This amateurish, independent, shoestring "B" may be of interest to Barry Norton fans like me who were impressed by his interpretation of Juan Harker in the Spanish Dracula (1931). Alas, soon after a slow and sluggish start, we are forced to sit through at least twenty minutes of crudely interpolated, ancient stock footage before we get back to the main story. And then, after the not unpleasing island sequence (the whole idea of the shipwrecked sailor not wanting to be rescued is a reasonably appealing one), we have to put up with a mind-numbingly miscalculated twist in the plot when morose Jose suddenly reverses character and turns himself into a daringly enthusiastic Captain Ahab, battling a primitively superimposed stock shot of a giant manta ray. I'm amazed I put up with all this rubbish before reaching for the STOP button, but I kept hoping that Barry Norton would do something to justify his star billing. He doesn't! Not one single thing!

Despite a delayed entrance of at least thirty minutes, the actual lead player is Jack Del Rio. He gets most of the running. And even Bill Lemuels as the native chief has a more colorful part than our Barry Norton, the film's nominal hero. And as for the heroine, lovely Blanche Mehaffey, she fares even worse. If she figures in more than two minutes of footage, I'd be very surprised. Maya Owalee gets far more attention, and even Mary Carr seems to have a bigger part. And it is the talented Miss Owalee who contributes the movie's one successfully pregnant moment when she collapses on the beach after Jose deserts her.

All in all, however, despite Miss Owalee and the film's innate curiosity value, Devil Monster rates as a viewer's nightmarean almost complete waste of talent and time.


This movie is available on a 50 movie DVD collection called "Tales of Terror" but the only real terror here is trying to watch this wretched disaster of a movie. The movie was edited down from an earlier movie with lots of wildlife film and "Jungle exploitation" footage of topless native women thrown in with the usual patronizing narration. The special effects are pathetically awful, an undersea battle between an octopus and various other sea creatures is obviously done in a large aquarium! The battle with the titular monster was done by the double exposure of the hero and a large Manta Ray, you can plainly see the waves of "two" oceans superimposed on each other as well as the hero, Jose. All of this should have made for a hilarious, entertaining grade Z movie but unfortunately it's just boring and dull. This makes "Plan Nine from Outer Space" look like a slick Hollywood blockbuster, no exaggeration! Unbelievably BAD.


This action film, made in 1946, or was it 1936?, is a horrible and inept mishmash about tuna fishermen hunting the South Seas for a lost seaman at the behest of his mother and fiancée. They eventually find him on a Polynesian paradise which he is reluctant to leave. They resort to shanghaiing him, not to take him back apparently, but to make him tell them where the good tuna are to be had. But in addition to the tuna they meet up with the Devil Monster, which turns out to be nothing more than a large manta. The story makes no sense and the direction has no continuity. Many of the effects, such as the fight with the manta, are laughably bad. Its only virtue is that the badness of it is unpredictable and that unpredictability is what may or may not hold your interest for a plodding hour. The highlights of the film are the brief shots of bare-breasted native women and a nifty fight between an octopus and an eel shot in an aquarium.


Except for the oddity of being taken from three previous films and edited together - all much older than the 1946 release date of this film, Devil Monster is one heck of a bad film with bad acting, bad special effects, a terrible script, and virtually nothing going for it. A third is almost nothing but stock footage of seals,dolphins, and various tribes that look nothing alike in different scenes. I was yawning after two minutes of seeing seals wash up on rocks and having inane dialog try and justify its presence. The original films could not have much better though because a couple of these actors - okay, most of these actors are just downright awful from the lead Barry Norton to the excessiveness of Jack Del Rio looking like a psychopath at the ship's steering wheel to the laughable persona of Jack Barty as the captain to the even more ludicrous native chief with a New York accent. Only the fellow playing Tiny the cook held any of my interest - and that really says just how bad this film is if you saw his performance! I really cannot add much more to this then to say that the film is very, very bad and devoid of any merit whatsoever except if you enjoy watching people pour out their hearts only ending in cinematic misery for the viewer built by the foundation of their lack of talent and competence. Sometimes I do. I did laugh several times at how bad - really bad - thing were.


"A ship disappears during an ocean voyage and everyone is presumed lost. When evidence points towards a survivor of the wreck, the sailor's mother organizes an expedition to locate her missing son. When the explorers find the missing man living on n island, they take him against his will in order to return him to his home. The consequences of their actions prove very costly for the explorers, when the sailor sets about their downfall for taking him away from his island paradise," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

This "edited version of a ten-year-old film, 'The Sea Fiend' (1936)" is a curious choice for re-release. Perhaps, its generous footage of topless South Sea island native women was the alluring ingredient. Since they were animalistic "natives", they could be shown bare-chested. Non-native women, similarly displayed, would be considered pornographic. So, you have a big-screen movie turning the pages of the "National Geographic", while attempting to tell an adventure story. And, it's not even the original film.

* Devil Monster (1946) S. Edwin Graham ~ Barry Norton, Jack Del Rio, Terry Grey


If there were an award for the most amount of stock footage in a film, this would have to win. The producers probably shot only about 10-15 minutes of extra scenes and spliced them into an hour of stock footage from several different films. Over the stock footage there is a narrator trying to connect the whole mess together. The so called native people shift from white to Asian to black randomly from scene to scene. The special effects (???) are awful and the pop tart, I mean devil monster, only appears long enough to eat some guys arm. The scene where the guy is fighting the monster is clearly superimposed as you can see the water in one part showing right through the other part making the guy in the water look transparent.


My criteria for a true bad movie is one that is either just plain boring or just plain stupid. Highlander 2 is an example of the latter, while Devil Monster is a pretty good example of one that's just boring.

This cheapie is another movie that's basically ten minutes of story and fifty minutes of travelogue. Too much nature footage detracted from the already-scant story. The story that's there is pretty much just a minor melodrama, probably more at home in a silent movie (in which most of the principal actors would've also more at home). About the only really interesting bit is the fact that the hero doesn't get the girl at the end. Most of what passes for special effects are just crudely done opticals, but they don't really detract from the film as much as one would think.

I'd love to see The Sea Fiend (the movie from which this one was edited) to see if what they took out made things go any more interestingly.


You have to hand it to Warren Beatty, he redefines the term "maverick". He could be, like many of his contemporaries, taking it easy. Instead, "Bullworth". One of the most outrageously funny satires I've seen in a long time. Satire? Somebody asked me. Well yes, satire. A realistic, daring, clearheaded, masterful satire. We live in satirical times, we have no choice in the matter. It takes an artist of Beatty's caliber to turns things around and makes us laugh and shiver at this mess of our own making. After seeing "Bullworth" I felt compelled to revisit some of Beatty's earlier work as an actor or producer or director. From "Mickey One" to "Reds" passing through "Bonnie And Clyde" and "Shampoo" not to mention "Heaven Can Wait" Mr. Beatty's legacy is one of amazing consistency. As I smiled enjoying his funny portrayal in "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" with Vivien Leigh, I thought: that beautiful man is not just a pretty face.


Bulworth was released quite a few years ago, but it is still (if not more) relevant today. It merges two "cultures," one being the rich white class culture, and the other being the urban lower class culture, and ends up with many universal ideals. The story's hero is Jay Billington Bulworth, portrayed brilliantly by Warren Beatty. I think some people have a problem with the fact that he is...well, more or less insane, but that is possibly the most important thing about the character. You could call him insane, but if you look at it more romantically, perhaps he is "posessed" by the "spirit" of social justice, a mere vessel for the truths that need to be told. He is a character unaware of the significance in what he is saying. To him, if he's not completely insane, he's simply a man who broke down and decided to tell it like it is (ala Peter Finch in Network, but with rapping and rhyming). There's something actually kind of mystical about all this.

Since it would be way too preachy if that's all there was to the story, there's some other aspects that make for an entertaining viewing. Bulworth, in his depression and anxiety, hired a hit-man to "off" him so his family could collect the life insurance. Once his speeches and raps become a success, this is obviously a big problem since he wants to live again ("You should never make life and death situations when feeling suicidal"). There is a love interest with a girl named Nina, played by the lovely Halle Berry. You don't know if you can trust her, and her intentions are unclear.

There is also a fine supporting role by Don Cheadle, who plays a "business man" who uses young children to sell drugs. His character does bring up some valid points, and we're forced to really put ourselves in his shoes. He's doing what he feels is right, but ultimately, the ends don't justify his means.

With a movie that has so much going on, it would probably be difficult for the filmmakers to figure out a way to wrap everything up, right? Unfortunately, yes. Bulworth ends pretty abruptly and leaves with the film's message being half-assedly shouted at the screen. The last act is a huge flaw in an otherwise perfect movie.

Bulworth is a hilarious comedy and it heralds something truly special and unique. It is not a film to be taken for granted or forgotten. It's a quintessential example of a 'contemporary classic' for our generation. I have no doubt that over the next decade or so, people will want to revisit it and examine the politics and the cultures; it should be studied in classrooms, it should be valued. I loved Bulworth!

My rating: 9/10


I cannot recommend 'Bulworth' highly enough. Sure, I've seen lots of worthy political satires. 'The Candidate', 'Wag the Dog', 'Bob Roberts', and others. But this is the finest example ever made. Warren Beatty should be very proud of this masterpiece. Not only for the guts it took to so brazenly confront the modern political process (and how it affects race relations, the film industry, education, medicine, and so on) but also for the fact that he wrote it, produced it, directed it, and starred in it. Any one of those jobs can be a supreme undertaking, and here he has accomplished all four with integrity, wit, humor, intelligence, and undeniable brass. It is quite simply impossible to watch this movie without being repeatedly shocked at the depth of its honesty. The supporting cast is also excellent, and Don Cheadle stands out as LD.


In "Bulworth," Warren Beatty plays a liberal senator who puts a contract out on himself. Since he knows he is going to die soon, he decides to be honest with the public for the very first time in his political career. However, to the surprise of everyone (including himself), his new attitude makes him more popular than ever before. Audacious political satire, maybe the best of its kind. Savage wit and penetrating observations about the American society, are just a few ingredients that help make this movie a winner. This is definitely Beatty's best film as an actor/director/writer. He is fearless in his exploration of the USA's political machinery, sparing no one, and making his points in an intelligent and very funny manner. It is also a very disturbing movie. Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove (1964)" looks like child's play compared to the dark implications of this film. It is refreshing to see a mature Beatty, display so much creativity and energy in one film. Funny, wise and profane. Guarantee to offend all kinds of viewers. Highly Recommended!


