Loucadeia Federal

OK, now I usually like bad campy films. I generally find them humorous. For example, the Ice Cream Man is a good "bad" film. It is so bad it is really humorous. Then their is Club Fed.

Now, if, say, Police Academy was too intellectual for you, you might give Clb Fed a try. It really tries to be PA or any one of the old Leslie Nielsen films; however it falls way short. It sucks in a a "Oh gross that kid just puked in the corner of the cafeteria" kind of way.

In conclusion, if you want to watch a stupid movie you will laugh at cause it is just so bad the get the Ice Cream Man and to this movie "just say no!"

My review was written in June 1991 after watching the film on Prism video cassette.

Comedy isn't pretty (per Steve Martin), and it's also a fragile commodity, as evidenced by the strenuously unfunny "Club Fed". Direct-to-video release mainly is a showcase for Judy Landers.

Film is produced by Lander's mom, Ruth Landers, who in the spirit of equal time also produced (with the same director, Nathaniel Christian), a vehicle for daughter Audrey Landers titled "California Casanova", another upcoming video release. Siblings have starred together on tv and in the video "Ghost Writer".

Judy, as a murdered gangster's girlfriend, is framed and sent to the new security prison Club Fed. FBI director Joseph Campanella has sen agent Lance Kinsey there as part of an embezzlement scam involving prison warden Burt Young, and film depicts the slapstick high jinks of Kinsey and numerous guest star inmates.

Silly stunts and in-jokes don't add up to laughs, and as usual for a Landers production, there's plenty of sex tease involving low-cut gowns for Judy. Pic's nadir occurs when Kinsey is on the phone and says "I want to speak to the (FBI) director", and helmer Christian steps into the scene for a dumb gag. It might have worked had a recognizable director had pulled it.

Pic's obviously in trouble when extraneous drug routines are essayed by Allen Garfield, Kinsey and Sherman Hemsley. No less than eight writers are credited with "additional sight gags".

I saw this late at night on the tube and burst out laughing from the get go. In the tradfition of the off-the-wall-alls-out spoffiness, this movie scores without having to rely on a big budget or fancy special effects. I was able to get my mind off of the daily doldrums and have fun, the old fashioned way by laughing.

I enjoy comedies. This was not a comedy. It is just silly. Over-the-top comedies like Airplane have clever, well thought out humor none of which is present in this movie.

Full of errors but not humor. For the first few seconds I thought that maybe this was going to be a movie worth watching. A few minutes later I realized that it was absolute junk. The script is completely lacking. The situations are just plain stupid. The only way that I would have been able to enjoy such a movie would be if I was drunk. Very drunk.

If you enjoy really mediocre slapstick then this might be the movie for you. Otehrwise avoid it. You will be hugely disappointed.

Well, first of all, the premise is a bit much. But it is a broad comedy and it takes you for a a wild ride. Rich people in prison! Okay, I guess we can match the names with the characters. Whether you like to chuckle or laugh, you'll do both with this film. Burt Young is the warden of a prison for the wealthy. JosephCampanella is an FBI director who plants an agent in CLUB FED. Alan Garfield is a crooked investment broker. Karen Black is a rich hotel owner. Sherman Hemsley is a crooked preacher and Judy Landers is an innocent girlfriend who takes the rap for her dead mafia boyfriend. We watched it late at night and had a great time.