The Shipment

Start with an illegal shipment of super powered viagra called vigoroso. Mix in a couple New York gangsters, a Mexican smuggler, a small town Arizonan sheriff, and the sheriff's former girlfriend who just happens to be married to one of the gangsters. Add in some uniquely American gun humor. And you have a situation ripe for serious comedy. "The Shipment" delivers the goods and is a very amusing film. The basic situation is the the shipment of viagra gets waylaid. Not just once but many times. Sometimes the person in possession of the viagra doesn't even know he has it. Viagra, viagra, who has the viagra is the source of much of the fun. The gun humor blends in well and reinforces the basic theme. But the characterizations really sell this film. All are classical stock characters-almost cliches or caricatures. The sheriff (Matthew Modine) is a classic Gray Copper type. I kept expecting him to tip his hat to the ladies and say "yup" and "shucks mam." Robert Loggia again plays the classical aging retired godfather-a role he plays so well. Nicholas Tuturro plays the low class but high-ranking gangster in charge. Elizabeth Berkley is fine as the small town girl who left town for the big city only to learn that life was better in the small town. Complicating things is that she has feelings for the sheriff but is married to the gangster. What makes these characters interesting is that they are presented in a serious manner as if they were real people. No one mugs for the camera in this film. Given the basic permise for this film and its stock characters it would be easy to present it as a farce filled with low sexual humor. There are a few gross out scenes but they are thankfully few. Instead the story is presented in a serious manner. It is not a "Its a Mad Mad Mad Mad World imitation but fresh and enjoyable. Not a classic but worth the watch.

In Mexico, Jose is given $10,000 (plus more when he completes the job) to deliver "vigoroso" across the border. What is that? We are never told explicitly (actually, maybe we are; quotes from the movie show some of what was taken out for TV). But the hookers with Jose can see what it does, and they are impressed. We can't see because Jose has his back to the camera, but he is facing them.

You don't want to know how Jose transports the stuff.

In Paradise, Arizona, Dale has lost the race for sheriff. We first meet him out on a rural highway where he chases a trucker doing 92 and shows just what a bumbling idiot he is, while the confident trucker just smiles.

The new sheriff is Dale's good-looking nephew Mitch, a cattle rancher. (I should mention that Jose's disgusting secret involves cattle.) Mitch's old girlfriend Candy is coming to town for a wedding, and it's possible they will get together once again. Candy is not happy with her mobster husband Eddie, who is running for office in New York and can't risk losing the Catholic vote by getting a divorce. Eddie has business in Arizona as well; his Uncle Frank can never come back to New York (we're never told what offense he committed for such a dire punishment) so he is in Arizona, which he hates.

All of these seemingly unrelated plot lines intersect in a hilarious but violent and raunchy mess, which is nevertheless entertaining.

No one should watch this expecting good acting. Although Matthew Modine's sheriff/rancher shows a lot of intelligence and confidence. Elizabeth Berkley makes her "Saved by the Bell" performance look good, until close to the end when she is also strong and confident. Paul Rodriguez is the Latino Adam Sandler, but that's okay because he's fun. Michael Gray is funny as a hopelessly dense employee of Mitch's ranch. Robert Loggia actually comes close to doing a good job. I actually thought he was Vic Tayback because he sounds just like him.

This was fun. Just remember not to let the kids in the room, especially if it's not cleaned up for TV.

Well, I'm a huge fan and follower of Elizabeth Berkley. I bought this on DVD off of eBay for my boyfriends birthday. We sat down to watch it and it was so boring. I don't remember laughing once. It's only on for about an hour and half and it seemed to take forever to end. Elizabeth is great in this though. Maybe it's just because I'm a big Elizabeth Berkley fan though. If she wasn't in it I wouldn't have watched it but every time she came on my face lit up. Unfortunately even Elizabeth couldn't save this film. Just the overall story and awful comedy makes this a film you'd rather miss than waste an hour and a half of your life. It's a very forgetful film.

what happened to Mathew Modine's career??? i can still recall when he was considered an A list actor...

was it cutthroat island the final nail in the coffin of a once promising career??? wow, this guy must really hate Renny Harlin's guts...

This movie wants badly to be a comedy but fails to deliver any laughs, the characters are caricatures, and badly drawn ones at that ... but still what pains me the most is seeing Mr. Modine taking up on this kind of roles, next to actors so far away from his caliber, i mean at the time when he was making movies like BIRDIE he could never in his worst nightmares have imagined that in the future he would be acting in movies with a hick humping a cow that just had her anus stapled shut, and maybe whats even worst;next to Elizabeth Berkley!!!

A stolen shipment of Vigoroso, the mexican Viagra; a beautiful girl who is trying to rebuild her life and to leave her husband, a boss of the italian Mafia; a young sheriff who falls in love with his old sweetheart. This is the plot of "The Shipment", a country comedy located in small town of Paradise, Arizona. Despite its simply and classic story, the movie (directed by Alex Wright) has its fun moments: when Elizabeth Berkley (as Candy Porter), looking at a Vigoroso green pill, says: "What"s this? A mint candy?". Or when the girl enters the sheriff"s house and finds him completely naked. Or when the Vigoroso shipment ends up in THAT lake, at the final sequence... The cast offers some nice performances: by Matthew Modine as the sheriff of Paradise Valley, who still loves his old girlfriend; and by Elizabeth Berkley, who"s character still loves her old boyfriend... The supporting cast, including Nicholas Turturro, Paul Rodriguez (as the mexican Josè) and G Michael Gray (what kind of teeth...), makes a pleasant work, too. Not an Oscar material, but not so bad. A fun comedy without pretence.