In BULWORTH Warren Beatty gives one of his funniest and most outrageous performances. This sharp political satire is even more timely now than it was in 1998. This is a marvelously subversive movie on several fronts: politics, race, economics, Hollywood itself! Beatty stars as a fading senator from California who is so burned out he arranges for a large insurance policy and then hires a hit man. He's at the end of his rope personally and professionally. He's losing in a primary election to a young gun and has nothing left in his life. After days without sleep or eating he is dragged off to a rally at a Black church. He starts to read his "usual" speech but almost in a state of delirium he starts answering questions HONESTLY. He enrages the Black congregation with his brutal answers but somehow feels buoyant. Outside the church as the mobs surround him he runs into Halle Berry and her friends and they all take off in the limo.

This starts a voyage of discovery for Beatty. Of course at this point Beatty is also running from the hit man. His new honesty unleashes a desire to live. They arrive at a Black hip-hop club where Beatty drinks, smokes pot, and is transformed by the loud urban rap music. The dance scene with Beatty and Berry is remarkable.

Next stop is a speech at a fancy Hollywood hotel filled with film executives. Beatty makes many comments of how Jews run Hollywood, becomes rich, but turn out a crappy product. Next comes a debate with his political opponent, and finally an interview. The new Beatty parrots back much of what he has heard from poor Blacks but of course he has always known the truth. His sense of freedom from the back-room politics of Washington is exhilarating and his new voice reaches the masses of disenfranchised voters. His comments about the media and how it is controlled by corporate America is more apt now (during the Bush administration) than ever before.

Beatty is brilliant, and this ranks as one of his very best performances. Berry is actually good as well in her pre-movie star mode when she still bothered to act. Oliver Platt scores as the political aide. Paul Sorvino is a lobbyist for the insurance industry.

Jack Warden, Helen Martin, Don Cheadle, Christine Baranski, Florence Stanley, Laurie Metcalf, Sean Astin, Isaiah Washington, Nora Dunn, Joshua Malina, William Baldwin, Hart Bochner, Armelia McQueen, and Jackie Gayle co-star.

Filled with humor, political insights, and top-notch performances. This acid look at politics in Amerca is more timely now than ever. Bravo to Warren Beatty!


I should have known this movie was going to be good because it came highly recommended by Matt Lueck, who seems to be very picky about what he considers "good" movies. This movie was exceptional.

If you don't like politics, this film might not be for you. Or maybe it would be for you even more, since all it does is attack the political system. Warren Beatty stars as a Seantor who is sick of all the lies and crap in Washington, so he takes out a life insurance policy and hires a hit-man to kill him. After partying with some ghetto people (including Halle Berry) he sees the error of his ways and tries to call the hit off. The rest of the film follows this path.

I liked the storyline of the film, but more so I liked the nuggets it dropped along the way. The claims of politicians using minorities, the reality of drug culture, the fact that greed controls health care in this country. I found myself agreeing with almost everything in this film (though the part about the elimination of all races went too far). The ending was also exactly what I expected it to be - and what I felt it should have been. Only they added an aspect I hadn't considered and I think it made the film so much better. (I'm being vague so as not to give anything away.) Warren Beatty rapping is both comical and annoying. But if you look past his "wack skillz" and listen to what he has to say about corporations, big oil, TV networks and more, you'll get so much more out of this film. I'm also not a fan of Halle Berry, but she was probably the best person for the role so I'm okay with that. Hooray for Oliver Platt and Sean Astin, both looking very slim in this movie.

Not the best film you'll see this year, but highly recommended just the same.


Warren Beatty's Bulworth is one devastating satire on the political scene of the Clinton years. Sad to say things really ain't gotten any better here.

J. Billington Bulworth, Democratic Senator from California at one time rising liberal star has had to tack mighty heavily to the right in order to keep his office. Even at doing that he's facing a heavily financed rightwing opponent.

With defeat staring him in the face and no home life so to speak with both he and his wife pursuing the opposite sex, Bulworth just decides to chuck it all. His friends in the insurance industry are writing him one whopping life insurance policy and Bulworth hires a hit man to do him in.

Of course no with nothing to lose our U.S. Senator who before mouthed the political platitudes and nostrums we get from our elected officials at voting time, now starts telling some uncomfortable truths. Lack of sleep and some controlled substances produce a rapping U.S. Senator who along the way picks up some black groupie types with Halle Berry. The consequences of all these hijinks you'll have to watch Bulworth for.

One friend has compared it Network and there are certainly some similarities. I think Bulworth should be seen back to back with Robert Redford's The Candidate. If you'll remember Redford was the idealistic liberal who trimmed his sails through the advice of his hired spin doctors and got himself elected U.S. Senator from California. His Bill MacKay was wondering what he does then at the end of that film. I think Bulworth provides some answers as to a possible direction MacKay might have taken.

Warren Beatty wrote a witty script and a mean rap. Director Beatty gets some good performances by his cast and best in the supporting cast is his aide Oliver Platt who sees his whole career going down the tubes. There's a peculiar symbiotic relationship between Capitol Hill staffers and their bosses. They serve at the pleasure of, but at the same time a good one can make himself pretty valuable to his boss. Platt's such a guy, his character is quite authentic.

Remember watch Bulworth back to back with The Candidate.


BULWORTH (1998) ***1/2

Starring: Warren Beatty, Halle Berry, Don Cheadle, Oliver Platt, Isaiah Washington, and Christine Baranski Directed, produced, and written by Warren Beatty 108 minutes Rated R (for pervasive strong language, drug use, sexual references, and brief violence)

By Blake French:

	I have seen a lot of movies in my time, but I have never seen anything as witty, as twisted, as entertaining, as outrageous, or as original as Warren Beatty's new political satire "Bulworth." It is, at times, funny, but at others very dark. I can't recall ever stating that a "serious comedy," is one of the years best films before. That was then, this is now--and "Bulworth" is truly one of the better film's of 1998.

	As the movie opens, a US senator named Jay Billington Bulworth, hires a hit man to kill an individual of his desire. The hit man wonders exactly who this person is in which a man of such power wishes to eliminate. As it turns out, Bulworth has paid this hit man to kill his own suicidal self. "If I'm not dead by Monday, I'm canceling that check." Bulworth states firmly.

	This is were the outrageous humor begins. During a campaign speech at a local African American church, Bulworth goes seemingly nuts. He begins to tell the citizens the truth about subjects in congress that most politicians would never think of revealing to the general public. His representative, Dennis Murphy, who cares only about getting Bulworth elected, almost faints in shock and disbelief. But you have to understand, these are the last days that Bulworth will be experiencing life, so why not reveal secrets, release envelop pushing information, and start up controversy with the nation with his last breaths.

	"Never make life of death decisions when you're suicidal," explains Bulworth during one of the film's more invigoration sequences. He is talking to a woman named Nina, whom he met nonchalantly during one of his presentation speeches. The two of them fall in love. Too bad Bulworth has not taken his own advice typed above, for his death is near. But is Nina who she appears to be? Is his wife, Constance Bulworth, having an affair with another man? Is Bulworth's demise in the near future? All suitable questions that will all be answered when you see the movie.

	Parts of the film do not work. For instance, the subplot involving Bulworth's wife who is adulterous just isn't detailed enough, nor are the characters introduced, for us to even consider this anything but a gimmick. True, the affair does symbolize chaos preoccupied in his household, and establishes another reason for him to be suicidal. Still, it's too small for a movie that offers so many good qualities.

	"Bulworth" has a detailed opening that provokes empathy for our main character, Jay Bulworth. We learn of an external problem, Jay being involved in a heated presidential campaign, and an internal problem, Jay being suicidal and calling a hit on himself. The structure only goes uphill from there, and that is hard to do. Both conflicts are evolved, with Nina, Bulworth's sense of honesty, the hit man's presence, and several character & plot twists in which someone is not who they appear to be.

	Along with some very dramatic and meaningful moments found in "Bulworth," also contained is dialogue that is smart, witty, and at times hilarious. The first shock value sequence is truly outrageous, and the films unabashed sense of eagerness only gets more perverse; the film is rated R for appropriate reasons, mostly coming from Bulworth's style of life he becomes involved with. The situations we're facing here are quite controversial, but Warren Beatty directs the film with a certain humorous touch. He uses effective but bizarre camera angles, and a hip cinematographer that creates aggressive chemistry between Beatty and Halle Berry during their "party animal" scenes together.

	The performances in "Bulworth" entirely demonstrate that Warren Beatty is not only able to direct, write and produce well, but also that capable to lead an all star cast, including Don Cheadle, Oliver Platt, Isaiah Washington, and Christine Baranski, into an Oscar worthy overall appearance level. All of these things contribute to making "Bulworth" is of the better films of 1998, and I recommend it highly.

 Brought to you by Twentieth Century Fox.


while this becomes a classic(10 years old already), i must say that i have seen this feature at least 5 times( not counting when seen it with company or parts of it).

let's just quickly compare this to the more recent "Charlie Wilson's War". while generally on same approach towards politics Bulworth does not try to justify or give an impression of naivety( how naive can really be a politician that condones war for whatever reasons!?).Bulworth appeals to all masses as well since it very intelligently funny with certain scenes that literally will make you laugh out loud!. for example,the scene where the main character suggest how to solve the American racial problem, is RAW and i guarantee you that will make you wake up the neighbors. this movie combines EXTREAMLLY well many aspects of American politics that anyone can relate to regardless if you are in the office or not, poor or rich( even if there are some charming attacks at the rich class), disfranchised voter or not.if you are not pleased with today's politics overall then this is for you! Warren Beatty probably gives the best experience of his career.Halle Berry has only a supporting role in reality BUT she does have a political oriented speech that is one of the most outstanding speech ever given on the big screen, when it comes to class oriented views. the other actors do very well their parts , somehow being general stereotypes of some form but very effective and NEEDED here, in giving a clear imagine of how thing are, and not how they should.


