Happy Hour

It is disheartening to see how many bad movies have been produced over the years and it is a trend that never runs out because there will always be someone watching them. If only out of curiosity.

Every so often i pick up a film that anyone could tell is awful. My reason being is one of pure cinematic experimentation and filmmaking science. How could somebody come up with a really lame, unfunny script, get Jamie Farr and Rich Little to star in it, and think they really have something, enough to convince someone to bankroll the travesty, and release it into theatres. Well, ladies and germs, HAPPY HOUR is a grouping of all these people and they created something so not funny, you have to watch some of it to believe it.

Two scientists have created an additive that when put in beer, makes it taste so good that it becomes addictive. Rival companies steal half the formula and slapstick ensues with Rich Little playing a James Bond secret agent trying to steal one half of the formula and Jamie Farr trying to blow up the other. I know this isn't much of a plot description, but it really doesn't matter. Tawny Kitaen shows why she didn't have much of an acting career(plus she shows more skin on the box art than the actual film), Eddie Deezen appears to remind you that you can do anything with your life if you just try, and Farr and Little are just hack has-beens. The rest of the cast is equally as miserable and surely leave this off their resume (if they still have careers). Like I said though, it's kind of amazing that people think they have a good idea, that someone thought Jamie Farr and Rich Little were marketable enough to greenlight this picture and strike prints to put it in theatrical release. Also for any aspiring filmmaker, you should see this movie, and all movies like it,to know how not to make a movie. Anybody nowadays can make a technically polished film. See how not to do it, you'll probably be better off for it. Start here.

This film should be a classic in American Film archives. What a better story line than a beer company trying to take over the world. This movie is an absolute must for beer lover and movie buffs alike. Anyone that misses out on this one is truly a neglected individual.

Marshall Industries of Denver makes the country's no. 1 beer. In fact, in this movie, beer is VERY popular. Most people seem to be drunk a lot of the time, and even 6-year-olds can drink. But Blake, despite being a Marshall employee, wants nothing to do with the beer outside the workplace. He doesn't want his children drinking either.

One day a mystery man shows up at Marshall looking for work. He is willing to do anything. I'm not exactly sure what he was trying to accomplish. He has one scene with Blake where he claims to be a Mormon. Later he has gotten access to the Marshall brewery by claiming to be Cary Grant. As far as I can tell, this is the one time Rich Little uses the skill for which he is best known. Other than that, his abilities weren't used to their potential. He is an okay actor, though.

As a M*A*S*H fan, I liked Jamie Farr the best. He too had a secret agenda of some kind which involved sneaking into the brewery of Marshall's leading competitor. Along the way, he had numerous mishaps. Farr's performance wasn't quite on the level of Corporal Klinger, but he didn't seem to have that much to work with. The other actors had the goofier lines and Farr seemed to play more straight when he spoke, instead ending up a victim of physical comedy.

I do know that there was some secret ingredient that everyone wanted their hands on. Supposedly, this ingredient would make the other beer number one.

I'm not sure what to think of this movie overall. At times it was a hilarious satire. But bad acting in a conventional movie doesn't look too different from good acting in a spoof. I'll give the people who made the movie the benefit of the doubt and say they made a good, but not great, satire. The situations were so silly that this movie was still entertaining, even if I didn't know exactly what was going on. Adding a lot to the movie: the physical comedy and elaborate plans for getting into ... wherever.

The ending was enjoyable in a goofy way. It was one of those cases where the characters knew they were in a movie.

This was an example of some of the worst mugging and all-around bad acting since Plan 9 from Outer Space! The leads actually maintain a straight face throughout to their credit, but the supporting cast (every last one of 'em), are all horrendous! It could have been funny if it had been played a bit more realistically. Then the outrageous behavior shown by the characters' reaction to the "Marshall Beer secret ingredient" would have been hilarious. Oh well... it WAS filmed in 1987 after all.