Customer Reviews

Strange Brew

5 star:		(109)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Strange Brew follows the adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas respectively. The pair was created for the brilliant SCTV television show and the duo seamless took them to the big screen. The movie's plot revolves around an evil brewmeister (played deliciously by Max Von Sydow) who is concocting a potion that will allow him to control the minds of the people who drink it. The brothers unwittingly stumble onto the plan and with the help of the daughter of the late brewery owner and former hockey player, they foil the plans. Through it all Mr. Moranis and Mr. Thomas are absolutely hysterical. The film is actually the forerunner of such films like Wayne's World, The Coneheads and other Saturday Night Live films that took character sketches from the small screen to the movie screen. The big difference is that Strange Brew is well made, well written and still almost twenty years later, down right hilarious.

So, uh, good day, eh? Unless you're a complete hoser, you can't help but love Strange Brew, one of the funniest dumb movies ever made. My introduction to Bob and Doug McKenzie came in the form of their hit song, Take Off, which I thought was hilarious. Having created the McKenzie brothers on Canada's SCTV, it was only natural that Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis would further expand their comic empire by making a movie. Strange Brew is that film, and it really is hilarious. Most low-budget films with a mere farce of a plot would tank, but the boys from the Great White North strike gold - largely because the film's only real purpose is to give the boys an hour and a half to be Bob and Doug McKenzie. The real beauty part of it all, though, is the fact that the story actually plays off of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

When the lion burps instead of roars at the beginning of a film, you know you're in for a different kind of viewing experience. Those unfamiliar with the classic McKenzie television skits may well wonder what the heck is going on at first, as you start out with Bob and Doug introducing a film they made about a nuclear holocaust. That film breaks (at which point we see Bob and Doug inside a crowded theatre full of disgruntled, quickly departing moviegoers), and that's when the real movie begins. Basically, the brothers have to get some beer, but they don't have any money. Trying to convince a clerk to give them free beer doesn't work, so they decide to head on up to Elsinore Brewery, the birthplace of their favorite beer, hoping the old mouse in a bottle trick can score them some free brewskis. They soon find themselves very unwittingly involved in a power struggle between the brewery founder's daughter and her lascivious uncle. The brewmeister is really calling the shots, however, and he's up to no good. If his plans succeed, he will make the beer so addictive that the whole world will do his bidding - that's the plan, anyway. Like most breweries, Elsinore has a mental institution connected to it, giving Brewmeister Smith (Max Von Sydow) a ready supply of test subjects. I'm a little vague on the intricacies of the whole thing, but the experimentation consists of using bad synthesizer music to compel mental patients to put on full body armor and play hockey. It sounds weird, but apparently that's the quick way to power and wealth in Canada. Even though they are completely clueless about basically everything going on around them and have no real skills apart from excessive beer-guzzling, Bob and Doug prove to be a thorn in the brewmeister's side, which puts the boys in danger. Are they smart enough to survive and save the world from the bad guys' evil plans? And, if they fail, what will become of their dog Hosehead, who is dependent on his own steady diet of beer?

It's basically impossible to explain the humor of Bob and Doug McKenzie. Any description of it would just make it sound extremely lame and moronic (actually, I guess it is lame and moronic), but Thomas and Moranis make for a formidable comic team when you see them in action. No line or plot device is too silly for these guys, and they constantly play off one another with perfect timing, unleashing one eminently quotable line after another. The humor doesn't stop with the end of the movie, either, as the boys are back to review their own film and to give us some insight on the movie-making business while the credits roll.

Of course, anyone who likes to put on intellectual airs will snub this movie to his dying breath, but we all know he's secretly laughing inside. This is just pure, unadulterated comedy, and it really is a beauty way to go. Whatever you do, don't take off before treating yourself to this comedy classic. You'll find yourself ending a lot of your sentences with eh? for the following few days, but that side effect isn't permanent unless you just keep re-watching the film and/or listening to the McKenzies' album on a daily basis.