This movie is one of my favorites. I think it is under-appreciated and if it were up to me I would have produced a sequel by now. There were scenes in this movie that were so funny that I find myself quoting them on a regular basis. There were also some important political messages that were delivered with a great amount of skill and intelligence. Bullworth's two campaign directors were genius. Their dialog was great and their physical comedy was masterful. Halle Berry was of course at her top form and seemed very comfortable with the role. There were so many classic scenes that it is difficult to limit myself to just a few.I would like to see a sequel.


I just finished watching this over-hyped pile of pretentious garbage. Where to begin?...

For one thing, I hate movies that stuff political messages down my throat and preach to me. Even if I sometimes agree with the message, there are more subtle and elegant ways to convey the point then spoon feeding it to me like I'm an idiot. This movie just went on and on about how America is falling apart and run by big uncaring corporations that tell the government what to do. Well, duh. Did anyone not already know this?

And what self respecting, intelligent person would follow such a clown as Bulworth? Give me a break. So Warren Beatty dresses like a gangsta rappa and all of a sudden the entire black population stands up behind him in support? WHAT!?

So, because of Bulworth's rapping loud mouth, everything falls into place and is so perfect and happy and the world is going to be all okay? Sure. Whatever. Life isn't that simple.

The movie is boring, long, and devoid of believable characters or situations. I recommend Tim Robbin's movie Bob Roberts if you'd like a political satire that is actually funny and not just insulting.


The buzz on Bulworth was that it was a daring, honest and amusing comedy that boldly confronted political taboo. I was excited to watch it, but was genuinely amazed at how absolutely terrible it was. Bulworth is a foul-mouthed, rapping politician who espouses woolly left-wing/liberal platitudes and who would last under 2 seconds in the real political arena. Most of his policies would amazingly unpopular and, it must be said, wrong. He trots out gangsters to back up his "hardcore truths", and the effect is laughable. This movie was extraordinarily painful to watch.


I was expecting great things from this film from the trailers which advertised Beatty speaking the truth to a black congregation. But what I got was two hours of one sight gag -- a rich, old white guy rapping and jiving in the "hood" in an effort to "enlighten" the audience. One example of Bulworth's notions to improve the world is that "we should all just keep having sex with each other until we're all the same color." How brilliant! If we're all the same color, we won't have to use our minds anymore to appreciate the differences of each race. As a racially homogenous society, we will all be the same color and life will be beautiful because we'll all be the same -- I think Hitler had a similar idea.

According to the gospel of Bulworth, gun-toting juvenile delinquents can be reformed by simply buying them an ice-cream cone. And if white people would only dress like crack-dealers, snort cocaine and rap their way through life, they'd endear themselves into the hearts of black Americans everywhere.

As someone who lives in the inner-city and faces its rigors on a daily basis, I must say that Warren Beatty has unintentionally managed to illustrate exactly what a "limosine liberal" he really is -- stereotyping blacks and whites while trying to prove how "with it" an old, rich, white guy from Beverly Hills can really be.


Warren Beatty as a Senator who becomes a rapper? Move over, Plan 9 From Outer Space! What is this, Ishtar II, the sequel? I was surprised that this movie turned out so well. Warren Beatty took a lot of chances here, and he hit the jackpot! I would even say that his rapping is great (in the context of this film). Halle Berry was beautiful as usual, but she also played her part well (she also plays her part well as usual, not implying that she is just a pretty face). I thought I would cringe when Warren had his Adrian Brody moment, but when the inevitable happened I didn't even barf! Amazing! This film was made in 1999, but it also pertains to 2008. Warren Beatty will be a mile high in Denver at the DNC. Also hobnobbing will be Spike Lee. Wish I could be a fly on that wall. Spike Lee WISHES he could've made Bulworth (maybe he doesn't wish he made it, but I think Bulworth makes the points that Spike tries to make a lot more successfully).


Putting aside whether or not it was funny, or had a political message behind it, or whether it is more pertinent than ever in todays political climate and the upcoming 2008 elections... It is a classic tale of love, money, and the American struggle to get ahead at all costs.

The clinch for me, was the fact that the protagonist's motives were NOT motivated by any lofty political idealism or love of humanity, but entirely financial... And the unsurprising, yet nonetheless stunning, twist at the end will surely put this movie in it's rightful place in Hollywood history.

- http://nickysworld.net


Bulworth is a rolling nervous breakdown, and we're invited to the last 48 hours of his until-now pointless life as a U.S. Senator. And C-Span is along for the ride as well, doing a "24 Hours on the Campaign Trail" feature, following Senator Jay Billington Bulworth as he spouts (and then raps) uncommonly frank (and decreasingly lucid) truths to his local supporters, and a nationwide audience. Oh, and he dabbles in flirtation with from-the-streets Nina, through her finding perhaps a reason to stay alive after all...

The result is: some of the most laugh-out-loud funny scenes in the history of political satire; some very brash statements about American political reality ("If you don't put down that malt liquor and chicken wings, and get behind someone other than a running back who stabs his wife, you're NEVER gonna get rid of somebody like me!"); an intensely compelling (and very funny) performance by Warren Beatty; and an uneven but extremely worthwhile experience. At the very least, Bulworth (the man) is one of cinemas great characters, exploring a very unique arc--and that alone is reason to take a chance on Bulworth (the movie).


This is both awe-inspiring and goofy at the same time, when Senator Bulworth, tired of what he's doing, suddenly decides to speak the truth to voters. It's all about big money and they mean nothing. At first it's not well received but then apparently folks decide that they like it, too bad he's put a hit out on himself to end it all though and the guy that arranged all that has a heart attack before he can call off the hit. This is somewhat of a brave movie but then again it doesn't hold together very well at times. Halle Berry is one of 3 young ladies that hook up with the Senator and follow him around, and she herself may have another motive for doing so. Most amusing is Beatty in South Central garb going down to the cleaners to check on his suit and hooking up with a bunch of little street hoodlums and buying them ice cream, only to end up having to defend them from the bullying cops in the area. I can't say this is a comfortable movie to watch, nor a family feature, not only because it has lots of bad words but it's also against other things that are apparently revered in this country, like the golden rule (he who has the gold makes the rules). If you have an open mind and a sense of humor then you may like this. I myself don't care much for hip-hop or rap but in this it was at least tolerable. 7 out of 10.


very funny. very shrewd. very straight. warren beatty has always been one of the smartest & funniest people in hollywood. this is a super piece of work. as for halle berry, well there have been black male superstars but as far as i know no female black superstars. to my mind this woman is a super super star. shame on hollywood. (once more).


I thought this was really good. The comedy writing was really funny, but handled with intelligence, and the political satire was dead on. Didn't come off preachy, actually, it came off as fun. Got a few messages across in the process. Although I like stupid comedy as well, it was refreshing to laugh at some intelligent comments hidden in the comedy. Really well written, acted and directed by Warren Beatty.


I don't really know what to think of Bulworth. It's supposed to be a comedy I guess, but by the time it's through, it becomes a serious drama. Warren Beatty tackles a controversial subject, it just seems to fall short. Watching Beatty rap is another story all together. I was embarrassed for him. This film is worth a look.


Oh boy! What a shameful experience. Stakes were high with this one. Four fine actresses on a 'Dangerous liaisons' type of film but somehow in the process everything witty and entertaining contained in this great novel of the 15h century was lost in translation.

The film gives no clue whatsoever if the tales being told have anything to do with some army in particular in some period of history or with the lord of the rings saga..

(Hint: the turks are the orks, and Tirant resembles Aragorn, though no Virgo Mortensen in sight just a lookalike). (Another hint: the standard flag of Tirant's side in battle scenes)

The film carries a solemnity that echoes through the halls and chambers of every step of flight of stairs of the palace in which the static action takes place. Can you hear my yawn from the aisles of the castle?

Esther Nubiola as Carmesina -the princess-, Ingrid Rubio as Estephania, Leonor Watling as Pleasureofmylife, Victoria Abril as the Peacefulwidow and Jane Asher as the queen do their best in trying to liven things up.

But the dead funeral air of Vicente Aranda's take at sex scenes won't make you have a hard on if it's not in the way of rigor mortis.


This is an intriguing Czech science fiction film from the early 60's. It's pretty much unknown in the U.S (American - International Pictures dubbed it into English and released it as "Voyage to the End of the Universe" in 1964; it's been seen here only rarely since then).

The movie depicts a group of space travelers on a seemingly endless journey to a new planet. They encounter many traps and dangers along the way (including a derelict spacecraft and a mysterious nebula) but the greatest conflict seems to be psychological: namely, the titanic ambition of a 15-year, trans-galactic voyage pitted against the fragility of the human mind and the relative insignificance of human lives.

The interior sets are lavish -- certainly on a par with "Forbidden Planet" and perhaps even "2001". The level of detail in the spaceship interiors is admirable, and the same can be said for the smartly designed spacesuits.

"Ikarie XB 1" stumbles badly, though, when it comes to the exterior effects work. The spacecraft models are too small to provide much detail, and seem to be propelled through space by dark-colored string. As a result the transitions between interior and exterior shots are somewhat jarring.

All the same, this movie is a very interesting example of mid-century science fiction. It deserves a much wider audience, and it is to be hoped that a restored, subtitled print will one day make the rounds in American art houses. Cross your fingers.


Most Americans know this film (if they know it at all) as VOYAGE TO THE END OF THE UNIVERSE. According to most sources, the film was chopped & re-dubbed from its original 81 minute length (the original Variety review pegs it at 90 minutes) to approximately 64 minutes for its limited theatrical run by American International Pictures. Curiously, I have an old VHS tape off of TV that runs about 78 minutes.

 The odd thing is that the cuts that were made (apparently there were both Theatrical and TV Versions prepared), are actually LESS important to the ADDITIONAL footage that was added. And, that Additional Footage runs about 5 seconds! How could 5 seconds be more important that the 5 to 20 minutes that were cut out?? More on that below (with SPOILER ALERT to come).

