It's tempting to call CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD "Pee-Wee Herman IS The Hudsucker Proxy," but that would be a terrible insult to both Mr. Reubens and the Coen Bros. In any case, can we please enact a moratorium on idiocy? Carrot Top is...a surfer dude who strikes up a brief friendship with tycoon Jack Warden. When the old fart dies, Mr. Top is left the (cue title) of his huge invention corporation. But fart's nephew wants the seat at the head of the table, and he'll become the boss if the company stock drops too far. (Did Joel and Ethan settle out of court, or were they paid off while this movie was being filmed?)
Despite some nifty doo-dads and an amusing moment or two, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD does a) star a prop comic with a screechy voice who's now relegated to cheap AT&T TV spots, and b) contain jokes that seem to have been written during the first Bush administration. It's a movie solely for C.T. fans (both of them). Nobody else should bother.
So, who's next, Gallagher?
(Note: I was given a promotional soundtrack when this movie came out, and the CD has never been read by the laser in my boombox. It's made a nice dust collector over the years, and aside from a Ramones track that's available on countless other discs, I've never heard of the bands featured on it. Sprung Monkey? Hillbilly Soul Surfers? Do these names give you an idea of the intelligence level offered here?)
