Dirty Work (1998) User Reviews

The funniest stupid comedy ever made

[guyfromjerzee · 7/10 · 13 October 2005]

Though "Dirty Work" is outrageously low-brow, what makes it work is that it's purely ridiculous, and knows it ridiculous. The problem with most stupid comedies is they try to go for legitimate laughs, and simply come off as ridiculous. Anyone who's familiar with Norm MacDonald's brand of humor shouldn't be surprised. If you hate the guy, you probably won't like this movie, as he did co-write the script as well as being the star. So if you're a Norm-hater, you can stop reading this now.

This is one of those movies where no matter how many times I watch it, I'm still able to crack up at the same stupid jokes. There's a ton of lines that I love to quote from the movie. One of those hilarious lines occurs during the "dead hooker" scene. Norm says, "I've never seen so many dead hookers in my life," and a creepy guy in the crowd comments, "Lord knows I have." The Saigon whore line is also hilarious: "And there's the Saigon whore...that bit my nose off! Aaaahhhh!" In the movie, the late and great Chris Farley plays a guy...who got his nose bitten off by a Saigon whore. I know. Pretty self-explanatory. Farley doesn't play a huge role, but he steals the show every minute he's on screen. And of course, there's Norm's great "Maybe you'll feel better after we have some dirty sex" line.

I like Norm MacDonald, because he says the most ridiculous things, but delivers them in almost a deadpan fashion. There are, of course, moments in the film that are just plain stupid. And seeing Rebecca Romijn with a beard is too disturbing for my taste. But the pros definitely outweigh the cons in this stupidly hilarious comedy that I hope becomes a cult classic someday. One thing's for sure: You will never see another movie containing a barfight with "The Pina Colada Song" playing on the jukebox.

Guaranteed to make you chuckle

[rob-236 · 7/10 · 18 May 1999]

Living in the UK I know very little about 'Saturday Night Live' comedy and I went in to this film with very little expectations and was pleasantly surprised with the result. In fact it turned out to be the funniest film that I have seen for a long while. It's laugh a minute stuff, serving up a lot of crude humour with a few daft situations which cannot fail to draw a snigger. The plot is simple:- a loser (Norm MacDonald) has to raise $50,000 to help get a heart donor for his best friends dad (Veteran actor, Jack Warden in fine form) so to do this the buddies set up their own 'revenge for hire' business with hilarious consequences. Watch out for humorous cameos by the likes of Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, John Goodman and Gary Coleman.

Beautiful introduction to Norm Macdonald's talents

[FiendishDramaturgy · 7/10 · 31 January 2005]

Most casual movie-goers do not appreciate the dry, sarcastic wit of Norm Macdonald. Many do not understand that his blunt, sometimes bombastic delivery is his trademark comedic style. While I would never call his style, "genius," he is certainly a master entertainer, in his own right. This style of his is an acquired taste. If you've managed to live your life without becoming the least bit jaded or cynical of anything, you may not understand Mr. Mcdonald's talent for humor. His coloring of even the most innocent scene with a dark innuendo or low-brow blurb is just so outrageous that we have no choice but to laugh. But those who do not understand, will find him abrasive or crass. It's true; he IS abrasive and crass, and in the most unfortunate situations he lets loose his abrasively crass innuendos and utters the most outrageous statements as facts only to correct himself by posing it as a question after he's already blurted out the first silly, obnoxious thing which comes to his mind. All this is assembled together with his honest expressions, common-everyday-Joe appearance, and expert comedic timing. Packaged within unlikely settings and a professional production, Norm Macdonald's comedic style is in the perfect element.

Dirty Work enlists the largest range of Norm Macdonald's skills of any one work I have seen. It is virtually a showcase for his talent. Unfortunately, it is commonly viewed as "mindless, low-brow, Hollywood fluff" and will therefore never receive the full appreciation of the audiences it deserves. The casual movie-goer will not be "in" on some of his one-liners, and the hard core comedic fans will be too busy critiquing his innovative comedic style to appreciate it.