 IKARIE XB 1 (the Czech cut) is on display as part of a traveling series of Czech films and hopefully will show up on DVD soon in a definitive version. Unquestionably, IKARIE is one of the best SF films to come from outside the USA. Well mounted production values, solid acting and an intelligent storyline. The film has many parallels to such Productions as 2001, SOLARIS, the German TV series SPACE PATROL, PLANET OF THE APES and many others. What's particularly intriguing is that the film doesn't condescend to its audience. Some of the most fascinating aspects of the script are more implied than detailed (this may cause some to be confused or distracted - Why, for instance, does the crew not know of the previous mission they come up close to the target 'White Planet'(NOT the 'Green Planet' as it's US version calls it)?).

 A true find. Hopefully, a restoration would allow the film to take its rightful place in the SF Film canon.

 +++++++++++++SPOILERS BELOW++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 Most of the cuts made in the TV version of IKARIE are fairly minor (most just made to speed things up). But, it's that 5 seconds of new footage that makes for an entirely different viewing experience. For, the US version changes THE ENTIRE MEANING OF THE MOVIE! When the Space Travelers finally reach the "Green Planet" it appears that they have either never left, gone thru a time warp (a la PLANET OF THE APES) or gone around in circles - NONE of these endings was inferred by the original film at all! Shockingly, when I've talked to people who've seen the US Version or read about it in Film Reference books, their view of the whole film is not only tainted by these 5 seconds, but actually results in their dismissal of the film's quality. Most huff that "it's got this lame and OBVIOUS ending" - And, sadly, they are referring to an ending that is neither lame nor was "obvious" -- for it was never meant to be by the filmmakers! Tragic, shocking and sad. People read the film from the ending backwards and dismiss all that came from before due to its "trick ending".

 Again, I hope the film, and its purposefully ambiguous ending will out.


Somewhere between the Outer Limits and Star Trek lies this little science fiction gem from the former Czechoslovakia. This isn't I. Robot or that type of science fiction, which is Asimov wrapped up in a shiny steel and glass box. This is the actual story and not just the wrapping paper. It proudly carries on the tradition started by Forbidden Planet and This Island Earth, even though its not as exciting. It is actually more like the Magnetic Monster and the Outer Limits. This is science fiction done in crisp black and white. The screen may not be vivid, yet the special effects have an ethereally surreal quality. Mix that in with the futuristic Shostakovitch-like score and we have a compelling and eerie trip into the unknown.

The excitement and glory that comes from living and exploring space (Star Trek, Star Wars, etc.) is minimized in the movie. We get the basic day to day activities of the crew of the Ikarie, on its 28 month (15 years pass back on Earth) mission to our closest solar system, Alpha Centauri. We also get the dangers and rewards of hurling ourselves into the vast darkness.

It is the 22nd Century and we are out in the galaxy searching for life. The crew is comprised from a co-ed international pool. We never get to see Earth, yet we get a glimpse of what humans are like from the interactions of the crew (work, entertainment, nutritional intervals, exercise, reproduction and crisis). This is a future full of video screens, blasters, personal transmitters, turbo lifts, artificial gravity, Beatnik-like futuristic dancing and even Nike light up magnetic boots. This is the perfect/classical example of the sci-fi antithesis to Idiocracy. Humanity will improve with time.

The future is bright, shiny and worth waiting for. Man fixes the malaise of his species. We are never shown anything more lethal than a hand blaster, when it comes to weapons. On their mission, they encounter a perfectly preserved space relic from an Earth expedition of the 20th century. Let's just say our predecessors had very little nice things to say about us. Let's not forget that the 20th century contained two world wars, numerous genocides, the birth and use of the the atomic bomb.

One would also assume that a movie made in a Soviet influenced country would contain a certain amount of Communist and Pro-Soviet propaganda (for example, Planeta Bura). Thankfully this is all missing. About the biggest commentary comes from the critique of our 20th century counterparts. I found the only anti-capitalist message in the writing on the Earth relic. Everything inside is written in English, the ship was fully loaded with nuclear warheads and the the crew turned on each other. And even this critique is more of a jab at our collective selves then at full fledged opposition to capitalism.

If you are looking for epic space battles for the fate of the universe, look elsewhere because the crew kills absolutely no living thing. If you want 90 minutes of Georges Méliès mixed with Jules Verne, then you have found the perfect movie. I can easily see this movie as an influence on Kubrick's 2001, Rodenberry's Star Trek, Lucas' Star Wars and even Irwin Allen's Lost in Space. We even have a robot. He's definitely not as cool nor as good as Robby the Robot nor the robot that constantly saves the Robinsons.

We named him Patrick. Patrick the Robot. RIP. (Pour out some alcohol for the robots that aren't with us anymore).

-Celluloid Rehab


In my opinion this movie is a basic sci-fi cult. The history of IKARIA is based on the novel "Magellan Cloud" of Stanislav Lem. The distance between the novel and the movie is similar to H.G. Wells "War of the Worlds" and Cruise-Spielberg movie or Lem's and Tarkovskij's "Solaris". According to reminiscence of Lem, this novel was not from his favorites. But at that time (1962) and I think nowadays also it is a remarkable novel and movie also. In interpretation of Soderbergh's and Clooney's Solaris they was finding the heaven or paradise to live there (and at the end Rheya and Kelvin have found it). Interpretation of Ikaria was full of agreements with "new" socialist ideas against capitalist ideas (dead casino in space, criticism of red nail polish, etc.) but in one time "between lines" there is the criticism of socialist reality during fifties and sixties (predestined madness and "no future" impasse: deadly illness from radioactive accident at the end of the Magellan Cloud novel). Mainly I agree with other comments. I hope sometime they will make and we will get the color DVD!


IKARIE XB-1 is one of the most compelling science fiction films ever made. Filmed in very Cold War era Czecheslovokia and rarely seen in North America in it's complete widescreen form, this is a movie that was so ahead of it's time that only 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY managed to raise the bar above what was set here with it's meticulous depiction of outer space vehicles in action.

If there is any shortcoming to IKARIE it's simply that: The space ship model effects are somewhat awkward & unconvincing, a setback that the movie might not recover from in the mind's eye of viewers raised on 30+ years of George Lucas & Steven Spielberg special effects films. But viewers who are interested in a story will be more than rewarded with a complex drama about a group of humans off in search of a brave new world to populate, with an ending sequence that is perhaps the most provocative element of the entire film -- and would later find form again in Mario Bava's PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES, albeit in a different manner. There is no doubt that the Italian master was influenced by this film.

For me the most striking sequence is a daring, risky, and potentially scandalous commentary by these Soviet Bloc filmmakers when they have their explorers encounter a derelict craft floating aimlessly & without power in the empty nothing between the stars. A boarding party is dispatched to discover that it was an early Earth craft which had been dispatched during a nuclear conflict who's crew was made up of decadent aristocrats who had been attempting to escape the carnage back on Earth. They are long dead, mummified to the point where their bodies disintegrate when brushed against, and had apparently been killed off by the military flight crew when it became clear the oxygen supply was about to run dry. The quiet, calm horror of the scene is unprecedented even by today's standards, with the accidental triggering of one of the ship's obsolete but still functional nuclear warheads providing a nerve-shattering moment as the two hapless crewmen attempt to escape the airless, gravity deprived hell in space.

One of the aspects that makes the scene so convincing was the space suit designs created by the artistic visionaries behind the film. They look even more functional, practical and "real" than the Mercury era space flight technology of the day: Bulky, armored, pressurized tin cans with knee joints, claw-like cloves, and magnetized boot plates. The scene of the two astronauts trying to run across the derelict flight deck for the airlock to escape the explosion is a marvel of not only applied science but choreography. In my opinion the film is worth tracking down for this one sequence alone.

And now you can: The film was issued in 2005 on a marvelous Czech made PAL format DVD that shows the film in the correct 2:35:1 Techniscope widescreen format with the original, unaltered & un-messed with ending sequence intact. Any serious fan of Cold War era science fiction simply must acquire one. I will admit that some of the more talky middle "soap opera in space" segments sort of lag the pacing a bit, but the 81 minutes is over quickly and the impression one is left with is that the thinking behind the movie was miles ahead of anything that came out of the West at the same time. Along with the Russian PLANETA BUR and the East German/Polish SILENT STAR aka FIRST SPACESHIP ON VENUS, this is one of the most important & overlooked masterpieces of science fiction from the time when manned space flight was becoming a reality.

All three films are grounded in actual science with impressive visual power that still has potency. What makes IKARIE XB-1 even more impressive is that it lacks some of the glory-boy propagandizing of the Soviet Bloc's entertainment machine, which was designed to enthrall the masses with depictions of glorious Soviet cosmonauts conquering the cosmos -- something that never really quite happened. Those movies were meant to placate the Proletariat and give them a reason to make do cheer for the genuine oppression under which they lived. By contrast, IKARIE is almost a work of pure artistic expression, which is in itself remarkable considering the conditions under which it was made.

8/10


Considering that this film was made in 1963, in Czechoslovakia, at a time when so much sci-fi schlok was produced in the spacefaring United States, this film is a rare, welcome sight to the eyes. Intelligently produced and designed, with good character development and good special effects, I miss seeing this film which seems to have been lost in the Great Transition To Video; I know of no distributors for it. It does have its corny moments, but this is excusable in light of the time in which it was made. The ending was unfortunately changed for U.S. viewers, which is a shame; It is the U.S. ending which gets criticized most...I imagine the European ending would have been more in keeping with its originality, and would hope that American International would re-release it in the U.S., with new dubbing (I'm one of those non-purists who can't stand sub-titles...they interfere with the enjoyment of the image. And yes, dubbing CAN be done well, when done RIGHT!). It's been nineteen years since I saw it over the airwaves. I hope it has not vanished; It would be a shame for others not to experience it.


Still relatively unfamiliar to western audiences, Ikarie XB 1 is an example of east European science fiction cinema on a fairly ambitious scale deserving of wider appreciation. Usually it's been only seen in a butchered edition created Stateside - duly shorn of a plot strand, dubbed with a different ending, with a dumb title.

