Hollywood & Wine

Stuck in Antwerp on a rainy day when this film appeared, oddly, on the Prime Network "family" channel. While absolutely not kid friendly, I found this film a well paced recreation of classic screwball comedies, from Bringing Up Baby to The Owl and the Pussycat.

Surprising cast, clever cameos. All the female eye candy is smart and tough, not victimized and in need of rescue. Nicky Whelan is my new favorite as the pragmatic Diane Blaine. Norm MacDonald's character Sid delivers a classic running deadpan joke that rivals "The Aristocrats" for filth and fun. Not high art, but a real good time that doesn't patronize or front.

I'd be surprised if something in this movie didn't offend you, but more surprised if it didn't simultaneously make you laugh. A bit of an inside joke for those of us who have lived in or around Hollywood and are familiar with the weird business of getting entertainment work, but not so much that other viewers will mind. If you have a couple of hours to have some harmless (but decidedly adult) fun, check out Hollywood and Wine.

I really enjoyed this movie. exactly right for some light silly fun. Norm Macdonald steals the show with his gross, but spoken like a poem, porno terminology. Slapstick, great acting, beautiful new female star and quite a hot older star, Ms. Esterbrook. From Guidos to talk shows to spatula fun. From mistaken identity to tucking to tea bagging. I saw it in a theater and the rest of the audience really seemed to be having a great time too. However, this is the perfect film for at home watching. Some of the physical comedy needs to be rewound and watched again just so you don't miss something. Plus, you might want to break for some honey baked ham with a chaser of chocolate syrup.

Too much budget wasted on useless performances by a cast of many losers like chris kattan, david spade and norman mcdonald to name a few....trying to be funny is a far cry from actually being funny which is why this film is a disaster...the eye candy was thrown in to keep you from getting bored along with the sexual innuendos and language that caused this film to have an r rating...using nudity tastefully could have done it better...

Look, I know, I know. Chris Kattan is definitely a red flag in a movie. And David Spade and Norm MacDonald are, let's say, erratic in the quality of their movies. SNL-cast movies tend to be based on a dumb premise with few gags to relieve the predictable tedium.

But basically everything comes together in this gem. The pacing never flags, there are multiple nutty plot-lines that all weave together most satisfactorily. And Norm MacDonald is at his absolute deadpan best, constantly saying these lines that are some combination of disgusting and/or insane as though he's a sophisticated aristocrat having the most reasonable conversation in the world.

This is a comedy that had me laughing from beginning to end --- and I'm a guy who stops watching most so-called comedies after 10 minutes because I haven't seen one thing that's funny or intriguing.