Dumbbells

What can be said about "Dumbbells" that hasn't already been said about "Porky's","Losin' It", "Fraternity Vacation", "The Last American Virgin", "Screwballs", "Private Resort", "Hot Dog: The Movie", etc.? Not much, actually. They're all movies aimed at a specific audience demographic (young, horny males) and are filled with the requisite T & A and low-brow humor. They aren't all terrible films, but they won't end up on any AFI "Best" list, either. They set the bar low and, more often than not, succeed at some level.

So it is with "Dumbbells", a new film directed by Christopher Livingston and seeing a limited theatrical release now as well as being available via Video-on-Demand. This low-budget, amiable piece of cinematic fluff tells the tale of one Chris Long (Brian Drolet), art major and superstar forward for the NCAA basketball powerhouse that is LA Tech. (That alone is good for a laugh…) who after wrecking his knee, finds himself working at a dead-end job in a rundown gym. Things look to be going from bad to worse when the gym is taken over by former male supermodel Jack Guy (former male supermodel Hoyt Richards) who has dreams of producing a gym-based reality TV series to be hosted by Fabio. (Yes, apparently in Hollywood people still have dreams involving Fabio...) Things go from bad to worse to worser when Jack discovers a cult he was once involved in has absconded with all his money. Ah, but he has a plan to recover his money and save the gym. And so it goes…

A more interesting film might be made from the story of how star/co-screenwriter/co-producer Richards got some (fairly) well-known faces to appear in this film. Who? Well, comedians Tom Arnold and Jay Mohr (miles away from "True Lies" and "Jerry Maguire") have small roles. The aforementioned Fabio is along for the ride, Jaleel "Urkel" White plays the cult leader, and Hollywood living-legend Carl Reiner does a bit. With all due respect to Mr. Livingston, one wonders what might have been if they had been able to talk Carl Reiner into directing "Dumbbells" instead of appearing in it.

Accompanying Reiner in his bit is Nancy Olson (light years away from her Oscar-nominated role in "Sunset Boulevard") whose appearance so intrigued me I had to immediately try to figure out why. (Check the director's IMDb page for the obvious reason as to why she's in this film.) Also intriguing is the fact that apparently a bit of this film is autobiographical. Richards had his own cult experiences, and I suppose one could give him credit for taking what must have been a very difficult time for him and making light of it.

As low-budget comedies go, "Dumbbells" falls somewhere between complete disaster and rousing yuck-fest. A likable cast helps, and while you could have fun playing "spot the continuity errors", set your expectations as low as the budget and you'll find it a pleasant and surprisingly inoffensive (surprising based on the trailer...) time passer with a couple of laughs.

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The movie is about this washed-out high school hero that ends up at a local gym. In comes a new owner that ends up in trouble. The owner is former super-model with lots under his belt.

The hero finds, somehow, comfort in an impromptu shrink meeting in the locker room, and finds himself.

The first part of the movie is not bad at all, it is fun, witty (if you go there with the right mindset), but the last 20 minutes are pretty dull and bad.

Not a bad 2 hours to spend seeing something, but don't expect anything above average.

As a gym rat I was looking forward to Dumbbells and it did not disappoint. A lot of characters in the film were based on people I swear I know. There were numerous laugh out loud moments and that's rare in comedies today. The writers obviously know the dynamics of what happens at the gym. Hoyt Richards shines as gym owner Jack Guy. This is one of those films where it looks like the entire cast is having a blast.

There is a lot of eye candy for both women and men alike in Dumbbells. Did I mention the great cameos from Tom Arnold, Jay Mohr, Carl Reiner and even Fabio. Highly recommended!!!

This movie follows an arrogant basketball star who's career was once promising but cut short by an injury. The movie starts out slow and never really takes off. You get introduced to a stereotypical group of characters. All more annoying than the next. This movie uses middle school humor to try and pull laughs. I felt like a 14 year old in middle school all over again. You'll notice the emphasis on "urban" humor. There's emphasis on "bitchez" (with a z)and countless sex jokes. There is no real storyline here. Though, just when you feel like one is gonna begin, the movies ends. I would recommend not watching this unless, you wanna laugh at the movie and not the jokes themselves.

Don't sell this movie short. It is much better that you might think. Full of clichés but presented in a very effective way that it is more entertaining than they would otherwise be. A tired overused storyline comes across fresh and is careful to not be overdone. Acting is more than credible. Casting is good. Taylor Cole is excellent in a supporting role early in her career before she became a mainstream star of multiple romantic showcases on Lifetime and Hallmark. Well worth the time to watch and be ready to be pleasantly surprised with many clever comedic elements. Bottom line is that it's good to know that camp is still good.