Odd Jobs

My review was written in June 1987 after watching the film on HBO.

"Odd Jobs" is the last of seven unsuccessful features made about three years ago by HBO and Silver Screen Partners to see the light of day, barely. Lensed in 1984, an overwrought attempt at comedy wastes the talents of several young performers soon to achieve prominence.

Paul Reiser (currently scoring in "Beverly Hills Cop II") toplines as a college kid working for the Cabrizzi Bros., moving firm for the summer (pic originally was titled alternately "Summer Jobs" and "This End Up"). First half of the film disjointedly crosscuts back and forth between his misadventures and those of four of his classmates: Robert Townsend (pre-"Hollywood Shuffle") and Paul Provenza working as caddies; Rick Overton selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door and Scott McGinnis as a waiter.

Each one loses his job, teaming up to form a moving company in deadly competition with the Cabrizzis. Pranks and physical humor are moderately funny in the second half, but pic is way too talky, overloaded with pointless and endless voiceover narration by Reiser and others trying to create the structure of the story being related to a femme journalist.

Director Mark Story smothers the potential comedy with overly broad performances and heavy-handed direction. Reiser emerges as a pleasant lead, but includes Jerry Lewis-style mannerisms which clash with his character. Rest of the cas, particularly Jake Steinfeld (of Body by Jake training fame) as a goonish mover, tend to ham it up, while Townsend is quite bland compared to his "Shuffle" persona. Julianne Phillips (future Mrs. Bruce Springsteen) is totally wasted as the female lead, and radio star Don Imus performs his evangelist impression briefly to no effect.

I saw this a couple of times years ago, and just saw it again today. Even though it's over twenty years old, it holds up. This zany comedy had me laughing from scene two and kept me laughing all the way to the ending. Odd Jobs concerns a group of college friends who hope to make some extra money during their summer vacation. The boys try a variety of occupations from selling vacuum cleaners to waiting tables to working for a moving company. All these guys are a scream and get a chance to show off bits of their stand-up routines, but the clear winner in this outing is the late Leo Burmester (aka Burmeister) as Wylie the truck driver. He steals every scene he's in with his crazy over-the-top yet oddly believable performance. Corny, yes. But laugh out loud funny — all the way. Every performance, not just Wiley, was over the top, but in a good way. Scene after scene is filled with weirdo characters you won't soon forget. The chemistry between Wylie and Max (Paul Reiser) in their buddy movie sequences is perfect. Body by Jake was a little annoying with his Curly Howard laugh, but still good. And there is the Cabrizzi Moving Company whose sign looks like the label on a two dollar bottle of wine. Remember, Cabrizzi rhymes with sleazy. This is one of my own off-the-wall favorites along with Million Dollar Mystery. That one too didn't make any sense but we just went along to watch the comedians strut some of their best bits. These movies do what they're supposed to do: Entertain.

I recommend watching Odd Jobs. It is one of the funniest stupid-humor comedies I've ever seen. Five college friends on summer break each try to find work. Max (Paul Resier) is the entrepeneurial type and has his eye for success on the moving business. Working for the 'Corelli Brothers', a mob owned and operated business, is certainly no picnic. In the meantime, Max's buddies all get fired or quit their thankless jobs--pretty boy Wood (Scott McGinnis) gets fired from a waiter job at his uncle's restaurant; Wylie (Leo Burmester) and Byron (Paul Provenza) get fired as golf caddies for insulting the players; and Roy (Rick Overton) quits his job selling evangelist backed nuclear vacuum cleaners.

Max, usually optimistic, also quits working for the Corelli Brothers after they stiff him in some dirty dealings, and decides that he and the gang should go into business. So, they start a moving company. Only problem is, the mob doesn't like the guys moving in on their business. For the Carelli Brothers, no competition is good competition. So, they try to hustle Max and his friends out of the business. But, Max isn't going down with a fight because he knows something about the Corelli Brothers, a secret that could either get he and his buddies killed mob style, or one that could bring down the Corelli Brothers for good.

It is a pretty funny comedy. A viewer somewhere wrote that the end lacked the pizazz that made the rest of the movie so funny (and probably so bizarre). Agreed, the climax is probably anti-climatic when compared to the rest of the movie, it still has a bit of the stupid-humor comedy going on. Nonetheless, the movie is just so damn wacky. It's definitely worth watching. My favorite parts are Byron trying to impress Wylie's family by acting black (stereotypically, of course) because Wylie's family is black. His father keeps getting this hilarious homicidal twitch in his eye every time Byron comes up with some new way to embarrass himself. And that big guy from the Corelli Brothers who was always giggling at everything, man that is one stupid guy. It's good times all around.

In Odd Jobs, 1980s stand-up comedians Paul Reiser, Robert Townsend, Rick Overton, and Paul Provenza are cast as average-Joe college men who start a small moving company to make some summer money, then run afoul of the Mob, while falling in and out of various sticky situations.

Highly entertaining, the scripted action combines sight gags, pokes at class, ethnic and racial stereotypes, and wacky mid-80's sexual set-ups.

A major reason to discover the film is provided by Leo Burmester, who steals all available scenes as Wylie, the pomaded long-haul trucker with a heart of gold.

Reiser, who would find lasting acclaim as a neurotic romantic lead in the television series Mad About You, is on form here as the nervous leader of the goofy pack. Off of the club stage, he can simply out- act most of the other stand-ups of his cohort.

Cameos and memorable short roles abound. The film efficiently extracts enjoyable performances from the likes of infomercial legend Jake "Body by Jake" Steinfeld, and a pre-MacGyver Richard Dean Anderson.

Overlooked when it released, and now all but forgotten, Odd Jobs is a funny movie that earns its laughs like its errant protagonists move their boxes; honestly, with earnest effort.

Hilarious movie features Reiser as a college student who decides to operate his own moving business,where he is joined by his friends,several of whom are played by well-known stand-up comics.Many quite funny scenes and characters,especially Jake Steinfeld and Rick Overton.Leo Burmester is hysterical as Wylie,the trucker.