Plot: What’s it about?
Well it’s about damn time! Finally, after years of waiting the cult classic Strange Brew is finally on DVD. Those crazy Canucks (Canadians) made their motion picture debut some twenty years ago and the film has been a favorite of mine ever since. Bob and Doug McKenzie (Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas respectively) had their own skit on the popular SCTV (Second City Television) which has produced such comics as Harold Ramis, John Candy and Dan Ackroyd just to name a few. Years after they had all gone onto Saturday Night Live, or Hollywood, the show was still kicking and this little-known pair had somewhat of a cult following. Naturally, it wasn’t until their feature film that most of the world was introduced to the talents of Bob and Doug McKenzie. Rick Moranis (Bob) went onto more immediate fame with his roles in Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, My Blue Heaven and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. But let’s not forget Dave Thomas (not the founder of Wendy’s, in case anyone was wondering) who has continued to make me laugh throughout all the years.
The story starts simple enough as we’re introduced to the guys on their show. It turns out that it’s actually "art imitating life" when the film isn’t that well-received by the audience. As fate would have it, Bob and Doug McKenzie are essentially two normal people who spend their days trying to get free beer. After a failed attempt to get a case at a local liquor store, they get jobs at Elsinore Brewery where they’re assigned to look for mice in bottles of beer (they got the job after they brought their scheme into the brewery and convinced them that this was actually happening). However, there is something else that’s happening at Elsinore and the brewmaster (Max Von Sydow) is trying to drug the beer so that he can have complete control over everyone who drinks it. This scene is best illustrated during an offbeat hockey match.
Bob and Doug find out about the scheme (well, sort of…) and as fate would have it, their lives are now in danger. The daughter of the now deceased President, Pamela, has befriended them and they’re all trying to stop the spread of what could become the end of humanity! This movie is best watched, well…when drinking, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas not only wrote, but Directed the film as well and that might be why it plays so well. The humor is juvenile and if you try to approach the film from a critical point of view, you’ll most likely be let down. The movie doesn’t try to make any sort of statement, but it just has fun watching the characters having a good time. If you can suspend your disbelief for 90 minutes (and you have a few Elsinore’s in the fridge) you’ll have a great time watching this now classic movie. Highly recommended.
Video: How does it look?
Odds are that Bob and Doug McKenzie never envisioned their work as something that would one day be broadcast in "anamorphic widescreen". Well, the wait is over and we finally have a widescreen version of the film. I do have a minor complaint, though…Warner has a specific language for their films that are either standard (full-frame), 1.85:1 and 2.35:1. Through experience, I have found that movies that are in 2.35:1 have this "disclaimer" on the bottom of the back of the box.
“Widescreen version: Presented in a “Letterbox” format preserving the “Scope” aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition.”
Well, the movie is shot in 1.85:1 and it’s definitely not a 2.35:1 image. In any case, this is just most likely an oversight and the image, for the most part, looks pretty darn good all things considered. There is a lot of grain that I expected, but for the low budget origins of the film (now almost 20 years old) this looks good. Flesh tones are a bit muted as the bleak landscape of Canada tends to wash out the colors a bit. There is a slight bit of edge enhancement; but all things considered this is the best the film will ever look.
Audio: How does it sound?
A Dolby Surround mix is what’s supplied here and that’s essentially all you need. The jokes aren’t any more of less funny if they were presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. You’ll hear tons of "Eh’s?" and much, much more. There isn’t really any distortion to the mix at all and forget about subtle surround effects, because they aren’t there. In essence, this is a good mono mix that more than serves its purpose…to make us laugh!
Supplements: What are the extras?
While true die hard fans of the film will be let down at the lack of an audio commentary (how busy can Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas be these days), this has just enough to whet the whistle. The animated adventures of Bob and Doug McKenzie is a new cartoon (?) and an episode is presented here. Looking like the short-lived "Clerks" animated shorts, there’s no telling how long this will last. A sketch from SCTV "How to stuff a mouse in a beer bottle" is presented in its entirety. I won’t give away the ending, but let’s just say that they guys didn’t have to stretch their acting abilities too much for their big screen debut. Some cast and crew bios are also included as is the original theatrical trailer.
