GOOD BURGER (1997)
A movie review by Chuck Dowling
Copyright 1997 Chuck's Movie Reviews
Good Burger (1997) **** out of ***** - Cast: Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson, Sinbad, Abe Vigoda, Dan Schneider. Written by: Dan Schneider, Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert. Directed by: Brian Robbins. Running Time: 95 minutes.
Before seeing this, I was probably the most anti-"Good Burger" person around. The previews seemed to be all I needed to see to judge that this just wasn't worth my time. Well, for once the previews worked AGAINST the film, as "Good Burger" is surprisingly very funny.
"Good Burger" is smart to point out it's ridiculousness very early on. It immediately lets you know how silly it's going to be, and it stays constant throughout. Not much of a plot to really speak of (It's all about a war between two rival hamburger stands, one a small town mainstay, the other a massive corporate monster), but the huge amount of comedy that actually works kept me entertained. And aside for a little bit of minor league profanity, it's a fine film for the family.
The cast is extremely likable, with only the main character as an exception. He's doing a sort of James Brown impression for the whole film, and it's awfully annoying. Thankfully, he does get some good jokes, so his character isn't a total loss. Abe Vigoda was an odd casting choice, but even that pays off well. And there are numerous cameos (no one earth-shattering though).
"Head of the Class" fans take note, the film co-stars and was co-written by Dan Schneider who played Dennis on the show, and director Brian Robbins played Eric. [PG]
-- Chuck Dowling --
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