This work involves Chevy Chase as an unscrupulous in-debt gambler who is willing to help our star out of his latest pickle in exchange for a load of money. I was a tad disappointed with Chevy's role in this vehicle. It could have afforded Mr. Chase's legendary talents a bit more respect by way of screen time. I found his talents were sorely under used although the drivers were pistoned after his specific flair. I did not quite agree with this decision.

All in all, this is a beautiful introduction to Norm Macdonald's talents and I highly suggest its viewing.

It rates a 7.3/10 from...

the Fiend :.

Norm is hilarious and so is this movie.

[squir1y · 24 July 2000]

I've always been a big fan of Norm MacDonald and so when I heard about this movie I was happy to see he had his own movie, but I was a little pessimistic because there hadn't been one good SNL alumni movie since Wayne's World. But when I saw it I wasn't disappointed.

Mitch (MacDonald) is a loser who just lost his job, his girlfriend, just learned his best friend's father is also his and he takes crap from everybody. So when him and his best friend Sam (Artie Lange) look for jobs they discover their calling: to open a revenge for hire business. Their business turns out to be successful until a greedy rich guy wants revenge for a prank they played on him.

Norm was hilarious. I like how straightforward he is with his lines("Settle down prostitutes!";"Hey, homeless guys!"). Artie Lange and Jack Warden were also very funny. Chris Farley and Adam Sandler make funny appearances too. The dead hooker in the trunk and the gay dog gags were priceless.

Ignore the critics. Check this out. 9/10

R.I.P Norm Macdonald

[BlazingBolt · 6/10 · 16 September 2021]

This movie is dumb. Don't get me wrong. The plot and premise are awful but this movie is amazingly funny. Norm Macdonald delivers a great performance only he could. His comedy is sometimes too edgy for some but he believed nothing was off limits and he never backed down! I thought he was an amazing comedian someone the likes of George Carlin. You'll be missed Norm. Rest in piece!

Hilarious

[theironman8 · 7/10 · 14 September 2021]

Grew up watching this movie and still quote Chris Farley to this day. Rest In Peace Norm.

I should be ashamed of myself, but this film actually made me laugh

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 15 July 2008]

Norm MacDonald and Artie Lange play two friends who aren't particularly bright and have a long history of screwing up their lives and losing jobs. Then they get the bright idea of opening up their own business--one that will get revenge for a price. The acts of revenge are among the funniest things about the film. I especially loved how he got revenge on the loud neighbors and the sleazy car salesman.

There were some serious negatives in the film such as quite a few flat jokes here, the unfunny bit where MacDonald makes notes to himself on a tape recorder (it was overdone on SNL--it was even worse here) and there was the ending--it seemed to end way too quickly and the resolution wasn't particularly satisfying compared to the earlier parts of the film.

However, this film has the phrase "guilty pleasure" written all over it. While the film has many flat moments, crude jokes and horrible messages, it did make me laugh and laugh--and that's the most important positive about the film. I know I should be ashamed of myself, but you can't ignore a film that puts a smile on your face like this stupid movie did. In addition, I hate to admit that I also laughed at MacDonald's other critically scathed film SCREWED. I feel so dirty--these are NOT deep or sophisticated films and they abound with juvenile humor--but they make me laugh.

By the way, keep note of all the unusual supporting actors that appeared in this film such as Chevy Chase, Don Rickles, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley and Jack Warden (among others). Obviously, there were a lot of folks out there that liked MacDonald and wanted to help him with this film.

Yikes

[JasparLamarCrabb · 1/10 · 10 March 2012]

Cameos by the likes of Chris Farley & Adam Sandler are not enough to make up for the fact that this dud manages to waste two of comedy's sharpest minds. Norm MacDonald & Artie Lange are two nincompoops who, unable to do any work of any sort, start a revenge for hire business and wow, is it unfunny. Neither MacDonald nor Lange is allowed to let loose and both come across as exceedingly dull. MacDonald seems to know this type of thing is NOT his bag and actually seems to be winking at the camera. This really sent his career into oblivion. Lange comes across as a nitwit and it's a shame, because his stand-up act is hilarious! Directed, with no finesse, by Bob Saget (another hilarious stand-up comic wasting his time with lame-brained nonsense). Be warned, this film even manages to waste Don Rickles!

