2.8.10

Terribly Awesome!: A Night at the Roxbury



Just another Manic Monday? Wish it was Sunday? Nothing beats a case of the Mondays like a camp-out. And we ain't talkin' s'mores, sing-a-longs and psycho killers. We're talking about getting in touch with your guilty pleasure zone. That's right, every Monday we'll be bringing you the best of the worst. It's gonna be awesome - and terrible! - all at the same time.



Photo: movieposter.com

We love dumb duos. Lloyd and Harry, Zoolander and Hansel, Cheech and Chong. In A Night at the Roxbury we get wannabe-clubbers Doug and Steve Butabi. Are they brothers? No... Yes! Even if you don't watch SNL or don't remember these dense dorks, they're hilarious.

Even though they've got the coolest, matching, shimmery outfits, the Butabi bros (Doug, Chris Kattan, and Steve, Will Ferrell) get rejected from every club, including the club of all clubs, The Roxbury. That is until one night, searching for an ATM machine to bribe the bouncer into letting them through, when Richard Grieco smashes into the back of their plastic plant shop van. Not wanting to get reported in his illegal sports car, Grieco uses his fame to get the bros into The Roxbury where they meet the club's owner, Mr. Zadir (Chazz Palminteri) and opens the door to their dream jobs in the clubbing business. Of course, they also deal with what every other 30-year-old does: nagging parents, immature girl issues and too much hair gel.



Why it's terrible:

Steve's overplayed dumbness
Sure, dumb is funny, but sometimes it's just a bit too dumb. Sometimes Steve has it, sometimes he doesn't and the dopey, cartoony voice does not help a lame joke.


Loni Anderson as mom
Nothing against Loni Anderson, but are we really supposed to be convinced that mom's supposed plastic surgery is the reason she only looks 10 years older than her sons?

The one-night girlfriends
No, not one-night stand, but one-night girlfriends. Because after one night, they were committed. But then, they called it off with Steve and Doug when they found out that they weren't rich after all. So unnecessary.


The critical reception
Yeah, the critics hated it, but most of the criticism wasn't even critical, just calling the film dumb. Well duh, it's dumb, and that's what makes it funny!


Why it's awesome:

The music
If you do not have this soundtrack yet, you need it. 90s dance music is so underrated.

Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon makes everything awesome, even when awesome is already overbrimming (see: Glee, Scrubs, Never Been Kissed). In NatR, she's Emily, the family friend who's madly in love with Steve and obsessed with making out and nudity. Of course, she plays obsessive insanity to perfection.


The outfits
Steve and Doug always match in their super-slick club gear, whether it's skintight silk or colourful suits. It's so tacky. It's so lame. It's so entertaining.


Their loserdom
The Butabi bros are losers, clearly. They can't get into a single club, they use cliché pick-up lines and they work in their dad's fake flower shop at the cash register. But they still think they're the hottest guys around.

The neck grooving
This film is fueled by neck grooving, in the car, in the club, in the elevator. Of course, elevator grooving is more toned down but really, who can resist the beat.

Operator 238
Who falls in love with credit card company representative while verifying a card? Better yet, who calls and asked for operator 238 to verify cards that don't need verifying because he's in love with woman behind the voice? Only Doug.


The indoors outdoors club
Really, Doug, I know you're a moron but this is a pretty cool idea. The outside looks like the indoors and the inside looks the outdoors. Come on, don't you wish you were there?

(Photos: sources unknown)

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