With the benefit of hindsight, a lot of the original seems familiar. With its clean interior ship design, crew neck uniforms all round, glide doors, shiny deck flooring as well as a 15-year mission to seek out new life, Ikarie may have given later pause for thought for a certain Gene Roddenberry. Genre fans will also note that, during the first big set piece, the crew are startled by an unexpected alarm and deviate from their mission to investigate a derelict spacecraft - events which end with a nuclear detonation in space. Add to this the changes wrought by the American bastardisation of Voyage To The End Of The Universe, that included an ending which anticipates Planet of the Apes, as well as its possible inspiration to Kubrick when planning 2001, and Ikarie certainly offers much of interest. Not to mention its own borrowings eg Ikarie's robot Patrick, inspired by Forbidden Planet (1956)

Polák's was also responsible for an intriguing Nazi time travelling movie, with a small cult on its own account, Tomorrow I'll Wake Up And Scald Myself With Tea, made in the late 1970s. Less idiosyncratic than this, one imagines, Ikarie is much more serious in tone, set mostly aboard a roomy spacecraft, crewed by 40, dispatched to discover if there is any life on Alpha Centauri. A feeling of worthwhile isolation permeates this journey, with none of the trivial, trials and stresses one expects from space dramas made closer to home at this time, where mad scientists lurk, robots lumber threateningly or spacewomen defer to their mates. Missing too is the pseudo technical claptrap which lumbers much American SF, then or now. Ikarie's hardware exists mainly in the background, without need of explanation. The film expects us to take its conspicuous 22nd century advances just as seen, being concerned more with sociology than technology.

Ikarie features a harmonious society in miniature, shown in a series of interactions aboard, even down to the calm acceptance of on board pregnancy - an adult theme incidentally completely excised in the American version. In such an hospitable environment, even the mad can be talked round without violence, as in the case of Michael (Otto Lackovic) who, affected by radiation and in a disastrous manoeuvre, wants to turn the ship back to Earth. That the only real threat the crew face is an external one is significant, and also primes the dramatic moment that begins the narrative. A flash-forward to when (infected by the same source, as we learn later), one of the crew is wandering, bewildered and aggressive, through the ship. "Earth is gone," he says. "Earth never existed." But he's not beyond help from his peers. Here the deluded or mad in space are not assumed lost, such as we might see in such recent American films as Event Horizon, but taken back and with promise of cure at that.

Critics have contrasted these shipboard mores to the signs of capitalist degeneracy confronting those who board the 'Tornado', the derelict space station from 1987 unexpectedly encountered en route. Here, amidst the dark clutter of its interior, are found signs of gambling and money, coded elements of capitalist speculation, just as fatal as the death gas and nuclear warheads also there. For those who explore it, the Tornado reflects a place thought left behind, both geographically and politically. "We have discovered the 20th century," says one dismayed crewman. The determined self destruction encountered by those who board the derelict recalls one of TV's original Star Trek shows, and those found died as result of a selfish fight for survival. The signs of a corrupt political system fall exposed with as much horror as does (in a notable moment) the skin off the Tornado captain's face.

This, and then the debilitating effects of rays that emanate from a hitherto unknown black star are the two principal threats facing the crew. How they finally overcome this last hurdle is part of the end of the quest. Without giving too much away, it is sufficient to say that the close of the film, the ship's long anticipated arrival at Alpha Centauri's 'white planet', brings a sequence both uplifting and brief, carrying over the theme of mutually beneficial cooperation. But viewers today may find less interest in the ending than the scenes that have preceded it. It's the Ikarie crew's social or dutiful pairings, even to the point of bringing each other flowers, or taking showers together, which lay at the heart of the film, rather than any encounter of a new civilisation and the socialist message entailed. Whilst in basic narrative terms the 'white planet' brings closure, our attentions have for long been focused elsewhere, in scenes such as the notable dance sequence. Through the hypnotic rhythms of Zdenek Liska's striking score, the astronauts take part in something akin to a weird 22nd century disco, their slow somnambulistic movements reassuring while also slightly disturbing. Reassuring, as we can see the crew reacting together as one social unit, even after the inevitable trials of months in space; disturbing because it is all so emotionless and controlled. Such ambiguous group occasions beg questions we really want answered. Are they really happy? Or does the Earth we thought we recognised in them no longer exist?

The Czech originated disc I have seen offers a splendid widescreen transfer of the movie with English subtitles. Most of the extras are unfortunately not subtitled, but there's a chance to see some sample scenes from the American International version, to give an idea of how the original was changed as well as a stills gallery.


VOYAGE TO THE END OF THE UNIVERSE is one of those rare treats, a mostly routine programmer with enough unconventional elements to hold your interest.

The story opens with the ship, having nearly completed its voyage, being threatened for destruction by a demented crewmember. The story then segues into flashback, showing the mission from the beginning up to that time.

One unconventional incident during the voyage occurs when the ship encounters a wrecked spaceship, and dispatches a boarding party. The boarding party discovers that the wreck is a space gambling casino, complete with roulette wheels, card tables and humanoid remains. Unfortunately, the casino is also booby-trapped.

I would love to see this movie in color. Unfortunately, in perhaps the only instance American International Pictures choose to do so, the film was released in the United States in black and white only (Columbia Pictures used to do this fairly routinely; I've seen at least three Columbia films made in color and released in Black and White).

The ending of this film is quite predictable. However, I can certainly think of worse ways to spend 90 minutes.


It's been a while since I saw this movie, but I remember being impressed with the performances of both Fess Parker and Jeff Chandler.

The other person who commented on this movie implied the Chandler character murdered Parker's wife. I don't think that's correct. He just dumped her and she killed herself, or some sort of indirect thing like that.

I've since heard part of the movie score on a soundtrack CD showcasing the music of Jerome Moross. Wow! No wonder I liked the movie, the score is really great with a driving main theme. Look for a CD called "The Cardinal - Classic Film Scores of Jerome Moross". There is 16 minutes of music from "The Jayhawkers".


If you're going to watch a Jeff Chandler western, this is the one to see. I'd hestitate to call it a masterpiece, but it's a damn good try. Produced and directed by the team of Norman Panama and Melvin Frank, it is a tale of conflicting loyalties, megalomania, love, hate and a number of other issues I can't remember, in pre-Civil War Kansas on the eve of the Civil War. Star Jeff Chandler, who portrays the megalomaniacal but withal personally decent and charismatic bad guy, is quite good here. He had spent a decade in action pictures and romances, with an occasional comedy thrown in for good measure, and yet had not achieved major stardom. A mid-level star of the kind of medium grade movie that was going out of fashion, he was on the verge of becoming an anachronism; and had he not died a couple of years after this film one wonders what would have happened to him and his career. In The Jayhawkers he shows what he might have become: a fine, commanding, aristocratic character actor.

As the second-billed good guy, Fess Parker, fresh from his triumph as Davy Crockett a few years earlier, was attempting a mainstream, post-Disney career. Low-key and phlegmatic, and not without appeal, he lacks the edge of a Mitchum that might have propelled him into the big leagues, and is for the most part an uninteresting hero. Nicole Maurey is the incongruously Gallic love interest, and one can't help be curious as to why she was cast in this film. She was a lovely young woman, but way out of place here.

Loyal Griggs color photography is as good as his work in Shane, and far less mannered. The music of Jerome Moross is stirring and in its way as good as anything Dimitri Tiomkin ever did. With its larger than life good-bad guy, and reasonable (for a movie) historical accuracy, this could have been a major film. The problem with it is that though Panama and Frank were quite good at light comedy, they were inexperienced in the western genre. Frank does a good, derivative job of drawing from Ford and Hawkes; and there are some breathtaking vistas. There is even a touch of Nicholas Ray in his creative and interesting use of interiors, especially the main hideout. And Chandler gives an at times daring performance, with occasional lapses into mild effeminacy in his vocalizing and posture, his work is well-rounded and sophisticated, suggesting that his character's feeling for Parker is more than just friendship. Alas, this daring aspect of the story is never gone into with any depth or insight, and the result the movie is a near-miss, but a fascinating one.


A fun to watch western containing Fess Parker's best performance, the show is stolen by Jeff Chandler's performance as the baddie you hate to see taken down. However, as outstanding as Chandler is, the real star of the film is Jerome Moross' pulse-pounding score, which predates his legendary music for THE BIG COUNTRY. It's every bit as good, if not better. Henry Silva is (of course) scuzzy as a hired gun.

Catch it. Any western fan won't regret it.


Jeff Chandler's performance as Luke Darcy is a classic. He's a megalomaniac, but in some ways you're drawn to him. You know he's a bad guy, yet you're struck by his intelligence and charisma. The line "I'm giving you your dream, and don't worry about me, I've got Kansas." is a classic and it tells you he's got to be stopped. I wish this movie was on DVD, along with his other fine films Broken Arrow, and Pillars Of The Sky. As noted, He might've been able to tackle roles as a character actor had it not been for a tragic mistake during back surgery at the young age of 42. I have always been a fan of Jeff Chandler, and wish more of his films were on DVD.


"The Jayhawkers" was released in 1959 and starred Jeff Chandler as an ambitious person eager to control pre-War Kansas, and Fess Parker has to try and stop him in his scheme. Reason: Parker, as Cam Beeker, had broken out of a federal prison to try and come back to his wife, and his ranch in Kansas. He finds that his wife has died, and the ranch has been sold to a family, headed by French actress Nicole Maurey. He also learns that Luke Darcy, played by Chandler, was the reason behind his wife's death and the ranch being lost. Beeker becomes a member of the gang in order to win his pardon from the territorial governor of Kansas. Upon joining the gang of raiders calling themselves the Jayhawkers, he starts to accept the ambition of Darcy, because the man seems intent on bringing peace to the territory, but under his rule. The viewer of this watchable western will be asking which way Parker's character will finally go; either turn Darcy over to the governor, or become part of the plan to control the territory. A good 7/10


The Jayhawkers maybe unique in the annals of screen history in that as a film with a Civil War era plot it makes absolutely no mention of slavery. Nor are there any black people in this cast.

