Having purchased this DVD from a discount bin, I was not expecting much for my $1.99 -- but, what a great comedy surprise!
As a die-hard Lampoon fan, I had to log on to IMDB to see if anyone else knew about this liitle gem of a movie. First of all, I love Denis Leary. I thought his ABC show, "The Job" was cuttng edge stuff for network TV. His involvement in the movie is what attracted me in the first place.
But it was Joe Mantegna (who I really didn't consider a comic actor) who totally blew me away! (Note -- this is a segmented movie, a la Woody Allen's,
Everthing You Wanted To Know About Sex...")
Joe's "Greed" segment, about a bottom-feeding reality-TV producer, actually seems to be ripped from today's headlines. The fact that this was written back in 1995 really shows the sophistication of the satire here.
Joe plays, Frank Musso, (a real-life Max Bialistak from The Producers) with a vicious and totally believable over-the-top zeal. This laugh-out-loud short (which is cock-full of suprise cameos, like David Letterman & Conan O'Brien) is worth the price of admission in itself.
Surprisingly, Leary plays a subdued version of his usual scatilogical self in the "Lust" segment -- but it's definietly sexy and enjoyable non-the-less. The piece is photographed particulary well and was also directed by Leary.
The Andrew Dice Clay segment, (that other reviewers here raved about), to me, is the weakest link of the film. Conceptually, I like the story of a guy who's so obnoxious that he's not only kicked out of heaven -- but also hell, very funny -- but the Dice-man doesn't seem to be in on the joke.
Anyway, for those satire fans out there, this is a tight, funny, anthology comedy film, that deserves to be seen and savored.
