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The cultural references of Wayne's World may date it a bit, but the nature and personality of its humor set it apart. There is a kind of naive benevolence and boundless joy which makes this movie so lovable. Its aimless plot and exaggerated humor are cute, without ever transcending that barrier into maudlin sentiment. This is a difficult mix to achieve, especially when so many comedians go out of their way to achieve "street credibility" through as much forced vulgarity and stereotypical humor as possible. Campbell and Carvey's characters were the ultimate comedic anti-heroes for generation X, even more so than Jay and Silent Bob, Bill and Ted, or Beavis and Butthead. They championed amateurism, paraded self-affecting humor, and became worshiped for telling everyone they weren't worthy. If '60s pop culture encouraged people to "do your own thing," Wayne and Garth were the genuine article in the '90s. Two complete geeks had fun acting as themselves, and became celebrated in the process. One of the true comedy classics of our time. 8.5/10

Wayne's World (1992)

*** (out of 4)

Highly entertaining big-screen version of the Saturday Night Live skit has best buds Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) partying and doing their public television show without much stress in their lives. This all changes once they meet up with a crooked producer (Rob Lowe) who decides to exploit their show. WAYNE'S WORLD isn't one of the greatest movies ever made but it's certainly charming and funny enough for what it is. I'd also say it's safe to say that this is one of the better SNL transitions to the movies and a lot of the credit has to go to its two stars. I think both Wayne and Garth would be downright annoying characters had the performances been off in any way but both Myers and Carvey really took these guys and made them, at times, stupid but also very charming and just the type of people you'd want to hang out with. There are all sorts of funny moments throughout the picture but the real highlights deal with the boys and their interactions with other people. Lara Lynn Boyle as Wayne's ex-girlfriend gets all sorts of funny moments as does Brian Doyle-Murray who ends up being a sponsor who gets on the wrong side of Wayne. There's also Ed O'Neill in a small role as well as Meat Loaf and Chris Farley. Also on hand is a terrific bit from Alice Cooper who nearly steals the film with the performance of "Feed My Frankenstein" and the hilarious backstage access where he talks about Milwaukee. Lowe also deserves a lot of credit with his comedy here as he's perfect as the snake in the grass. Even Tia Carrere does a nice job. Director Penelope Spheeris does a very good job at keeping the film moving at a very good pace and there's no question that she knows how to stage the various bits of classic rock music throughout. Fans of the SNL material are certainly going to eat this up as its as fresh today as it was when it was first released.

Penelope Spheeris (also of the Decline of Western Civilization Series and Suburbia) was chosen as the director of Mike Myers and Dana Carvey's SNL creation. This is the film that catapulted both comedians' careers into the stratosphere. 1992 is an interesting time in alternative rock history between the peak of grunge in 1991, and the coming crest of the "punk revival" in 1994 with Green Day, Offspring and Rancid. Wayne's World reveled in this new "alternative rock," music a concept which was at the time much more flexible than it is now. Rife with irony, alternative rock was eventually the name given to the music that blended aspects of rock, metal, punk, pop, and eclectic "weirdness." While Wayne is the more metal half of the excellent duo, Garth is the grunge/nerd/"punk" side of the equation.

Heavy metal rock and roll fandom provides the backdrop for a non-stop train wreck of social satire. Only in 1992; and only in Meyer's and Carvey's comedic genius could Aurora, Illinois ever seem so cool. Wayne's World, in the film's plot, is the name of a Cable Access television show (dare I say "DIY") hosted by Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar. Rob Lowe plays Benjamin, an advertising scout/producer who is looking for talent to promote a chain of video game arcade stores. He finds his muse in the low-brow witticism, promptly signs the boys, and sets them up in a proper television studio. A battle ensues between Ben and Wayne for the affection of one way-hot Cassandra (Tia Carrere) who is easily lured away from Wayne at the first flourish of Benjamin's bountiful extravagance. Wayne and Garth's plans to win back Cassandra culminate in the film's tripartite finale.

"...with an underlying revisionist's conceit that belied the film's emotional attachments to the subject matter..." the film was truly entertaining, whimsical, and relevant. And to reassure Garth; No, it did not suck.

Ask most men within a decade of my age in either direction to list the 100 best movie scenes of all time, and the scene from "Wayne's World" where they sing/lip sync Bohemian Rhapsody in the car will be on more lists than not. It might even make every list. Not designed for the "critically acclaimed" snob set, Wayne's World, the film adaptation of the extremely popular Saturday Night Live skit by the same name, targets its audience perfectly and never even enters the water, let alone jumps any sharks. The movie is true to itself from start to finish.

The bedrock of the film, as well as the skit, is the unbending friendship of Wayne and Garth. Most children have one best friend who stands out above all others, and there's no mistaking that Wayne (SNL alum Mike Myers) and Garth (SNL alum Dana Carvey) have that type of friendship. The best friends host a cable access show in Aurora, Illinois, also sharing the skit's title. Other SNL alums, such as Brian Doyle-Murray (Noah) and Chris Farley (a concert security guard), round out the cast.

The plot centers around an opportunistic television producer named Benjamin Kane (Rob Lowe), who, with funding from an arcade owner, turns Wayne's World into a slickly produced national show, causing it to lose touch with its audience, and causing friction between Wayne and Garth, who feel they have sold out their fans and their roots. A love interest is tossed to Wayne in the form of Cassandra (Tia Carerre), in triangular form due to the attention paid to her by Kane as well as Wayne.

The pop-culture cuisinart responsible for most of the SNL skits was working in overdrive in this film, and that's a good thing. Everything from product placements, to gratuitous sex, to lame plot devices were lampooned. Rob Lowe was excellent as the sleazeball junior television executive, while cameos abound from the rock world, including Alice Cooper and Meat Loaf. Though not publicized as much as the other quotables from the movie, my personal favorite scene was when Wayne and Garth were each laying on parked cars, and Garth starts whistling the closing theme from Star Trek.

SNL-based movies have been hit-or-miss since their inception, but this was unquestionably a hit.

One of the classica of my teenager years, Wayne's World was de facto included in all our all night movie marathons. Watching it with my son now, 30 years later, it still holds up as a funny and weird movie. Excellent!