What we have here in ante-bellum Kansas is the story of Luke Darcy who envisions himself as starting some kind of fascistic territorial republic in the struggle for Kansas's loyalty. Jeff Chandler plays Darcy and he is a fascinatingly evil man with a great deal of charisma.

To bring him down military governor Herbert Rudley uses ex-renegade raider Fess Parker. Parker and Chandler have a history and it involves Parker's late wife who Chandler ran off with and abandoned.

Parker's got ample reason to just shoot him down like a dog, but Rudley wants him alive to stand trial. Complicating things further is Nicole Maurey and her two kids who Parker's fallen for and then Chandler takes an interest when he sees her.

The story does get a bit silly at times, but the players are all doing their best. Henry Silva plays one of Chandler's raiders who has an incredible jealousy of Parker and a barely disguised gay crush on Chandler.

Jerome Moross wrote the music score and it's lively and quickens the pace of this film. Fans of the Wagon Train series will recognize parts of the score as Wagon Train's theme.

The story of Kansas before the Civil War, usually with John Brown as the protagonist has supplied the cinema with a whole range of films. The Jayhawkers with the charismatic, fascistic, but wholly fictitious Luke Darcy is far from the best one ever done.


I just can't believe the comments I read here. Pure crap? Come on! One of the worst films ever? Pah!

This film is good, well written, well directed, and really funny. What else can I say? It seems like whenever a film with real humour is made by a well-known director, it's viewed as bullsh...! While plain stupid comedies (Pretty Woman etc..) are praised by many, elegant and clever ones like "Road to Welville" are considered as crap... I just can't believe it.

I feel saddened that such a good work is being flamed. Maybe it's because it didn't reach its public... Or that the whole purpose of the film is being missed by the majority of the public... Or that people think Parker should only make serious movies... I don't know.

It's not the first time I'm so deeply amazed by the way a film is perceived by others, but gee...


I can't believe some of the reviews I've read on this site about The Road to Wellville. Some people complain that it was crude and disgusting, others complain that it didn't have a coherent plot, and still others whine that it wasn't historically accurate (concerning Dr. Kellogg's methods). Those reviewers clearly missed the boat.

As for those who thought the movie was crude and disgusting, what did you expect from a comedy set in a turn-of-the-century health sanitorium run by a well meaning but eccentric doctor? Such a movie is bound to contain scenes of patients vomiting, getting enemas, and having a sexual tryst or two, just as undoubtedly occurred in many health sanitoriums at that time. Furthermore, none of those scenes were graphic, so I don't understand anybody being offended by them.

As for complaints that the movie didn't have a coherent plot, it didn't need one. It was a comedy, not a drama! The health sanitorium setting was a perfect vehicle for satirizing turn-of-the-century attitudes about health, and it was the dialogue and comedic situations that held the movie together and kept it moving, not its plot.

Finally, for those who complain that the movie wasn't historically accurate about Dr. Kellogg's actual methods (such as his character's use of electric-powered machines for health therapy), the movie was a comedy, not a biography! It was meant to elicit laughs, and in that respect it was a smashing success. I haven't laughed so much during a movie in a long time.

Some people should take Sargeant Hulka's ("Stripes") advice and "lighten up." Good comedy is not dependent on plot or historical accuracy to be entertaining; all that matters is that it's funny, and Wellville was one of the funniest comedies I've ever seen.


I judge the worth of a movie by how many times I want to watch it and I never seem to get tired of this one. An outstanding cast coupled with a delightful mix of period and real history add to the enjoyment. In addition, the director has an excellent sense of timing, the movie is well costumed and the music often lends itself well to comic moments. Of course, an overwhelming element of sex adds to its irreverent charm. The leads read(pardon the cliché)like a who's who of fine acting. Anthony Hopkins, John Cusack, Mathew Broderick, Dana Carvey and Bridgette Fonda head an excellent cast of character actors. If you look closely, you might recognize one of the "cookoo cookoo" Pigeon sisters from the original Odd Couple playing John Cusack's aunt. If you have any more doubts just remember the words of Nurse Graves " An erection is a flagpole on your grave".


RTW is by all means a very funny movie. Sure, one can find it disgusting in some details, but it is nothing more than a point of view. On the formal side, you cannot say much against it: it has an excellent cast, superb costumes and buildings, it almost captured this long gone time. And, by the way, these stupid gadgets and therapies, they were real, they didn´t invent anything. OK, the story could be a little bit straighter, but thats all. Otherwise, RTW is holding a mirror for the health and fitness obsession of our times and one should be able to laugh about that too. All in all a good one. I´m sorry for those, who cannot like it because of their prudery, rest of you just try to watch a little bit more open - minded.


Not having seen this film before, it came as a total surprise the other night when it was shown on cable. Alan Parker, the director, has adapted the T. Coraghessan Boyle's book into a hilarious comedy that evidently, judging from some of the comments to this forum, is not a crowd pleaser, yet, the film rewards those with an open mind to enjoy this hysterical take of a mad scientist, a spa, and the people that tend to patronize those places.

The story about the use of cereals, championed by Dr. John Henry Kellogg, is the basis of the story. This revolutionary doctor's methods were amazing in the way they were applied to patients going for the cure of their bad stomachs caused by the prevailing eating habits of the time.

This farce is great fun because of the cast assembled for the movie. Anthony Hopkins plays the mad Dr. Kellogg with glasses and false teeth that distort his face. We have to look hard into this mad man to realize the transformation Mr. Hopkins achieves with his character.

John Cusack, as the enterprising Charles Ossining, travels to Battle Creek, Michigan in search of riches, trying to capitalize on the cereal craze. He finds a partner in the devious Bender, played with great panache by Michael Lerner, one of the best character actors in the American cinema.

As the patrons of the spa, we encounter a young couple, the Lightbodies that go for a treatment. Briget Fonda and Matthew Broderick play the Lightbodies, a pair that is separated at their arrival and who encounter satisfaction in more ways than one, as they discover their sexuality. Lara Flynn Boyle, Camryn Manheim, Traci Lind, John Neville, Dana Carvey, Colm Meany and Jacob Reynolds are all good in their small roles.

This film, with its different kind of humor, will make anyone laugh.


After seeing a part of the movie for the tenth time or so (this one seems to be playing a lot on one of the satellite movie channels), I figured it was high time to give it a rating. I was very surprised and disappointed to see that it rated so low overall, as I've always enjoyed the movie (over and over again!). I'm beginning to think that the general movie-viewing public has become too generic in their tastes, and don't have an appreciation for throwback oddball comedies such as The Road to Wellville. If that's so, it's a real shame! Ah well, to each their own! As for me, I love the movie's offbeat and subdued humor, with much of the cast greatly contributing to why I'm kept smiling. George (both the youth and adult versions), is especially hilarious-- "Meat and Potatoes!", "Give us a hug", and simply his appearance in both forms. I've always liked John Cusack and Matthew Broderick, so having them together in a movie such as this was a treat. And what a role for Anthony Hopkins-- a far cry from Hannibal Lector! The period nature of the movie was likewise attractive... oh how it would be fun to be able to step back into a setting such as that, though I'll pass on the cleansing processes!


Battle Creek, Michigan is hometown to me and several generations of my family. So, maybe I appreciated 'The Road to Wellville' more than most. After all, anyone living in Battle Creek either works for the Kellogg Company or is close to someone who does. Kellogg's and Post cereal companies have affected nearly every level of Battle Creek's evolution for 100 years or more.

The great cereal boom of the early 1900s is still talked about today. And tales of the legendary Dr. Harvey Kellogg (artfully played by Anthony Hopkins), Seventh Day Adventists, and the famous (or infamous) Battle Creek 'San' are fondly retold by some of the town's elder residents. The health regimens practiced at the B.C. Sanitarium led to a host of other health-related businesses in Battle Creek which made everything from dubious exercise equipment to nearly tasteless all-veggie soybean burgers.

This film is a lively, tongue-in-cheek rendition of the intriguing story about an era when entrepreneurship in the U.S. was at its peak. The cast, featuring Matthew Broderick, John Cusack, Bridget Fonda and Dana Carvey, is excellent and the humor as wacky as it gets.

Bon appetit!


I remember anticipating a really entertaining, fun movie after I read the VHS box describing the story and then read the list of actors in here. Wow, very impressive: Anthony Hopkins, John Cuscak, Matthew Broderick, Bridget Fonda, Dana Carvey, Colm Meaney, Michael Lerner, on and and on.

Wrong.

"Bathroom humor" or discussing bowel movements, etc., didn't bother me. In fact, I can laugh at that. What disappointed me about this film was that (1) - it simply wasn't funny and (2) the acting - mainly by Cusack - was brutal (3) the story was not put together well; just a mess. Cusack's loud over-acting was extremely annoying. What was he thinking? Normally a fine actor, he was the worst part of this movie, just grating. As for the classy Hopkins to be in this picture....well, all I can say is look at his resume: this wasn't the first time he wasn't very discerning about roles to play. It is disappointing, though.

As for the crude humor, you make the lines funny if you're going that route or you'll just turn people off, which is what happened to this movie. I actually gave this movie two chances, thinking I missed something.

For those few elitist critics here who think the rest of the folks "don't get it," well, maybe it's you who are full of crap, in addition the people in this movie.


I rate the picture highly simply because it evokes the period and attitudes so interestingly. The tongue-in-cheek narrative follows the experiences of several people in and around the Battle Creek (Michigan) Sanitarium, that was operated as a health spa by Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. A member of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Dr. Kellogg was a firm believer in vegetarianism, no smoking, no drinking, regular exercise and abstinence from sexual activity as the roadmap to a healthy life. Much of what he was peddling was unscientific bushwa. But he did invent the breakfast cornflake, although it was his brother who successfully marketed it. The movie is set just after the turn of the 20th century, when the town of Battle Creek was host to dozens of wannabees who attempted to develop and market their own vegetarian breakfast foods. A well-meaning but gullible young man arrives to cash in on the breakfast food craze. A troubled young married couple visit the "San" to cure the man of his bowel troubles. Both find gratification not of the kind generally permissible under Dr. Kellogg's regime. The Dr.'s own family, that consists of he, his wife, and dozens of adopted children, is uniquely dysfunctional. One uncooperative child opposes the Dr. early on and later demonstrates peculiarly and emphatically what, exactly, in Dr. Kellogg he found repulsive. The movie is about sex. The regime is sexually repressive yet one finds sexual tension relieved at every turn. But, alas, there are no car chases.


