Kids in the Hall - Brain Candy
April 21st 2008 23:56
On the heels of the announcement that legendary Canadian sketch comedy group The Kids in the Hall will be doing an American reunion tour, I thought it would be justified to review the only film that the Kids put together.
"Brain Candy" is the shiny result of a decent budget and a dedicated director, leaving the Kids free to play all the characters in the movie, including the women.
It's a confusing, yet satisfying result that had the critics mixed up on whether or not it was funny. Roger Ebert did not find it funny, though he could appreciate the writing, and several other notable reviewers panned it as well. The showing at the box office was quite poor which quickened the tensions in the group, leading to the dissolution of the Kids in the Hall.
Since then, though, I think the movie has found a comfortable place on the DVD shelf... "Brain Candy" is a wildly satirical look at our society's desperate need to fix everything with a pill, stopping along the way to poke fun at alternative rockers, scientists, executives, homosexuals and even cancer patients.
The drug Gleemonex is produced by a big pharmaceutical company who sells the Prozac-like chemical as a blanket cure for depression. Every character in the movie is a twisted caricature, amoral and surreal - it's all played for laughs, but at the center of it, there's a very sinister message. It's endlessly entertaining, as the Kids keep the tone of the movie completely absurd. A clip:
When I watched this in the late 90s, I found the style of the movie absolutely captivating, with strong, bright colours used throughout to show off the celebrity glitz of the drug companies, the synthetic feel-good look of the American family home, even the psuedo-melancholy of the rock scene.
Unfortunately, on the movie's release, there was a bit of controversy due to the Cancer Boy character, a little boy suffering from a terminal illness. The studio feared that the Kids would anger audiences, not realizing that the satire was on the companies and marketing campaigns that use the sick to front their campaigns.
The studio asked the Kids to pull the scenes, they refused and the comedians would state, much later that the studio punished them by giving "Brain Candy" a weak marketing campaign. An unfortunate result, as the movie still stands today as an excellent comedy, with enough oddball humour and vicious energy to propel it. An excellent movie that I've seen several times, and I would eagerly watch again.
I say: If you can get it, rent it or buy it and wallow in the filthy pond of satire. Here's an excellent review that summarizes some of the best scenes.
See it for: The chairman of the drug company is this hilariously dry-voiced executive, played by Mark McKinney. "Oh, this is the real party..."
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
When I lived in Canada my friends touted this as one of the funniest films ever made. They were right, it ignited a love for all things Kids in the Hall related and soon I was addicted to the TV series too.
Looney and off the wall I haven't seen it since i left the land of moose and maple leaves but I really do need to pick up a copy.
Comment by Miswanderlust
Killer Beats
Ramble On
Hipnotherapy
They just came through town. They were high-larious! love me some kids in the Hall. Love this movie.
Mis
Comment by Cibbuano
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