Brain Smasher... il buttafuori & la modella

Andrew Dice Clay spewing forth insults, not on stage, but in a totally bananas film about Ninjas seeking to recover a Lotus flower with supernatural powers. The fast pace and a superior soundtrack help immensely. Clay's sharp dialog, laced with dark humor, is great. His character is the expected pompous self, while Terri Hatcher provides an excellent foil to Clay's wisecracking. Brion James is mostly wasted in a small role as a detective, and the generic ninjas have zero depth to their characters. In my opinion, the scene with the Dice Man's parents, is worth the price of admission. Colorful night time Portland photography is another plus. - MERK

Naive female lead, hard-boiled male lead, escape from bad guys, romantic element: This is an action-comedy, and fine such as it is - just, perhaps not particularly noteworthy. Quips and one-liners, occasionally witty dialogue, physical comedy and situational humor, fight scenes, stunts - all the classic elements are here, including tired dashes of sexism, racism, or juvenile humor. Composer Tony Riparetti, frequent collaborator of filmmaker Albert Pyun, contributes a score that comes straight from the late 80s, and the select songs rounding out the soundtrack echo that feel. The work of crew behind the scenes is swell - costume design, hair and makeup, lighting, set design, and so on. Honestly, 'Brain Smasher... a love story' isn't bad. I did enjoy watching it. Only, there's no specific reason to do so in the first place.

Pyun rather has a reputation for low-budget, low-grade fare, and this fits neatly into that mold. In the very least he's competent as both a director and a screenwriter, and some of his features are better than others. 'Brain Smasher' is somewhere in the unremarkable middle: there's definite intelligence in some aspects, and it's suitably well made in the technical craft and rounding details. Yet for every minor spark of entertainment, a lot of the dialogue and scene work are schlocky, stilted, and unconvincing both on paper and in realization. The narrative is serviceable, but surely also common and forgettable. With these fundamental components generally doing their parts but failing to inspire, the cast can only do their best with what they're given. The acting here is distinctly limited by the picture's construction, but not awful. If nothing else, watching Teri Hatcher flip between "deer in the headlights" and "attempted tough attitude" is a small joy.

Even as the climax is the strongest part of the film (minus the over the top conclusion thereof), this probably remains a title that's more of a curiosity than a must-see. Save perhaps for the cast there's nothing about 'Brain Smasher' that lets it stand out in a crowd, and unless you're an especial fan of someone involved, you're just as well off watching any of its brethren. Still, you could do a lot worse. Far from essential, if you're looking for something to watch and aren't terribly discerning, 'A love story' is a mildly satisfying way to pass the time.

Brain Smasher...A Love Story (1993) was a second starring vehicle for stand-up comedian Andrew "Dice" Clay. The movie was his second in a three year period. After the luster of his mainstream success died down, the Dice Man went back to the clubs to take care of business. The taste for the silver screen (courtesy of D.T.V.) was calling and starred in this action/comedy film along with Teri Hatcher.

Andrew "Dice" Clay stars as a bruiser who bumps into an attractive lady (Teri Hatcher when she still was hot) and helps her out from being attacked by a gang of Asian thugs. She has a secret that's she's keeping from the Dice Man. Can the Dice Man keep Teri safe from the Asian gang? Will she fall for that big ape? Did anybody watch this movie? If you can find a copy then by all means watch it!

A fun movie that's a lot better than Clay's first starring vehicle (Adeventures of Ford Fairlane). Surprisingly he's a good actor and he carries this film. Ms. Hatcher's not that bad to look at either. A good watch despite the P.G.-13 rating.

Recommended for fans of the Dice Man.

"Brain Smasher...A Love Story" is sort of fun to watch (there must be about 5 or 6 laughs here and there) and Teri Hatcher is sexy and feisty. But the script is just too thin and one-note: these evil Chinese monks want this flower that is the key to Ultimate Power, and Andrew Dice Clay, Teri Hatcher and Deborah Van Valkenburgh try to keep it away from them. That's it. The whole movie is basically an extended chase, without many plot complications: the monks catch up to the heroes, the heroes fight them off, the heroes run away, repeat. The other thing that bugged me was the inconsistency in the way these monks are presented: at certain times they seem to be invincible and almost superhuman, jumping from and to incredible heights (these acrobatics are definitely the freshest idea of the movie), at other times they are bumbling, inept and useless in a fight. Oh well, I guess you can just look admiringly at Teri Hatcher and try to forgive the weaknesses....Footnote: Brion James and Tim Thomerson have two very small parts as police officers. (**)

This is the campiest movie you will ever see. It is so bad that it is hysterical. Teri Hatcher tries to play it straight and Andrew Dice Clay is just Andrew Dice Clay. See it. The laughs will make you glad you did.