Outtakes

My review was written in May 1987 after a Cannes Film Festival Market screening.

Its title something of a misnomer, "Outtakes" is a lame-duck henry in the comedy sketch film genre which numbered such hits as "The Groove Tube" and "Tunnelvision" over a decade ago. There are a few laughs, lots of vulgarity and long stretches of boredom.

Pic is dedicated upfront to the late Forrest Tucker, who acts as irreverent host to the melange of skits on view. Clapperboards indicate the Tucker scenes were filmed in 1983, though the picture itself was completed in 1985.

Extremely long segments are devoted to an often funny spoof of the Phil Donahue tv show. And a lampoon of late night tv newscasts which has its moments but is a pale imitation of so much funnier material on "Saturday Night Live" or in "Tunnelvision". A satire of a Santa Claus as a slasher in horror pics is stupid and amateurish, while the interstitial sketches are brief but unfunny. Actual outtakes do not appear until the end credits, which drag on in order to pad out the feature's abbreviated running time.

Filmmaker Jack M. Sell obviously is having fun, even poklng barbs at himself, but his frequent onscreen appearances as the sleazy director ultimately seem like an ego trip (he even warbles the title song he wrote in an opening poverty row budget attempt at a music video about a starlet's travails in Hollywood). Rest of the repertory cast is pretty weak, the unidentified Donahue impersonator doing the best job. Tucker seems uncomfortable, even beyond the put-on "fed up" routine he is called upon to enact.

A mind-numbingly unfunny and inept attempt at sketch comedy from the director responsible for the Psychotronic Man, and featuring Forrest Tucker in his final screen appearance - the poor man definitely deserved better. Interminable parodies of Donahue, low-budget horror films and late-night news programmes are interspersed with dreadful spoof advertisements, punchline-free quickies and abandoned sketch ideas trading in humour so remorselessly lowbrow and unambitious, even a slow ten-year-old would consider it an insult to his intelligence. The nadir is reached with a string quartet whose clothes are accidentally torn off as they screech and scrape their way through an arrangement of the film's (terrible) theme song, revealing some of the ugliest naked bodies ever committed to celluloid. If you enjoyed the Groove Tube, Tunnel Vision or the Kentucky Fried Movie, simply watch any of those films again - spare yourself the time and trouble of tracking down this deservedly obscure stinker.

This movie has haunted me from when I watched it in 1987 at Facets in Chicago - how many people can claim to have seen it and paid for a ticket in a theatre.

Everything bad stated about this film is ABSOLUTELY true. As suggested in a review it may be the baseline against which all bad films should be measured against.

It's Pat - another bad movie - is a film masterpiece compared to this movie.

I am sure there are snuff films and animal cruelty films that have a special place in hell below this one, but for a movie that is attempting to be entertaining - this hits rock bottom.

Nothing comes close to this work as a failure. This is not "this is so bad it is funny." This is just bad.

Only watch it - if you can find it - and are looking to establish a nowhere to go but up film on your list.

First off, I must state the fact that I am a very loving fan of The Groove Tube, The Kentucky Fried Movie, and any others like them. That is why I loved outtakes. I even waited in line when one of our local video stores closed mainly so I could buy that movie. This movie does have its bad parts (The music video in the middle of the movie which serves as just a scene for naked women among a few others). It also has its share of bad jokes. But it does have some really good and strange comedy which I like. A few of my favorite parts of this movie are The movie preview for black christmas, the talk show bit, and the newscast (newscasts are typical for movies like this but I still think they rule). This newscast differs in that it is a late late newscast. It also has many likenesses to other movies of this sort (in particular the audio not working scene in the newscast which is like in the Kentucky Fried Movie). In closing this is a very good movie...not for all sorts of folk but I highly enjoyed it.

The only other review here is clearly a review troll. This is a John Waters movie without the intelligence, talent, or class. I too, lived through Kentucky Fried Movie and Groove Tube and this one doesn't hold a candle to them. (and yes, they too were pretty bad in many respects). I had to reimburse my son the money he spent on this video when I threw it out. Now I regret throwing it out, because this is a bad movie against which all bad movies should be judged.