Canadians always seem funnier than us uptight Americans because they can laugh at themselves and their idiosyncracies without offending any interest group other than uptight Canadians. They have Mike Meyers and the timeless Kids in the Hall for comedy; we have Carrot Top and "Family Guy." That being said, this film is utterly sophomoric. Almost twenty years later, it still keeps me laughing out loud at its absurd plot, silly jokes and barrage of references and inside jokes about Canadian culture. I went into this film already knowing a bit of Canada (I am a big hockey fan) and came out of this thinking that most NHL players like beer, back bacon & donuts as much as Bob & Doug McKenzie. And I loved every minute of it.
Hats off to the disc's producers for making the audio and video quality superior to the faded-out versions I've seen on cable TV and VHS. They also did an admirable job of including lots of extras on the disc. I've never seen SCTV, but a classic McKenzie Bros. sketch from the legendary show is included on this disc, as well as the film's trailer and a new animated short that includes Canada's favorite siblings since the Dionne quintuplets.
Perhaps this film rivals Caddyshack in having the greatest number of one-liners repeated over beers by white thirtysomethings. That alone should make it a cult classic of Canada you knobs!

Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis created one of the most hilarious and infamous skits of SCTV's considerable run with Bob & Doug McKenzie's "Great White North," essentially a mockery of Canadian infatuation with beer, donuts, and ridiculous slang. Viewers had no choice -- you either instantly hated the overblown Canadian accents and sophomoric jokes, or you fell in love with them.

In one of the most successful "skit-to-movie" transitions in film history (not that there's too much competition), Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis hit comic gold with 1983's "Strange Brew." Combining their characters' neverending desire for (terrible) Canadian beer with "Hamlet" and, apparently, a budget of $500 (Canadian), Thomas and Moranis relied on their clever script and comic timing to create one of those movies that's difficult to watch with die-hard fans, who inevitably shout out punch lines just before they occur in the movie. "Spinal Tap," "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," and "Blazing Saddles" have similarly devoted fans, and that's pretty high praise.

The magic in this movie lies in the two leads, Bob and Doug. Doug (Dave Thomas) is the intellectually challenged schemer, while Bob (Rick Moranis) is the even-more intellectually challenged one who gets talked into Doug's schemes . . . usually because there's free beer at the end. Thomas has one of those rubbery faces that can be twisted into a thousand hilarious contortions, while Moranis's Droopy-Dog mug perfectly captures his two expressions of confused anger and confused delight.

Injecting such verbal delights as "hoser," "knob," "take off, eh," and "beauty," into virtually every line of dialogue, Bob and Doug stumble into their dream job, working at the Elsinore Brewery. In a perfectly McKenzian silly plot development, the owner of the brewery has been murdered by his brother (Paul Dooley, most famous for playing Dad in "16 Candles"), who immediately marries his widow and turns the brewery over to Brewmeister Smith (Max Von Sydow, whose mere presence in the movie guarantees some laughs). Smith wants to use this out-of-the-way Canadian brewery as his tool for world domination (a natural fit, in the McKenzie's world), and it's up to Bob and Doug to stop him.

As you can tell, this completely ridiculous plot is a mere excuse to string a bunch of funny scenes together where Bob and Doug get to be, well, Bob and Doug. Always standing just to the side of the scene and commenting on it with their drunken Canadian common sense, these two deliver the goods.

The DVD gets so-so marks. Yes, it has the theatrical trailer for the movie, and a quick glossary of Canadian terms, and a teaser for an animated series about Bob and Doug, but the extras really aren't all that great. The sound's only so-so, but the low technical standards of the DVD actually work for the movie, which was a low-budget affair with incredibly cheesy special effects and synthesizer music (even by the low, low standards of the early 80's).

A hilarious comedy from start to finish, "Strange Brew" is even family friendly, with no nudity and none of George Carlin's "Seven Words You Cannot Say on TV." Be careful before you let your kids watch it, though -- if your kids ran around the house shouting "Ni! Ni!" after seeing Monty Python's "Holy Grail," be prepared for them to be shouting "hoser" and "take off" at each other while they try to steal Dad's beer for a few weeks after seeing "Strange Brew."