For Norm

[rainydayjapan · 10/10 · 16 September 2021]

Now that he's gone and we can look back on all his life's work, it feels weird that this was Norm's one and only "big" movie.

When it came out I remember laughing so hard at it. I rented the video a few times just to watch Norm's "Ridiculous" monologue, and every other line he delivered in it. I had high hopes that it would be the first of many Norm movies to come because despite its flaws, this was an extremely funny movie.

But it wasn't to be.

It was easily one of the best comedy films of the mid to late 90s, yet for some reason it wasn't the box office success that There's Something About Mary and others were. It deserved to be, solely based on Norm's performance in it, but it just didn't turn in the big bucks.

Which is sad. This was one of the best films by a SNL alumnus ever made. Just compare this movie and the laughs it generates to what his contemporaries were doing. Adam Sandler, who makes a cameo in this movie, never came close to making a movie this funny. Yet for some reason Hollywood kept churning out god awful Sandler garbage year after year. Chris Farley, who also makes a cameo in this movie and unlike Sandler was talented and funny, also never made a movie this good (though unlike Sandler he turned in some decent ones). Rob Schneider, David Spade - the list goes on. None of them made a movie anywhere near this funny.

Maybe it is a hidden blessing that this was Norm's one big movie. Norm MacDonald in 1998 was a comedian at the top of his game. This was the same Norm who just the year before went on Conan O'Brien and hijacked Courtney Thourne-Smith's appearance to single handedly create the most hilarious seven minutes in late night talk show history. Late 1990s Norm was one of the funniest comedians in history.

But having achieved such brilliant heights he had nowhere to go but down. He never crashed and was always funny (his moth joke on Conan in 2009 is deadly funny), but in later years his stand up and also his appearances on the late night circuit weren't quite able to capture that same lightening in the bottle he had in the 90s. His only other major movie appearance after this was in Screwed a couple of years later. Which was not good and we should all forget about its existence. After that he basically just did a few voice performances and cameos in movies.

Dirty Work though is what he has left us, and it is a movie that is still worth watching after all these years. Because of Norm's timeless talent for getting laughs, which he uses to full effect throughout the film.

So if you've ever seen a clip of Norm being funny and want to see more, preferable in movie form, you can't go wrong with this one.

Bravo Bob Saget

[view_and_review · 6/10 · 7 June 2007]

Bravo I say. This was a solid directorial job by Saget, and this was a solid comedy overall. I liked this movie. I wasn't gah gah over it, but I liked it. There was a solid cast and a solid script.

Now, having said that... The lead actor (Norm Macdonald) probably did as much harm as good. He is a nerd type, which is what the role called for, but he has no range. He reminds me of a Gilbert Godfried or his opposite in the guy who played the science teacher in "Fast Times of Ridgemont High." His emotional display and tone starts at indifference and goes a little up or a little down from there. I thought there were several scenes in which a more vociferous or ostentatious actor would have made the scene funnier. I've seen Norm do stand up before, both good and bad, his nasally nerdy voice goes well for the material he writes for himself as a stand up comic, but it doesn't translate well on screen. Still, the movie concept was excellent and I thought it was executed well with what Saget had.

Stupid beyond belief, but has enough funny moments to make it watchable

[TOMNEL · 5/10 · 14 October 2006]

Stars: Norm MacDonald, Artie Lange, Jack Warden, Traylor Howard, Chevy Chase, Chris Farley, Don Rickles. Cameos: Adam Sandler, Gary Coleman, and many others.

You can see in this movie why Norm McDonald was fired from SNL for not being funny. He and Artie Lange are our two main characters and neither are very good actors, so it's really hard to watch them at times. The plot deals with Mitch and Sam starting a revenge for hire business to pay for Sam's (and later revealed Mitch's) dad's (Warden)operation. Some scenes in this film are really quite funny, like the crossing guard that grabs kids rears, or Don Rickles at the movie theater, but more often then not it relies on really unfunny and stupid sex jokes. Bob Saget from Full House directed this, which might explain why it's so ridiculous at times. However it does have a great backup cast, including Chevy Chase as the addictive gambler Dr. Farthing and Chris Farley as a bar buddy that had his nose bit off by a Saigon whore.

