This movie is the standard David Mamet formula in a fun, small-town comedy. It’s sufficiently interesting and fairly funny, but best of all it doesn’t overstay its welcome.
Closest comparison: It’s like The Holiday by way of The Spanish Prisoner.
Setting: Small Town Drama
Plot: Comedy of Errors
Tone: Slow-burn Comedy
This movie is a silly comedy around a sincere narrative. It’s a pretty typical ‘90s goofball comedy, for better and for worse. The story, though is played fairly straight as a military take on an underdog tale, complete with scrappy crew, rustbucket equipment, and a crew that is inevitably greater than the sum of its parts. If that sounds cheesy then steer clear of this one, but it’s a solid entry in the genre.
Closest comparison: It’s like Cool Runnings by way of RocketMan (1997).
Setting: War
Plot: Underdog
Tone: Comedy
This is one of those strange sleeper films that was too zany for audiences at the time but has gathered a strong cult following over the years. The humor is a screwball satire of dry comedy, an acquired taste to say the least. The superhero genre has exploded in the two decades since this movie came out and since its story is not an irreverent deconstruction of the genre but an underdog riff that embraces it, it’s only become more relevant over time. On the other hand, its low-fidelity special effects and distinctly ‘90s directorial style have kept it firmly planted in the past, making it both ahead of its time and stuck in the past. It’s an oddball that equal parts great and weird.
Closest comparison: It’s like The Boys (2019) by way of Zoolander.
Setting: Cyberpunk
Plot: Super Hero
Tone: Dumb Comedy
