Real Men (1987)
Real Men is a buddy action-comedy, which usually means that the plot is shallow to seeing the comic shenanigans the two leads get into and the banter it inspires. It’s a formula proposition, but when it works well, it can make for a couple of hours of fun entertainment. Real Men isn’t the best example, but if you like the leads, you’ll probably enjoy it as a passably amusing diversion.
James Belushi stars as Nick Pirandello, a crude smart-ass that just so happens to be one of the country’s top CIA agents. Nick recruits a mild-mannered suburban insurance salesman father, Bob Wilson (John Ritter), who happens the be a lookalike for a recently executed agent.
Nick asks Bob on a secret cross-country mission that may have interplanetary implications, including the end of the world as we know it. But Bob is such a sweet-natured man; he needs a crash course in toughening up to the task, which Nick must do to achieve the mission’s success. Meanwhile, Bob thinks Nick is off his rocker, mainly when he begins talking like the case involves aliens from outer space.
Real Men is written and directed by Dennis Feldman, who came into the world of screenwriting after a respectable career as a still photographer. His first sold screenplays included Just One of the Guys and “The Rose of Tibet” (which would become The Golden Child after several rewrites). Feldman had the option to direct his screenplay, which would not only mark his debut but would end up being his only attempt.
Although it received mixed-to-poor critical write-ups at the time of its release, it did score with audiences during its test screenings. However, the MPAA initially slapped the film with an R rating, causing producer Martin Bregman to order re-edits to the movie to get it down to a PG-13 level, as well as to tinker with making the characters a bit more defined.
Real Men didn’t get much of a distribution from the struggling United Artists, who were still in the red after the Heaven’s Gate debacle. When it was released theatrically in 1987, it appeared in only 140 theaters regionally in three states (Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico), and grossed only $874,000. Bregman claims that they had difficulty getting the picture out there because neither Belushi nor Ritter was a box-office draw, despite having recognition for their television work.
Nevertheless, it would earn a small but loyal following after repeated cable TV showings, where the madcap sitcom antics felt more at home. It’s a cartoony kind of film, riding high off of its loopiness. It is truly an absurd film, but one that seems to relish these qualities, willing to continue to subvert expectations by garnering laughs just from how many gleefully wild places it will go. Bob is seduced by an older cougar (Thorne) in Nick’s mother’s (Barrie) home, later revealed to be Nick’s father after plastic surgery. It’s not funny because it’s witty, but because it is so stupid, you might laugh.
There may not be very much chemistry between the two stars to wish they could make more films together, but they get their chances to shine individually. While both actors do their fair share of mugging to get laughs, the inventiveness of the screenplay and the perpetually changing situations do manage to offer some funny character moments that will likely grow on viewers, not expecting nonstop hilarity throughout. It might be hard to imagine Belushi, who seems to be channeling Bill Murray in his delivery, as the kind of guy all women would find irresistible. Or that John Ritter would seem like the wimpiest guy around, but in the context of the film, you go with the flow of wherever Feldman deems them worthy of going.
Funny sequences abound, such as an action sequence in which Bob gets involved in a shootout convinced that he has the power to kill using just his index finger as a gin. Another one involved an attack by a bunch of CIA agents who’ve gone rogue while dressed like a gang of clowns. Finally, Nick gets soft for a world-class dominatrix, as the two leads begin to learn from one another in terms of their outlook on life.
SIlly and surreal, Real Men manages to be a comedy that will likely grow on many viewers willing to tune in to its oddball wavelength. It’s proper to call it an uneven misfire of sorts, but it remains an enjoyable one. Those who are in the rare mood for a low-rent, left-field comedy full of silly, throwaway moments, it might be that guilty pleasure you’re seeking.
Qwipster’s rating: B
MPAA Rated: PG-13 for violence, brief nudity, sexual references, and language
Running time: 85 min.
Cast: Jim Belushi, John Ritter
Small roles: Barbara Barrie, James Le Gros, Dyanne Thorne
Director: Dennis Feldman
Screenplay: Dennis Feldman