Sure, it'd be nice to have some commentary from the boys on this DVD, but this is one of those films that doesn't need it. Five stars for the flick all by its lonesome.

Our heroes go through their usual schtick in the flick, a couple of hosers who dork their way through a TV bit about the "Great White North" then think up a goofy scheme to get a free case of beer. They ultimately are sent to the brewery itself, which turns out to be a nearly deserted, spooky castle-like place, eh, with a very nice lady but a very mysterious and suspicious old guy played by Max Von Sydow. They luck into a pair of jobs at the brewery, one per hoser, and stumble across some pretty sinister shenanigans.

Take off, it is NOT stupid. Well, okay, it is kinda. But it's done with such style and charm that you can't help but love it. Heck, I don't even like beer or hockey and I think it's hilarious. Even has the voice of Mel Blanc as Mr. McKenzie, the dad. Perfect for these living cartoons.

For you viewers who collect films like "Dumb and Dumber" or similar shows, you've GOT to have this one. It's like the original, okay? No realism whatsoever and it doesn't matter. The laughs go straight to your heart. Even has a pretty nifty theme song. I'm outta here, I gotta go watch it again......

I'm giving this DVD a 4 as an average of two separate scores - 5 for the movie, 3 for the DVD treatment. This movie is a classic, a real cross of High-brow Hamlet and Low-brow Bob & Doug antics. It is extremely clever while at the same time appealing to burp and fart jokes.

However - it is criminal that this DVD was issued with no commentary track by the two stars. I'm dying to hear their comments on the film 20 years later. Most commentary tracks on DVDs are done two weeks after the movie hits the theater, in this case all the time passing would have made listening to the two of them reflect back on the film extremely interesting to hear. They just did Brother Bear, basically the same characters, so they are around and will work together. What's the deal?

This movie is my favorite of all time, but the DVD version does not add much compared to the VHS.

Pros: Widescreen format, so the edges of the picture aren't clipped; some bonus materials including an animated Bob and Doug short, a skit from SCTV, and cast info

Cons: less than perfect picture quality (the reds are really washed out); not enough bonus material (no deleted scenes or commentary) for hardcore hosers such as myself.

All in all, a perfunctory DVD release of a cult-classic that probably doesn't make much money for the studio, so they skimped on the possibilities. The movie itself gets 5 stars, but the release only 2 or 3 in my book.

(update 6/23/2004): I think the washed-out reds were a symptom of my TV. Watching it elsewhere, the color is fine.

Good Day eh and welcome to my movie review. I gave this movie 3 beers, eh. 3 beers and it looks good !
This is one of the all time classics. If you love beer, love hockey and think Canadians are all ... canucks, then this is the movie for you. Get some popcorn, beer and a jelly doughnut and enjoy, eh.

Turn to the dark side of the Force you hoser.

I have seen this movie over twenty times, and I still laugh at it! Bob and Doug (a.k.a. Dave and Rick) came up with a real winner when they put this one on the big screen. It is a good family comedy with no obscenities, nudity, or gory violence (unless you're opposed to hockey fights) that provides consistent laughs as you follow the McKenzie brothers in their quest to foil Brewmeister Smith's attempt to conquer the beer drinking world! So crack a couple of Canadians and enjoy the show! Eh?

A story about two Canadian guys who wind up saving the world when all they wanted was some free beer. Ingenious! I'm sure a lot of people will discourage against this movie just because it's so ridiculously silly, but that's half the fun. Strange Brew is just a lot of mindless enjoyment that, though not revolutionary, will surely promote a grand ol' time. It's like dragging the stupidity of Dumb and Dumber into Canada. However, unlike the Jim Carrey show, Strange Brew is nowhere near as offensive and crude. What makes this movie so funny is the goofy dialogue of the main characters and the outrageously silly obstacles they run into. Granted, the storyline is way too complex and complicated, but having two idiots caught in the middle of it develops the humor even more. What I have left to say is this: Strange Brew is a good, [fairly clean] movie that you'll be quoting for ages after you've seen it. This proves that movies don't have to be top of the line to be enjoyable.