Men at Work

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.

**** / *****

This somehow forgotten movie is pretty funny by todays standard.Not that the comedies today are that smart really... Brothers Sheen has nice chemistry together and delivers many funny and memorable dialogues.A hoot is also Vietnam-vet Keith David,this guy is one bad dude...You've seen this before,but the script is not that bad and the movie moves along in a pleasant pace.The villains are also portrayed as idiots and the cops as smart asses,who will get what they deserve by time. This is easy entertainment and you don't remember it for that long,but it's a pleasant journey while it lasts-just don't think too much.

"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.

Men at Work is written and directed by Emilio Estevez, who also co-stars with brother Charlie Sheen, Keith David, Leslie Hope, Dean Cameron and John Getz. Music is by Stewart Copeland and photography out on locations that include beaches at Redondo and Hermosa, is by Tim Suhrstedt. Plot finds Estevez (James) and Sheen (Carl) as two carefree garbage collectors who find a dead body in a barrel during their rounds. Trouble is, is that the dead guy is the man Sheen shot with his pellet gun the previous evening. Thinking they might be responsible for his death, and prompted by their newly acquired chaperon, cop hating Louis Fedders (David), they unwisely decide not to call in the cops. So with an unhinged Vietnam War vet and a dead body on their hands, Carl and James are in big trouble.

Undemanding picture that's more enjoyable if you happen to be a fan of either Sheen or Estevez, Men at Work often struggles for laughs but is intermittently lit up by the odd humorous moment that comes with a side order of cool. There's a little drama in the mix, and even a delicate hint of social commentary via the illegal toxic waste dumping core that the frivolity is wrapped around. But really this is all about the two Brat Packers running free and Keith David superbly stealing the movie from the both of them. When the "we got a dead body to keep from the cops" comedy runs out of steam, and it does a little too early in the piece, it's left to David to bring the laughs with his cop hating rants and coiled spring like intensity ready to unleash on anyone who gets in the way or dares to eat his fries. Hope is amiable and pretty, though she only serves as a love interest for Sheen, while Getz isn't in it much and the two hit men on the boys tail don't bring anything new to that well trodden comedy table.

When it hits its comedy stride, the funny sequences that drop in are just that, funny (golf clap, the nasty, human waste exploding balloons, Keith David), but these moments only serve to highlight the scripts shortcomings elsewhere. 6/10

The fact that this is a memorable movie, meaning I still remember it, says a lot. The fact that this takes one of Hollywood's greatest actors' sons and makes them garbage men, even more daring. The fact that Keith David is in it, is even more accommodating.

Men At Work is a comedy classic.

You're probably ready to shoot me with a gun marked common sense, but no, this is really something else. Men At Work is the last in a long line of midnight movies that were released heavily in the 80's(i.e. Weird Science, Little Monsters, etc.) The formula of taking one situation and going over the top with everything, on an extravagant night when everyone else is asleep is a midnight movie. This just happens to involve toxic waste, which must have been a big deal in the eighties, because now, it's only packed with action figures.

Anyway, it's a classic and stands out because it's just fun. The directing by Estevez isn't bad and it's also got some funny situations. The acting is what it's supposed to be, low key, but fun.

Just imagine Double Dragon, but as garbage men.