Extraño brebaje

The last time I saw "Strange Brew" was when it appeared on one of the Canadian Pay TV channels...and I hated it. It was chaotic, confusing, silly, and dumb. I mean, using music and drugged beer to force mental patients to fight while playing hockey? Some skinny woman's father coming back as a ghost and using a videogame to speak to people? A flying dog? I dismissed it.

But now, with the fullness of time and maturity, I've watched it again and I can say with confidence that it's STILL chaotic, confusing, silly, and dumb...but it's also hilarious!

This movie captures the sort of ad hoc, "yeah, whatever" style of SCTV, which could get dull over time, but the hosers have managed to draw it out for 90 minutes by putting in a lot of rich detail (what confused me as a child were the references to Hamlet, mainly), endlessly quotable dialogue, and scenes that are just plain funny (I particularly like the nurses arguing about whose responsibility it is to remove dead patients from their beds). I usually find "dumb" humour annoying, but Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis are so GOOD -- almost subtle -- at being dumb, and so lovable at the same time, that even the fart/booze/puke jokes became funny.

And what's more, the movie is WEIRD. If anybody can explain why Hosehead the dog ROLLS up the edge of the roof, please let me know, because it's giving me nightmares. And am I the only one who's noticed pointed musical references to Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" (when they first see Elsinore Brewery, and when Rosie and Pam are reunited again, the score sounds almost EXACTLY like similar moments in "Young Frankenstein"...but not QUITE exactly...)

I recommend this movie to anybody who can handle some dumb with their wit, in just the right amounts. The DVD features a preview for their upcoming cartoon which looks spectacularly unfunny, so please don't judge them on that.

Strange Brew rules. Those who have not seen the film must see it immediately or remain ignorant like the rest of the human filth. Strange Brew is yet again one of those movies that I have been watching since I was a kid and it has not lost any of it's charm. Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis have come up with two great characters in the McKenzie Brothers. Not too bright and surviving on donuts and beer, the film follows the McKenzies as they get a job at a brewery to get free beer and in the process stop a world takeover by power mad Brewmeister Smith. This flick doesn't really have much in the way of plot or acting or effects or anything that usually makes a movie great. It doesn't need all that though because just having Bob and Doug onscreen is worth the price of admission or in this case the DVD. Just watching Bob and Doug attempt to function is funny enough. I heard that Moranis and Thomas were working on a sequel and were just getting ready to film when the financing fell through. That really sucks and I hope that they can bring Bob and Doug back to the screen before they get too old to play them. Bottom Line: This movie is a must have. It's great, deal with it, buy it and then look at Canada (The Great White North) in a different light.

I don't see how anyone can dislike this movie. It is laugh out loud fun from beginning to end and there is not a single scene that is not hilarious. This team sure shows what a positive affect alcohol has on Canadian comedians. I would have to say this is the best movie ever made and I give it an A++ for effort, hilarity, and genius, eh. The reason it is so great is that it is incomparable to any other movie of its comedy genre. It is a journey into the world of two brothers who have never been apart, and their adventures. While trying to get beer for their father, they stumble upon Elsinore Brewery, and get jobs checking for rodents in the bottles. While there, they discover some strange things are happening at the brewery. It is a must see for all ages.

I have to take exception to imdb user "dwpoller" who touts this movie as being "one of the most un-funny 1 1/2 hour stretches" of a movie. Having never seen the SCTV skit until after the movie's release, I found myself rolling on the floor at the Canadian stereotypes from hell, known simply as the MacKenzie Brothers. Being 1/2 Canadian myself, I never once felt offended by the somewhat negative stereotypes. (i.e. ice hockey watching, doughnut slamming, beer swilling half wits.) But rather, I was able to laugh at myself and my other Canadian bretheren through this VERY FUNNY movie.

OK, ok. So it didn't win any major awards, nor should it have. "Strange Brew" is not that kind of movie. You have to know going in that this is not Academy award winning materiel. Oh, and guys, don't bring the wives in to watch this either, they won't get it. (For the same reason they don't get the Three Stooges) You just can't explain why it's so funny, it just is.

3 1/2 stars out of 5.

If you love stupid comedy this movie is DEFINITELY for you! Animal House, Super Troopers, & The Blues Brothers. If you liked these movies you'll love Strange Brew. It's classic! A MUST SEE!!! Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas make an awesome team of crazy Canadian brothers, or should I say "hosers", eh? The plotline is kinda sketchy, but then again, the movie isn't exactly made for a great plotline. It's made for the comedy. Made in 1983 and it still kicks some royal butt! So sit back and enjoy as the two "hosers" bumble their way to some crazy times!