If you enjoy Norm MacDonald's brand of humor, you'll most likely enjoy this. My rating: **/****. 76 mins. PG-13 for Sexual humor, Language and Some Backside nudity.

They don't make them like this anymore.

[nytol1-798-466578 · 8/10 · 7 May 2021]

I only discovered Norm a few days ago, I'm not sure he's really known in the UK?

But in that time I've watched a lot of the old clips on YouTube and think he's brilliant.

An intelligent comic, who's genuinely funny.

This film had several laugh out loud moments.

Yes it is silly and pointless, but not everything needs to have a point 😎

one of my favorite comedies

[gkd105 · 7/10 · 23 July 2003]

Yeah, this movie has a pretty lame plot, but it's still friggin funny. For me, this is up there with Office Space as one of my favorite comedies. Many of the lines just keep me rolling. This is a great movie to watch with a bunch of friends while having a few brews. Hairy backs, dead hookers, and Chris Farley have never been so funny. I'd probably consider this to be the best movie starring an SNL alum. 8/10

Dirty Movie.

[anaconda-40658 · 3/10 · 30 June 2015]

Dirty Work (1998): Dir: Bob Saget / Cast: Norm MacDonald, Artie Lange, Jack Warden, Christopher McDonald, Chevy Chase: Good concept suggests people doing what they shouldn't, such as making this film in the first place. It stars Norm MacDonald who is a failure at everything except revenge. He is kicked out of his apartment then learns that his best friend's father may also be his. He is warned not to spill the beans. He needs $50,000 for a heart transplant so he opens a revenge for hire business where he will perform odd stunts for a fee. Appealing concept condemned to formula and an ending that justifies revenge. Director Bob Saget does his best to create interesting situations and locations. MacDonald is totally unsympathetic and Artie Lange as his best friend cannot act. Together they create these stunts that might have worked given better writers. Jack Warden is typecast as the hospitalized father who is all about punching MacDonald in the crotch and plainly being angry in general. Christopher McDonald plays the typical villain whom MacDonald will play off as a justified revenge tactic. Chevy Chase is also wasted as a surgeon with a gambling dept but the only thing he really gambles is a once flourishing career. Someone should have hired these guys to write a decent screenplay, or at least prevent this stupid crap from being seen in any public venue. Score: 3 / 10

One of my favorite "dumb" comedies

[Eric-1226 · 25 December 2001]

This movie is just great escapist fun, best enjoyed on a lazy day when you're feeling quite goofy and want to watch a totally cheese-ball comedy to give you a good guilty laugh.

It's one of those dumb but lovable comedies that rambles all over the place, taking zany pokes at lots of things in society: relationships, the police, jobs, the opera, homeless people, circus people, drug dealers, doctors, pet lap dogs, and lots more. Oh yeah, there are also dead hookers in trunks of cars. No kidding.

There are wonderfully mirthful performances by the likes of Norm MacDonald, Jack Warden, Artie Lange, Don Rickles, Chevy Chase, Chris Farley, and others (Chris Farley is more than funny in this one - he's downright scary!). I also liked Traylor Howard (Kathy) in this one. What a sweetie!

Anyway, go rent it, turn off any semblance of higher intellect that you may possess, sit back, and enjoy.

*Note to self: watch this movie again, and laugh foolishly all over again.

One Of The Best SNL Alumni Efforts. Hilarious. Better Than Most Adam Sandler Movies.

[Real_Review · 6/10 · 20 April 2019]

RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria:

Acting - 0.5/1 Casting - 1/1 Directing - 1/1 Story - 1/1 Writing/Screenplay - 1/1

Total Base Score = 4.5

Modifiers (+ or -)

Music/Soundtrack: 0.5 Ensemble Cast: 1

Total RealReview Rating: 6

Pleasant

[jeff1to1618 · 6/10 · 8 December 2021]

Well, it's poorly edited, directed, and acted. The script is fine and probably would have been better with other actors but... it's really nice seeing Norm McDonald on screen and even Artie Lange is compelling. Even before Norm died. And before Artie lost his nose.

