Hombres trabajando

"Men At Work" is to me a timeless classic. I thought the script was hilarious containing many great quotable one-liners and terrific comedic performances. The brothers Estevez/Sheen play off each other well and it just occurred to me that it would probably be interesting if they starred together in a buddy cop movie but I'm getting ahead of myself here. This movie stands the test of time meaning it is still funny to me after all these years unlike some other movies that I thought I would love forever such as "The Breakfast Club" which now is a bit boring when I go back and try to watch it.

This movie is terrific until the end where it seems like Emilio ran out of time or money because it just seems to end without resolution to some of the story lines. This movie is admittedly silly but that doesn't matter because it makes me laugh which is about the only requirement I have anymore for movies. The script was funny and the characters were as well. So what if the story line itself was like cardboard. Aside from Charlie and Emilio, I thought the hit men as well as the garbage men nemeses and even the bicycle cops nemeses were all funny. I always enjoy Keith David who is a flawless character actor and John Getz is always amazing whether he is playing a good guy or bad guy. Emilio Estevez does a fine job in his directorial debut and it makes us wish that him and his brother Charlie Sheen would be in more stuff together.

Overall rating: 7 out of 10.

The Estevez Brothers (or is it the Sheen brothers) are great together. Funny story, great sarcasm. You'll laugh the whole way through.

I always thought Charlie Sheen was great in his sarcastic, "screw the world", tongue-in-cheek comedic roles. Emilio is equally as good.

If you can't appreciate then unpucker that butt-hole of yours and loosen up, Movie Snob!!!!!!!

Gotta love that Pizza Guy, too.

This little known movie written and directed by Emilio Estevez is near the top of my all time movie guilty pleasures list.

Estevez and Charlie Sheen play two garbagemen who stumble upon a plan by Maxwell Potterdam III (John Getz) that involves dumping hazardous waste into nearby harbors, thus destroying the underwater environment in their area. The city councilmen is also involved in this scheme.

However, this is all a loose plot for the hilarious shenanigans that ensue with Carl and James (Sheen and Estevez), their "observer", Louis (Keith David), and a couple of unlucky cops.

Keith David comes close to stealing the show from Estevez and Sheen with his character of Louis, a Vietnam vet who still suffers from a bit of shellshock. He sees everything through the eyes of war, and this makes for some hilarious sequences, particularly when the friendly pizza delivery man is kidnapped.

All in all, this is mindless, but funny entertainment. It is funnier than 90% of the comedies made these days, and many have never seen or heard of this film.

It should be noted that the VHS tape is out of print (although Amazon.com did release it as an "Amazon Exclusive", but it is now on special order). It can still be found at some rental locations, but has also yet to be released on DVD (I believe MGM has the rights to the film, but I'm not positive). Here's to hoping we see a DVD sometime soon!

Grade: A

Now this is what most of Adam Sandler's films should be. Because if you're gonna do camp humor, this sure is done correct. Men at Work features stupid jokes and tongue-in-cheek performances. Especially Keith David is in top form. Sure the plot is stupid as hell and sure this ain't no Tarantino film, but hey.. SO WHAT?! Isn't comedy's most important duty to make you laugh? This sure made me laugh. Recommend.

**** / *****

In his directorial debut, Estevez directs self and brother Charlie Sheen in a small budget comedy about two garbage men (sanitary technicians) who come along the dead body of a local politician on their route. Mayhem follows them as they try to find the killer on their own instead of going to the police, who are looking to bust our two unsuspecting heroes. Estevez does a good job for a beginning director and doesn't try to overdo it. Sheen and Estevez are good, not great, together as they were in 'Young Guns'. Keith David is the solid part of the movie, his portrayal as the 'ex-military' Viet Nam Veteran, asked to baby sit garbage men carries the movie with his unpredictable cop hating nature. Leslie Hope is very nice to look at and give credit to Estevez, makes her character a strong one, not a helpless female as women once were portrayed in movies. Movie has given me much enjoyment over the years as my children enjoyed playing garbage men around the house in their younger days.