Whiskey Business

I just watched this movie on CMT and I was surprised. I mean its a corny title and has this weird cheap tune throughout the movie but it was actually not a bad movie. I've seen horrible movies before and this ain't one of them. Its probably the least annoying Pauly Shore film I've seen.

The movies begins when Shore's character is blamed for a murder in Jersey he didn't commit. He eventually hitch hikes to a small town in Tennesse called Shinbone where he stumbles upon a moonshine operation. He becomes friends with some of the locals and helps make the moonshine taste better by added a mixture of fruit to it and names it "Fruitshine". They serve it at the local bar where it instantly becomes the main drink but there's a problem... The crooked local sheriff wants his cut of the profit.

I give this movie a 6 out of 10 stars. Not the greatest movie but very watchable.

During his heyday, I was never a big fan of Pauly Shore. If you want to know why, just watch him for five minutes or so and you'll get an answer. All the same, Shore managed to build something of a following during the 1990s when he was making movies, so it was a little mysterious when Shore suddenly stopped making movies and almost totally disappeared from the public eye. So much so, that I didn't even hear of "Whiskey Business" when it was first released a few years ago. But recently it played on a movie channel up here in Canada, and I wanted to see how Shore had progressed (or not) during his virtual silence.

If Shore or any of his business handlers thought he'd make a comeback with this movie, they were sadly mistaken. In the years that passed, Shore has become very weathered. He looks tired and old (he has grey in his hair!), and his attempts to bring the energy he admittedly brought to his old movies seem to be beyond his abilities now. Though not all of the movie's failure lie with Shore. The script is lame, with very predictable and familiar story elements. And the direction is extremely passionless, with no energy (comic or otherwise) apparent. Toss in some really cheap production values, and the end results have absolutely no interest or entertainment for even those who worked on the movie. You'll need several shots of the title drink to be able to sit through the entire enterprise.

This is the first scripted comedy Pauly Shore has starred in since Bio-Dome in 1996. Sure, he made cameos in some comedies, but he hasn't truly been the star role in a slapstick comedy in well over a decade. Whiskey Business, a CMT made for TV movie, which the network doesn't have a lot of, is Pauly's third attempt at bringing his wacky schtick to life in a new decade. His first two attempts, Adopted and Pauly Shore is Dead, were mockumentaries that showcases the man himself adopting children from Africa and faking his own dead.

I've mentioned before in reviews of previous Pauly Shore films that he is the most eclectic of tastes. He isn't everyone's type. Personally, I find him rather amusing. He can be irritating, but he possesses such an impressive amount of energy and confidence in his material that he must be respected in that sense. In Whiskey Business, he pursues the fish out of water formula, a formula he has explored before with Son in Law. Here, he brings a more convincing sweetness to the screen, especially during the second and third acts.

Shore plays Nicky Ferelli, the son of a New Jersey mob boss, who enjoys drinking, party, and acting like a Guido. Shore has ditched his nineties apparel for spray-tanned skin, spiked hair, and Jersey Shore duds. The look shows that Shore himself is struggling to keep up with trendy times, especially after disappearing for a good couple of years. When Nicky is framed for a murder, he hitches a ride on the back of a truck where he ends up in Shinbone, Tennessee, where everyone is hellbent on country dancing and drinking some moonshine.

When Nicky gets a hold of some moonshine, he finds it repulsive and, after being taken in by a sweet old woman, decides to help the town get something tastier in its bars. He is motivated by a sweet and capable bartender, played by Tanya Tucker and her nitwit brother as Nicky struggles to find a winning recipe and hide from the town's corrupt officer Gilley (Schneider).

The film is dollar store entertainment, but dollar store entertainment done well. In a time of overly-raunchy comedies and directionless parodies, Shore's Whiskey Business is a sweet and welcomed excursion, even if it fails to break new ground. When you have a likable cast, a sufficient script, and an amusing premise, sometimes miracles do happen.

I was a tiny bit nervous when I realized Shore would be leading the film by himself. Here's a guy that has acted with every unknown comedy actor on the planet, from Sean Astin, to Stephen Baldwin, to Andy Dick. Having his goofball antics lead an entire film with no backup sounding overbearing and a bit oppressive. Thankfully, the townspeople get well-deserved time in front of the camera, so Shore isn't hogging any camera-time.

Whiskey Business is simple and effective comedy entertainment, for a decent mass. It's strange how CMT acquired the money to produce a film like this. Aside from the southern setting and maybe one or two country songs, this really isn't a country movie. When looking through the programming on the network, it seems they want to be as stereotypical as possible with shows like Trick My Truck among others. I guess if you can't beat 'em, boast it.

Starring: Pauly Shore, Tanya Tucker, and John Schneider. Directed by: Robert Iscove.

I saw this film a few years ago and I still keep looking for it on DVD and/or Blu Ray. Pauly Shore deserves a star on the Hollywood "Moonshine" Hall of Fame for his great performance in this tiny known film which in my humble opinion is a keeper. The storyline was unique in that Pauly Shore who plays goofy Nicky Ferelli is on the run from the mob and then he stumbles upon some moonshiners. Nicky accidentally improves their moonshine product and in becomes a big hit in the local bar.

Of course Nicky Ferelli finds a girl and the bad guys are closing in on him and all chaos ensues before things could get any worse for our comical bumbler. I really enjoyed this film and I keep looking for a DVD copy of it because it was a memorable film, regardless of what some of the other reviewers thought of it.

If anyone knows where I can get a DVD or Blu Ray copy please advise.

I give the film a well deserved toast and an 8 out of 10 rating.