Chris Farley had a short-lived but successful career in comedy before his premature death in 1997. He is remembered for his appearances on "Saturday Night Live", as well as a bunch of comedy movies. I was eleven years old at the time of his tragic death, caused by a drug overdose after a long struggle with addiction, and first heard of him sometime within the next couple years afterwards. I first saw "Beverly Hills Ninja", "Tommy Boy", and "Black Sheep" (in that order) as a teenager, and found all of them funny, but found that "Tommy Boy" was the only decent one when I revisited the three films in 2007. I never saw Farley's posthumous "Almost Heroes" until this month. The first time, I found it funnier than I expected, and thought it might have had potential for a second viewing, but after two viewings, I think it's another average comedy overall.
In 1804, during the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Bartholomew Hunt and Leslie Edwards are two dimwitted men in the still-young United States. Unbeknownst to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, these men have decided to compete against the two famous explorers, hoping to make it through uncharted territory to the Pacific Ocean before they do! They are joined by several others for the journey, including Edwards' slave, Jonah, and a Frenchman named Guy Fontenot, who brings along his Native American mistress, Shaquinna. Fontenot threatens to kill anyone he catches looking at Shaquinna, and it will not be easy for the other men to avoid doing that! Along the way, the travellers face a number of challenges, including a bear attack and a group of Spanish conquistadors, led by the evil Hidalgo, who threaten the lives of these explorers! So, not only will it be hard for them to beat Lewis and Clark to the ocean, there's no guarantee that they will all survive this journey!
As an adventure film, "Almost Heroes" doesn't have a lot of excitement, and doesn't have the greatest plot, either. As a comedy, it did make me laugh at times, but for the most part, the humour doesn't make up for the lack of plot. If it were really funny, then the rest wouldn't really matter, but unfortunately, it lacks humour as well. I've definitely seen worse excuses for gags, but in this film, I still did not care for the joke about eating "sheep s&%$", Guy Fontenot spitting out the ear of a fellow traveller (which he had bitten off!), or the straw women. Mind you, I think this film is definitely funnier than "Beverly Hills Ninja", and probably "Black Sheep" as well. Like I said, some parts made me laugh, and these include Bartholomew Hunt's (Chris Farley) statement on the gallows around the beginning, the slap fight, and the eagle egg scenes. There are also gags which aren't as good or memorable as those, but at least made me snicker. Still, for most of the film, I kept a straight face.
Chris Farley's death was drawing near by the time this was filmed, and it was his last lead role in a film (he did have a bit part in "Dirty Work", a film I haven't seen which was released shortly after "Almost Heroes" in 1998). The comedian's death at the age of 33 was very sad (so was all the trouble he went through leading up to it) and it doesn't help that this film, just like most of the full-length movies he starred in, isn't very good. Despite this, unlike some people, I do think he was a decent comedian, with some very funny skits on SNL! He was also sometimes funny in films, even if he never was in any comedy masterpieces. He didn't leave behind the greatest legacy in comedy history, but it could have been much worse. If you generally dislike Farley's antics, then "Almost Heroes" is obviously not for you. If you're a fan of the late comedian, you're bound to find some funny moments in this historical spoof, but could still be disappointed.
In 1804, during the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Bartholomew Hunt and Leslie Edwards are two dimwitted men in the still-young United States. Unbeknownst to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, these men have decided to compete against the two famous explorers, hoping to make it through uncharted territory to the Pacific Ocean before they do! They are joined by several others for the journey, including Edwards' slave, Jonah, and a Frenchman named Guy Fontenot, who brings along his Native American mistress, Shaquinna. Fontenot threatens to kill anyone he catches looking at Shaquinna, and it will not be easy for the other men to avoid doing that! Along the way, the travellers face a number of challenges, including a bear attack and a group of Spanish conquistadors, led by the evil Hidalgo, who threaten the lives of these explorers! So, not only will it be hard for them to beat Lewis and Clark to the ocean, there's no guarantee that they will all survive this journey!
As an adventure film, "Almost Heroes" doesn't have a lot of excitement, and doesn't have the greatest plot, either. As a comedy, it did make me laugh at times, but for the most part, the humour doesn't make up for the lack of plot. If it were really funny, then the rest wouldn't really matter, but unfortunately, it lacks humour as well. I've definitely seen worse excuses for gags, but in this film, I still did not care for the joke about eating "sheep s&%$", Guy Fontenot spitting out the ear of a fellow traveller (which he had bitten off!), or the straw women. Mind you, I think this film is definitely funnier than "Beverly Hills Ninja", and probably "Black Sheep" as well. Like I said, some parts made me laugh, and these include Bartholomew Hunt's (Chris Farley) statement on the gallows around the beginning, the slap fight, and the eagle egg scenes. There are also gags which aren't as good or memorable as those, but at least made me snicker. Still, for most of the film, I kept a straight face.
Chris Farley's death was drawing near by the time this was filmed, and it was his last lead role in a film (he did have a bit part in "Dirty Work", a film I haven't seen which was released shortly after "Almost Heroes" in 1998). The comedian's death at the age of 33 was very sad (so was all the trouble he went through leading up to it) and it doesn't help that this film, just like most of the full-length movies he starred in, isn't very good. Despite this, unlike some people, I do think he was a decent comedian, with some very funny skits on SNL! He was also sometimes funny in films, even if he never was in any comedy masterpieces. He didn't leave behind the greatest legacy in comedy history, but it could have been much worse. If you generally dislike Farley's antics, then "Almost Heroes" is obviously not for you. If you're a fan of the late comedian, you're bound to find some funny moments in this historical spoof, but could still be disappointed.