Home Fries (1998) / Comedy-Drama

MPAA Rated: PG-13 for thematic elements and some sexual humor
Running Time: 91 min.

Cast: Drew Barrymore, Luke Wilson, Catherine O'Hara, Jake Busey, Shelley Duvall, Lanny Flaherty
Director: Dean Parisot
Screenplay: Vince Gilligan
Review published May 23, 1999

Starting off with a particularly awful scene of two brothers chasing down their philandering stepfather with a military helicopter until he dies of a heart attack, this comedy starts off bad and gets progressively worse. It seems that the boys are taking revenge for their distraught mother, who is feigning anguish at having been cheated upon. The two boys discover that their shenanigans may have been overheard over the headset of a local fast food joint, so they go there to check out if anyone knows anything. They find a young pregnant girl (Barrymore, Ever After) at the drive-thru who has indeed heard something, but one brother (Wilson, Scream 2) doesn't want to kill her like the other (Busey, Contact) because he grows a soft spot for her. Of course she is also the woman who had been having an affair with their stepfather and is carrying his child as well.

This black comedy is a wasteland of vacant ideas and uninspired direction. Director Dean Parisot (Galaxy Quest, Fun with Dick and Jane) tries for Raising Arizona type delivery, but forgets that the script has to be funny before you try for such heights. The whole premise is tacky and wholly unbelievable, with performance well over-the-top and motivations that are ludicrous at best. Normally you'd be dismayed at watching such a forgettable film, but in this case forgetting viewing it is a blessing.  

Qwipster's rating:

©1999 Vince Leo