MGM, Rated PG-13
Directed by Bob Saget
Written by Norm MacDonald & Frank Sebastiano & Fred Wolf
If one were to poke fun at movie advertisements (like The Naked Gun 2 1/2 did a while back) that feature quotes from critics praising the film and instead show a bunch of quotes panning the film (which I think I remember actually being done but the movie that did it escapes me), they might look like this:
" ... a stupid lowdown vulgar comedy. ...
[Don] Ohlmeyer was right."
-- Bob Graham, The San Francisco Chronicle
" ... it's the cinematic equivalent of
rolling in a pile of steaming excrement."
-- Kevin Maynard, Mr. Showbiz
"There isn't a single glimmer of
intelligence ... It's a must-miss movie."
-- Cate McQuaid, The Boston Globe
"The alleged comic's delivery is the verbal
equivalent of Sominex."
-- Larry Worth, The New York Post
" ... the only thing roused by "Dirty Work"
... is the suspicion that sleeping pills
have been administered to most of the cast
..."
-- Lawrence Van Gelder, The New York Times
" ... Macdonald can't carry the film ..."
-- E! Online
"[Macdonald is] a Not Ready For Movietime
Player."
-- Peter Howel, The Toronto Star
" ... the best way to get revenge on someone
... is to force them to sit through this
movie ... "
-- David Kronke, The Los Angeles Times
" ... an embarrassingly bland comic
failure."
-- Matt Williams, Cinematter
However, these are all real quotes from various reviews of Dirty Work, SNL alum Norm MacDonald's feature debut. It's also taken a spanking at the box office. In one of the few times I've actually agreed with Howard Stern, I thought that MacDonald was the best reason to stay up an watch "Saturday Night Live" during his all-too-short run on the show. Almost every one of his appearances was hilarious, especially when he anchored "Weekend Update." Now, having been fired from that by NBC president Don Ohlmeyer, he seeks his revenge in a comedy about a guy who, uh, seeks revenge.
MacDonald plays Mitch, a guy who can't seem to get a break in life, but at least has his wit to get him by in life (and oftentimes, beaten up). He and his pal Sam (Artie Lange), having failed at every job decide to make money by doing what they do best: getting back at those who done 'em wrong. Except they'll be paid to get revenge for others.
Critics lambasted MacDonald's acting, but the fact of the matter is, that half-hearted jokiness is part of his act. And in the scenes where he's reacting to someone else, he's actually quite good for his first real movie, he exceeded my (admittedly low) expectations anyway.
A lot of the humor is in the vein of the Farrelly brothers, who wrote Dumb and Dumber, as well as the envelope-pushing Kingpin. It's mostly shocks. And prostitutes. The running gag of prostitution can get tiresome, but the fact that it's overdone is also a gag, as Mitch later refers to his "loyal army of prostitutes." There are so many little funny moments in this movie, and at least 90% of the jokes work, which is more than you can say for a lot of modern comedies. One scene in a house owned by a mob is classic Norm MacDonald as he holds the same expression for what seems like a full minute as something horrific goes on in the next room. And the mere idea of mass hallucinations about Gary Coleman is nothing short of comic genius.
Chris Farley's final performance is actually somewhat of a departure from his starring roles playing something besides a fat slob and giving his all to the part the way Farley always did. I now think that he may have been more respected if he had only taken supporting roles. And perhaps the same is true for Norm, but the movie is short enough that you don't really have time to tire of him (unlike Jim Carrey in his just-as-short Ace Ventura films), maybe since MacDonald's energy level is so low.
Bob Saget's direction is nothing special, but after Full House and America's Funniest Home Videos, he must have been itching to do some of the raunchiest material he could find. If that's true, he succeeded here, I even noticed a few possible cut pieces of dialogue which kept the movie below an R rating. Lange is OK as the sidekick, and the other countless (mostly SNL-related) cameos range from hilarious to head-scratchingly pointless. Sure, Dirty Work is far from perfect, but bad? Reserve that review for a truly laughless comedy like Major League: Back to the Minors. ***
Back to the main page