Makes No Apologies

[ReelCheese · 7/10 · 20 August 2006]

By making no apologies for its silly, if not bizarre, humor, "Dirty Work" manages to be a comic gem in its own little way. Norm MacDonald plays Mitch Weaver, who along with buddy Sam McKenna (Artie Lange) become an unusual pair of entrepreneurs by starting a "revenge for hire" business. Soon business takes off as the guys sabotage homes, get even with mean bosses and turn a housing development into something of a ghetto. All this to (comedy cliché alert) raise money for an operation for Sam's ailing father.

The brand of humor in "Dirty Work" is the sort that plays to our immaturity, much like the early Adam Sandler pictures such as Billy Madison and Happy Gimore. The film also has an appealing enough story that it moves along at a slick pace even when it's not uproarious. Judging by the box office results for "Dirty Work," it seems MacDonald's act is lost on many filmgoers. But if you're one of those who finds him hilarious, there's no doubt you'll have a great time with "Dirty Work."

Ugh.

[Scream-11 · 1/10 · 20 December 1998]

While the idea behind this movie seems pretty cool, it's killed by some awful acting and jokes that just aren't funny. When Norm McDonald is delivering one-liners, he's great, but he shouldn't be allowed to attempt actual acting. For everyone else, neither the one-liners nor the actual acting seemed effective. I'm sorry, but I just wasn't impressed by all the references to some old guy's wild sex life. And the pathetic attempts to make the main characters seem noble after they screw up just don't work. This movie is basically a waste of time and money.

Now They've Made Revenge Funny

[ccthemovieman-1 · 8/10 · 26 February 2006]

None of the three young stars of this film - Norm MacDonald, Artie Lange or Traylor Howard - ever became movie stars but they combined to make this a funny film, albeit what I call a lame-brain (somewhat low-class but effective humor) one.

This is not an untypical comedy of today: tons of sleazy jokes, sightgags, a lightweight romance story, a generally stupid story and a happy ending.....yet this one was far more appealing than most I've seen. Although the language could be worse, why this isn't rated "R" is beyond me. It is not for teens but I'll bet many of them watched and enjoyed this, as well as older people like me.

MacDonald is a very likable guy in the lead. He just has a friendly face and demeanor about him. He makes the film. Lange was a bit loud. I'm glad the film wasn't longer because Lange's constant shouting begins to become grating. As for Traylor, she acted well and was a pretty face. After watching this twice, I wondered why she never made it, but at least she has now found TV fame as the new partner of the hit TV series, "Monk."

Two veterans actors in here - Jack Warden and Chevy Chase - play irreverent sleazy roles, something they certainly have done before.....and do well. Warden is brutal as the ultimate dirty old man and Chase is as smug as always. Don Rickles makes a short appearances as his normal obnoxious character and John Goodman makes a cameo near the end.

The main story of this movie is a familiar one: revenge, but this time it is played strictly for laughs, and there are plenty. The movie shows revenge isn't just sweet, it can funny. What can you say? The movie is crude, it's sentimental, and it's a fun 82 minutes.

Better than I thought it would be. Artie Lange and Rickles are hilarious!

[Ginormous · 7/10 · 3 November 2001]

Don Rickles alone makes this movie worth seeing. The late Chris Farley also adds some great comedy to this movie. Norm MacDonald's acting is as bad as it gets, but the movie keeps you laughing. After all, he is Norm MacDonald.

Is it harder to achieve higher standards or maintain low ones?

[StevePulaski · 3/10 · 26 June 2013]

Dirty Work isn't so much a film as a competition for "how many filthy jokes can we incorporate in a seventy-six minute film?" That kind of thesis for a comedy is almost always lethal because we get no opportunities for humanity or genuine laughs since the film constantly feels the dreary obligation to one-up itself. Here's a film that is so perfunctory and foreseeable in its setups and deliveries that I'd be convinced if the screenwriter and the director thought of this film over a coffee break and decided to carry out everything right then and there.