I am an avid fan of both Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Broderick. Why they chose to do this film is beyond me. While both turn out stellar performances they are wasted in a disjoint story which bounces between multiple subplots -- and it isn't clear which plot is the 'main' plot -- and dubious flashbacks. While sex is an integral component to some of the subplots, its depiction is gratuitous.

The story wanders aimlessly and in the end comes crashing down in flames leaving this viewer burned out and wasted.


Despite some good production values and the performance of Anthony Hopkins as Dr. Kellogg, I thought that "The Road to Wellville" was a major embarrassment.

As it has been proved more than a few times, just because there's a strong cast doesn't mean that the movie will be a success. I guess the mention of enemas as a punchline in almost every other joke in the movie made it such a low-grade, sophomoric comedy. Perhaps it should have been a low-budget, college campus comedy instead of an expensive, health farm comedy.

"The Road to Wellville" was one of the worst films in director Alan Parker's career.


This movie was a terrible mistake. The beginning is promising (Hopkins explaining his philosophy to reporters while using one of his contraptions), but the script goes nowhere. An otherwise admirable cast looks like they are trying to do something with it, and might have had a good time making it, but Alan Parker just didn't know what he was doing. I've seen other of Parker's films - admired many of them - and am just stunned at how badly this was put together.


Not funny, not coherent, not worth watching. The Road to Wellville doesn't make any sort of sense -- it flits back and forth between three equally nonsensical plotlines, and, after about six hours, ends. It does feature a great deal of nudity, but that's hardly an excuse for wasting precious natural resources like John Cusak, Anthony Hopkins, and Dana Carvey.

If you want to see Cusak in a comedy, rent Grosse Point Blank. If you want loads of gratuitous nudity, rent Beach Babes from Beyond. There is no excuse whatsoever for watching this film -- it's time out of my life I can never have back.


I've recommended this film to countless friends, and the reviews are always mixed. I lived in Battle Creek for 3 years so perhaps it just means more to me.

This film was in fact shot in NY and NC, not Battle Creek, but they still did a great job portraying the romance of the early 1900's.

The performances are top notch and the actors in this film are give their best. It's a great film, but not a critically acclaimed movie.

Dana Carey could've had more lines, but what I want to know is what happened to the character actor who played him as a child, this kid was really great and could've been huge.

The one liners in this movie are classic. It's one of those films that you think is funny, but when you recall it at a later date, its even funnier.

So get a big, buttered bowl of popcorn and enjoy it for what it is! A hilarious tale of the wacky health craze of the early 1900's.


So many negative comments, very surprising. Can't get past the enema's and promiscuity of the old days? Was worse in the earlier centuries in America. Health, religion, sex and science got very entangled in isolated and protestant America, this movie deals with it honestly. Take it like you are visiting a foreign land and just touring a different culture.

Meanwhile, plenty of plot thread, personality, and expose of vastly different attitudes in a time when life was cheap. Well acted, well conceived, and very excellent re-creation of the era. Hopkins and Carvey put together together some of the most unusual persona's on film ever. Broderick and Fonda charming as always, and Boyle's character broke your heart.

The old attitudes about life, death, sex and health are well parodied, not to mention the intensity of an age where being gentile, rigid, wrong and righteous all strangely blended together, were all well portrayed in a way the audience could understand and laugh at (at least for those better conditioned for puke and excrement, like those of us who grew up on "Alien" and "Predator").

Far and away the greatest moments of the film are the three scenes where the battle of wills plays out between a younger Dr. John Kellogg (Anthony Hopkins) and the little George Kellogg (Jacob Reynolds). These clips are as classic and memorable as they come, on par with the Barf-o-rama scene in "Stand by Me".

Fooey to those who don't have the depth to get this film. It is such a hoot, eminently watchable and one you will not soon forget. Oh, and its hilarious.


When I heard that Road to Wellville was made into a movie, starring Hopkins and Broderick, I was very eager to see it. All those weird, idiosyncratic things that are my home town's heritage would be charmingly explained on the silver screen. Alas, it was not to be. The book was well written, the movie was disappointing. The director seemed focused on enemas and did not relate all the other wonderful, bizarre and interesting treatments. My advice...read the book.


The skilled cast of this film is given little to work with as most of the plot development of Boyle's wonderful novel is tossed out in favor of enema references. While it is still a good satire of health crazes (which are hardly a new phenomenon), the book simply had too much story to put into one movie.

I was also disappointed that some of the facts were changed (Dr. Kellogg, for example, stayed fit and healthy well into his 90's) to please the anti-fitness people. The truth was crazy enough.


I have rarely seen such a feast of bad-taste tosh in my life. One or two 'jokes' about bowel movements could be funny....two could be amusing.....but this film, dedicated to that end of the alimentary canal is about as much fun to watch as it is to receive the endless enemas it delights in bringing to our close attention. Parker's characters are shallow and boring. Hopkins plays a one-dimensional puritanical sadist. He abused his adopted son, likes to humiliate his patients, is impotent and does things to his own backside with devices. Fantastic. This character could have been generated by computer. What happened to Parker's creativity? The story simply does not exist. There is no relation at all between the various threads and they have no influence on the main storyline because it is either totally lacking or so weak as to be invisible. However I fear the most important criticism I have of this sorry waste of money is that it is simply NOT AT ALL FUNNY. During the entire, dragging, boring debacle, there were perhaps two occasions when it was worth a slight smile. Does Parker really think it is necessary to show a man in a shower with filthy underpants and then give us a close-up of the brown-black waste water emanating from them? Is it funny for a man to have an erection because of electrical charges applied to his feet? (Incidently this joke was played for several minutes and several scenes in the film.) Parker directed with a total lack of taste and finesse. I would like to take a copy of this lame disaster, and just as Mr. Parker wasted a couple of precious hours of my life showing me his sad anal fixation fantasies, procure a jar of Vaseline and then introduce him to new ways of 'enjoying film'.

This film should have stayed where it belonged - on the cutting room floor. Parker - hang your head in shame, Sir!


What the crap were they thinking?!?! I just can't believe ANYONE in their right mind would want to make this movie! The story is a combination of true history and fictionalized drivel. Yes, there really was a health clinic in Michigan that really prescribed a STRICT vegetarian diet, repeated enemas and was dedicated to repressing sexual urges. BUT, to make an entire movie about this AND to try to make it a comedy??? The movie is VERY visceral and goes way over the top in showing and describing human and animal waste. Wow. It looks like movie goers could have saved money--instead of paying to see this movie, they could have gone to a sewage treatment plant or local dairy farm for a tour---or perhaps just stared into a used toilet for 118 minutes! The movie is painfully unfunny and most of the characters are awful--particularly Dana Carvey's disgusting character.


I just watched this movie because Hopkins was in it, I expected another boring Hollywood style comedy. But it turned out to be a very funny movie. It was very entertaining to me. Good acting, good story (the side story fits in perfectly also) and good jokes. Don't watch this movie if you are narrow minded and can't appreciate humor about sex, dung and bodily fluids.


John Harvey Kellogg may have been the inventor of the corn flake and peanut butter, but his time spent running the Battle Creek sanitarium is the subject of the semi-biographical comedy, The Road To Wellville. At the sanitarium Dr. Kellogg taught of the dangers of eating meat, having sex, and even masturbation (after all, "an erection is a flagpole on your grave"). Without meat and sex, there's plenty of time for Dr. Kellogg's favorite pastime, enemas, with the occasional yogurt enema thrown in for good measure. Although not 100% biographical, based on the novel of the same name by T. Coraghessan Boyle, there's a lot more truth in The Road To Wellville than we'd like to think. After all, fact is stranger than fiction.

Anthony Hopkins portrayal of the Dr. is an Oscar worthy performance. His portrayal of Dr. Kellogg shows him to be crazy, insistent, misguided, and even likable, all at the same time. With chompers a beaver would envy, Dr. Kellogg has a voice and presence all his own. Bridget Fonda and Matthew Broderick are well placed as the couple who's visiting 'The San' in hope of saving their marriage. Eleanor Lightbody is old hat to the San (this being her third visit) but Will Lightbody's rookie year is met with confusion, resistance and embarrassment, as he fantasies about the beautiful Nurse Irene Graves (Traci Lind) in the nude and wonders if he should add hallucinations to his list of ailments. While on the train to Battle Creek, the Lightbody's meet Charles (John Cusack) and breakfast cereal entrepreneur, who, once he arrives in Battle Creek, realizes he's in over his head with his fast talking sleaze ball partner, Goodloe Bender (brilliantly played by Michael Lerner, whom you may recall in similar roles in the films of the Coen brothers).

It would be amiss not to mention George Kellogg (Dana Carvey), Dr. Kellogg's adopted delinquent adult son, who's perpetually covered in filth and returns to the San on occasion to ask for money and look at the naked women. In humorous flashbacks we learn of George's youth (Jacob Reynolds, whom you may know from Gummo (1997)) and gain a glimpse into his stubbornness.

The film feels like a cross between the works of Terry Gilliam and Mike Judge. The cinematography and use of seemingly pointless inventions as set decoration bring a Gilliamesque feel to the film, while the defined, and specific looking, characters are reminiscent of Judges work in both, film and animation. The comedy is off beat and fueled by awkward moments, a cartoonish ragtime influenced score, and unique characters, such as the Dr. Lionel Badger, who "wrote an excellent piece on the clitoris". Badger, although a fellow vegetarian, shows up at the San to put a wrench is Dr. Kellogg's teaching on abstinence. Other characters, like Mr. Unpronounceable (Alexander Slanksins) from Russia, who has a problem with flatulence, and Ida Muntz (Laura Flynn Boyle) with her green skin condition, add to the well rounded cast of unique characters at the San.

For an offbeat comedy full of characters and situations that will make you laugh, and scratch your head in wonder, while simultaneously amazing you with the 'health practices' of years gone by, you can't ask for much more than The Road to Wellville.


