and don't mind your humor being dumb, you may enjoy Odd Jobs. The charm of the film is difficult to describe, as the story is rather absurd, the situations are ridiculous, the writing is unsophisticated, and the characters are one-dimensional. Put all those together in this right combination though, and you get a very funny and memorable movie. The hightlights of Odd Jobs are Jake Steinfeld (the Body By Jake guy) as a villanous yet funny henchman, and Leo Burmeister as Wylie, a redneck greasy trucker with a heart of gold. The cast of comedians each has a distinct character, and each has several funny scenes to shine in.
If you like Monty Python wackiness, and you like Airplane! type dumb yet funny comedy, give Odd Jobs a try. You may find a hidden comedy treasure.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Old School Funny, July 30, 2011

By 

Darrell B. AIA "Architect" (MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Odd Jobs (DVD)

Not the funniest movie, but still a good laugh; especially considering it cost me about $5 including the shipping. I remember seeing this when Robert Townsend was still in front of the camera instead of behind it.

You have to love seeing Jake [yes the Body by Jake guy] running around in a french maid get-up and laughing his little weaselly laugh he does throughout this movie. And the entire scene that is a spoof on "Deliverance" is worth the price of admission alone!

I would still give this a 7.5 out of 10.