The film was directed by Bob Saget, who you'd know as the whitest, cleanest, and most supportive sitcom daddy in existence on the classic program Full House. Saget is famous for leading a life contradicting to his clean-persona on the show, often performing the filthiest, crassest standup you're likely to ever hear. For this reason, it is unsurprising his directorial effort plays much like his standup in terms of predictably raunchy material that lacks heart and craft.

The film follows Mitch Weaver (Norm Macdonald) and Sam McKenna (Artie Lange), two lifelong buddies who have gone their entire lives exacting revenge on people for the smallest offenses. They stage elaborate attacks on the people they can't stand in order to gain a small sense of satisfaction. When Sam's father (Jack Warden) has a heart attack and is in need of a heart transplant, the guys learn the doctor can get the man immediate attention if they pay off the doctor (Chevy Chase) $50,000 so that he can pay off his enormous gambling debt.

They decide to open a revenge business called "Dirty Work," which thrives off of people calling in and getting Mitch and Sam to exact revenge on people that make their callers tick. One of the reasons the film doesn't work is that the attacks are simple and, overall, underwhelming. With more intricate planning and craft, the payoffs for these offenses could've been rewarding and hilarious. Instead, they are childish and redundant.

It also doesn't help that Mitch and Sam are two of the most archetypal, cliché protagonists in any comedy I've ever seen. They're so thin, wooden, and void of personality they feel like robots programmed to do and say things that are allegedly funny. Macdonald and Lange are average comedic talents, and here, they can't do too much with the script (which was somehow the product of three people) that forbids and character or development from sneaking past the abundance of clichés and predictable plot lines.

Even so-called "late night comedies" and "stoner films" need to achieve some sort of quality and Dirty Work doesn't possess the characteristics of being memorable or creative enough to achieve them. It is an overly-silly, ridiculous film that gets even more ridiculous when it feels the need to allow plot lines like romance and fighting to elbow themselves into the picture. Saget may have craft when it comes to juggling personas, but he also shows that he has talent for making one of the most frustrating comedies of the nineties I have yet to see.

Starring: Norm Macdonald, Artie Lange, Jack Warden, and Chevy Chase. Directed by: Bob Saget.

Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap

[statuskuo · 7/10 · 19 January 2022]

I'm sure some of you are here because you're wondering how this flick holds up now that two comedians from this flick have passed away.

Let's not kid ourselves, we had our money on Artie Lange croaking first.

The film is frat humor and if you can get behind that, this will be fun.

To me, it is the personalities of Norm MacDonald and Artie Lange that carry me through it. They seem to know they are in a movie. Tongue planted firmly in cheek.

And there isn't any real direction when it comes to the late Bob Saget, only that it seemed to get out of these two comedians way. That is smart.

I recall watching this on repeat back in the pre-millenium and being made to feel better at the shenanigans of two knuckleheads who scheme to save their father. The subject is somewhat crass as when we discover, through a (phone-it-in) Jack Warden, that their mother was "a whore" And some of the performances, specifically as Norm delivers his lines seem tired. Perhaps cinema wasn't where he worked best.

I'm not entirely sure if this movie plays to modern audiences. I think it may go over a lot of heads. Even back in '98, it seemed out of place. It is really a movie that you can tell the people involved were just friends making a movie. Perhaps that is the value of the piece: nostalgia.

Not Norm's best

[Primtime · 4/10 · 26 August 1999]

Dirty Work is a film that doesn't work. The whole storyline seems created out of convenience, never strong enough to make the audience care. Only a few laughs come out of this boring story and script and are mostly due to MacDonald's dry humour.

The cameos of Chevy Chase, Chris Farley and Adam Sandler are all wasted, not using each to the best of their abilities. I wonder if Chevy ever saw the finished product of this film. Because if he did, he would have surely asked for his part to be cut. Chase has no funny lines in the entire film even though they are all meant to be funny. Same goes for Farley, other than his final scene,, his role isn't at all funny.

The ending of this film is pathetic, causing one to question if Mr. Saget ran out of film, MGM lost patience or MacDonald just got sick of being boring.

Dirty Work is good for a few crude laughs, but still a waste of an hour and a half.

4/10 stars.