That's Adequate

"That's Adequate" is a very funny, satirical romp that no one ever saw. It went to Sundance in 1989 followed by a very, very limited release in New York and L.A. theaters in early 1990. It came, it went...rapidly.

I first heard of the film when I saw Bruce Willis talk about it briefly in a television interview. He didn't say much except that it was a spoof on documentaries chronicling a fictional movie studio and that he was playing himself. My local video store at that time carried every movie, so I rented it and what I watched, was a very funny stab at the mockumentary. This was long after "This is Spinal Tap"...but long before the mockumentary went mainstream via Christopher Guest.

The film centers around the rise and fall of Adequate Pictures, a low-budget film studio, which is hosted and narrated as a documentary by Tony Randall (playing himself). The studio owner Max Roebling (a hysterical James Coco), is interviewed by Joe Franklin (also playing himself) and they discuss the cheating, double-crossing, and corruption Max endured to make his ridiculous films such as "Einstein on the Bounty," "Little Elroy Meets Baby Frankenstein," and "Slut of the South."

To write a full review would just give it all away, but the celebrity roster on this film is huge including...Robert Downey Jr., Richard Lewis, Ben Stiller, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Robert Townsend, Stuart Pankin, Peter Riegert, Robert Vaughan, Marshall Brickman, Susan Dey and yes, Bruce Willis. The gags and the dialogue are silly but so much fun here from late writer/director Harry Hurwitz. This movie should've been bigger.

You're only bet is to track it down on VHS which is long out of print, but not highly sought after...do yourselves a favor, if you're a huge movie buff, and a big fan of this genre, check this film out...you will appreciate this film's humor...which is smart, sharp and risqué.

Although this movie has several moments that compare it to Monty Python, it just does not have the same punch. Not anyone can pull off a dancing private part. Monty Python also knew when to step back but this movie went over the line. It's just too perverted and too lousy for me. The 3 Stooges are a sacred thing and, along with other movie icons, this movie shows no respect. The only up side was seeing all of the cameo appearances and the small jokes that appeared here and there. That's Adequate is a perfect title because that's what this movie is: adequate.

Spoofing the "That's Entertainment" genre of films seemed like a good idea on paper, but this movie doesn't deliver on any level. A seriously unhealthy James Coco (he died just after filming, but before the movie was released) plays the head of a Z-level movie studio who rips off other hit movies. His motto is: "An idea that's appealing is an idea worth stealing." Doubled over with laughter yet?

The first half of the film has scenes from Coco's movies, basically public-domain stock footage with profanity dubbed in, and testimonials from puzzled stars including Richard Lewis, Joe Franklin and Peter Riegert. I was surprised to see that Tony Randall played the narrator; given his reputation in showbiz as Mr. Good Taste, I wonder how he explained the scene involving the dancing penis to his small children.

The second half shifts gears, as we see Coco's affair with Anne Meara (she appears with Jerry Stiller and, in an early screen credit, son Ben). There's an allusion to a "We Are the World"-type benefit to save Coco's studio, but we never see it.

"That's Adequate!" feels like a movie produced for a private occasion like a Hollywood executive's roast or stag party, with the pointless cameos and aren't-WE-naughty gags. There's really no need for anybody not related to the director to see this.