"The Road to Wellville" was sort of silly, but quite neat. Focusing on a health spa in Michigan in the early 20th century. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (Anthony Hopkins) is a little too obsessed with health, to the point where everything relates to sex. I really liked everything that they did to William Lightbody (Matthew Broderick), and when Eleanor Lightbody (Bridget Fonda) snapped at the people wearing animal skin. After watching this movie, anyone is likely to feel weird about being a health-freak (although there are some good lessons about health). Dana Carvey, John Cusack, and John Neville also have great roles. It all just goes to show why the people involved in "The Road to Wellville" are so well-regarded. Cool.


I was highly surprised that this pearl of a movie has only an average rating here in IMDb, because this is one of the finest comedies of all-time! I saw it already more then a dozen in the last ten years and will never get bored of it. The humor in this movie is often sexual, but never on the low level the teenager-comedies of the last years have.

See this movie, enjoy it.

Anthony Hopkins alone shows, how good he is in a comedy, too. Hannibal Lecter as John Kellogg? What a wonderful idea!

Either if you are pleased about the wonderful cast or you like the issue and the jokes in it.


I have been trying to catch up with this for years...ever since it was barely released...critically slammed...and buried. Now that it has finally been allowed to escape back into pay cable play (and is out on DVD....in pan and scan only....since it and it's fans get no respect)I have finally been able to discover what an over looked gem it is. This is not only one of the quirkiest, bravest, and flat out funniest comedies of it's decade...it is also among the handsomest and best cast "Period Pieces".

I was prepared to enjoy the film....if only for the chance to savor the enormous amount of talent involved....but I had not expected to discover that each member of the cast was at their absolute peak! What a year Bridget Fonda had...wonderful in "It Could Happen To You"....and so heart stoppingly radiant in her period finery here!....One has to ask "What Happened?????"...She looks so ready for a HUGE career...and the past decade of film could have so used her beauty, talent, and class. Her costars Cusack and Broderick have, of course, had better luck....but this should have put them in line for a level of mainstream A-List stardom that never quite came true. Anthony Hopkins and Dana Carvey are so unexpectedly flat out brilliant and hysterical (I will never be able to hear John Huston's voice again without thinking of Hopkin's wicked riff on it) that they seem to be operating on a plain far removed from there usual level.

I could also go on for many paragraphs about the sensational supporting cast....every member of which was perfectly chosen....I have to at least mention Cameryn Manheim....who glows with such sexy charisma that she dominates every seen she appears in....So refreshing and erotic in the modern Hollywood universe of undernourished Barbie Clones.

In Summation....all I have to say is sit back...savor it for two hours....think about it in comparison to almost all of this years "Blockbusters" and understand what is really wrong with Hollywood...Too many critics recognize class hen they see it...and too few audiences get a chance to discover it for themselves....HERE IT IS PEOPLE....Enjoy.


I never even knew about this film when it came out. Since I hear it only grossed 6.5 million that explains why. The producers probably didn't even keep in the theaters a week. I can't explain what makes a film flop at the box office, but this one certainly didn't deserve it.

From start to finish I was totally enraptured by this witty story of a man who held views so controversial they are practically comical all by themselves. The movie is based on a novel which is a work of fiction, but it nevertheless draws its subject matter from some very true aspects of Dr. Kellogg's life that are quite unusual and almost always surprising. As these surprises are revealed to you throughout the film, they come as even more of a shock every time. There are a number of stories told throughout the sanitarium and each is a delight in and of itself. The stories all manage to interweave, sometimes in very comical ways, and despite their comedy, teach some very practical lessons. It is almost satirical.

I give this film two thumbs up. Don't watch it in mixed company and it certainly isn't appropriate for children. But for those with a mature attitude and an appreciation of the health nut culture, it will make for a laugh-filled evening.


I would not say this is a fact based film. With its many substories that probably did not happen but as far as Dr. John Harvey Kellogg and the Battle Creek San was concerned it is fairly accurate. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg was pretty much as depicted in this film, a most excellent job by Anthony Hopkins. However the real Kellogg would make you eat half the Yogurt and the other half was used as an enema.

Anthony Hopkins ,Bridget Fonda, Matthew Broderick, John Cusack, Dana Carvey, Michael Lerner, Colm Meaney, John Neville, Lara Flynn Boyle, Traci Lind, Camryn Manheim all turn in great performances with Hopkins, Broderick, Cusack and Lara Flynn Boyle as stand outs! I am not much for period based films but the amount of talent and the accurate detail of the quack medical devices used made me change my mind, at least with this film.

That said I did not like the film when I first saw it. It was one of my wifes video picks and while I had heard of the film I did not know much about it. It had just been released to video. The problem was that so many images of the film stuck in my mind. After seeing it several more times years later I fell in love with the film and it is in my top 20 film list.

The film may be an acquired taste but chew, chew, chew and it will be good for you!


This film holds the distinguished place of Worst Film Ever in my opinion! There are no redeeming features to this film, the acting, considering the cast, is poor, Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Broderick seem almost embarrassed that they have ended up in the film. The direction is terrible, and the script leaves much to be desired.

Alan Parker should be ashamed he ever made this abortion, I was hoping for great things from this film, considering the pedigree of all involved. HOW WRONG COULD I BE?

Is it any wonder that this piece of tripe has never been shown on TV? AVOID AT ALL COSTS!


...but still not a good movie. Personally, I'd rather see a documentary on Dr. Kellogg and his quackery; this fictionalization was filled with too many pee-pee/poo-poo jokes for it to work for me. The storyline that covered Kellogg's relationship with his son bogged it down in pop psychology, detracting even further from the movie. Matthew Broderick is adorable in this movie, but his switches from uptight to frantic are jarring. Bridgitte Fonda was just...there, occupying space and speaking. Overall, not exactly the rip-roaring comedy promised by the ads. Did I mention there were just too many pee-pee/poo-poo jokes?


I saw this movie in Denver for free and I still to this day feel like someone owes me money for seeing this. Horrible all the way around. I had to leave the theatre after about an hour and 10 min. How anyone can enjoy this just astounds me. I rate it as the worst movie I've seen.(Never had the privilege of seeing Ishtar)


I really hated this movie. I mean a lot. Maybe it was due to the fact it had alot of my favorite actors. I mean Anthony Hopkins has been great in a whole slew of movies, from Silence of the Lambs to Amistad. Matthew Broderick was kind of good in War Games, not nearly as bad as he was in this, but then he did the American Godzilla and I pretty much gave up all hope for him. And, most disappointing of all, John Cusack. He has done consistantly funny work. Better off Dead was my favorite movie that would come on Saturday after cartoons as I was growing up. I even like the movies he did after this. Go look at my review of Being John Malkovich. and even pushing tin had that moment with Angelina Jolie,But this movie was horrible.

The acting was, as expected great, but the story. Oh lord, the story smelled like year old milk. Was this movie even trying to be funny? Its shown repeatedly on Comedy Central, so I guess it was, but it was more along the lines of a doctor leaving a scaple inside you after an operation and laughing about it while you bleed to death internally. Actually, I think that would be funnier, if done right.

I can't even blame the director. I mean he directed the wall for god's sake. though on the other hand he did help adapt this from a novel form. Man, can you imagine how bad the book is? Really this movie is bad only for one reason, the original writer's. When a house collapses on its residents, you look to the builders. They had the materials needed to create a classic and failed masterfully. in summation, this movie is best summed up in the vernacular of a first grader as follows: crap crappity crap crap CRAP. *** out of 10

Disclaimer: still not as bad as Hudson Hawk


Drew (Andrew) witnessed his parents' divorce when he was 11 and how it ruined his father's life. Now, Drew is in college and as a handsome young man has become a serial seducer. He easily meets and sleeps with women only to dump them. Drew doesn't do relationships; he doesn't even do second dates.

Joe, Drew's roommate, willingly puts up with being denied access to his room every time there is a `sock on the doorknob' and the two boys are actually good friends even though Joe is the polar opposite of Drew. Not terribly attractive and a bit of a nebbish around women, Joe has been attracted to Shayna, a girl in his Chem. class for weeks but has not worked up the courage to ask her out.

When Joe confesses his infatuation to Drew just before Thanksgiving break, Drew advises him to `just go for it' and Joe resolves to follow that advice and ask Shayna out as soon as he returns. Unfortunately while Joe is away, Drew and Shayna meet up in a bar and the inevitable happens. In the morning Drew treats her as he has so many others, only to realize too late, that his feelings for her are different.

 I was pleasantly surprised to see that this film had this much depth. What I expected to be another hormone driven teen movie actually turned out to have a well crafted story-line and some insight into how the characters might feel. I'd recommend this film and look forward to seeing more by this film-maker.


If you are not from the Midwest (let alone Chicago), or didn't attend Northern Illinois University, or you are not enrolled in a university right now, you probably wouldn't understand the script of this film.

The actors/actresses overall do a fine job with the script, although you will catch some flaws along the way, but portraying Midwestern college kids they do not. The lines in the film are a bunch of cliche, one-liners, that would be difficult to understand for the average moviegoer. Some of the scenes get boring and can run rather long.

The story is basic, but it works. Two roommates, one girl, one dorky guy is enamored with her, the cool guy gets her. What's going to happen?!

The movie makes you kind of want to go back to college and stay there, but is it all believeable? You make the call.


Anyone who is in college or has gone to college knows what it is really about and it's not getting a good education. It's basically just getting drunk and trying to sleep with as many girls as possible. The fun thing about drinking is if you drink enough you end up waking up with a few strange girls and having a horrible headache and temporary loss of memory. However, when they are talking to their friend poking fun at him about having a drinking problem over drinking 11 or 12 beers a night, that's sad. We all know like 20 guys and 1 or 2 girls who drink like that. It's cool how the friends play basketball and work out go get drunk on any night, cause that's how my life is. And we all know a guy who is a gym freak and talks about nothing but lifting weights but who is not really built at all. Oh yeah, this movie has nudity in it so I give it a 7. Catch it if you are up late and there's nothing else really on.


Loads of fun! Reminded me of my college days... Thinking man's Animal House, smarter and better than all the other one's in its genre