Dirty Work (1998)

What can I say. It was funny at time and not so funny at other times. This is going to sound crazy but Norm MacDonald's facial expressions helped save the movie for me. He'll just say something but sell it with a silly look on his face afterwards. The movie is about two friends who open up a revenge for hire business in an attempt to raise enough money for one of the friends.. or both of the friends father. The movie has two incredibly funny scenes that almost make the movie worth watching just to see them. The first is the hooker in the trunk scene and the second is the putting fish in the house scene. I couldn't stop laughing. I know they did the same kind of joke in an Austin Powers movie but I'm too lazy to google for would did it first because chances are both films got it from somewhere else. Is it worth watching? I'm going to say yes and no. No, if you don't want to waste your time and yes if you have time to kill and you're a fan of dumb comedies.

Cameos by the likes of Chris Farley & Adam Sandler are not enough to make up for the fact that this dud manages to waste two of comedy's sharpest minds. Norm MacDonald & Artie Lange are two nincompoops who, unable to do any work of any sort, start a revenge for hire business and wow, is it unfunny. Neither MacDonald nor Lange is allowed to let loose and both come across as exceedingly dull. MacDonald seems to know this type of thing is NOT his bag and actually seems to be winking at the camera. This really sent his career into oblivion. Lange comes across as a nitwit and it's a shame, because his stand-up act is hilarious! Directed, with no finesse, by Bob Saget (another hilarious stand-up comic wasting his time with lame-brained nonsense). Be warned, this film even manages to waste Don Rickles!

Norm MacDonald and Artie Lange play two friends who aren't particularly bright and have a long history of screwing up their lives and losing jobs. Then they get the bright idea of opening up their own business--one that will get revenge for a price. The acts of revenge are among the funniest things about the film. I especially loved how he got revenge on the loud neighbors and the sleazy car salesman. There were some serious negatives in the film such as quite a few flat jokes here, the unfunny bit where MacDonald makes notes to himself on a tape recorder (it was overdone on SNL--it was even worse here) and there was the ending--it seemed to end way too quickly and the resolution wasn't particularly satisfying compared to the earlier parts of the film.However, this film has the phrase "guilty pleasure" written all over it. While the film has many flat moments, crude jokes and horrible messages, it did make me laugh and laugh--and that's the most important positive about the film. I know I should be ashamed of myself, but you can't ignore a film that puts a smile on your face like this stupid movie did. In addition, I hate to admit that I also laughed at MacDonald's other critically scathed film SCREWED. I feel so dirty--these are NOT deep or sophisticated films and they abound with juvenile humor--but they make me laugh.By the way, keep note of all the unusual supporting actors that appeared in this film such as Chevy Chase, Don Rickles, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley and Jack Warden (among others). Obviously, there were a lot of folks out there that liked MacDonald and wanted to help him with this film.

This movie has stiff acting, a poorly strung together story, gags, awkward direction at times, and it's pretty clear that it wasn't meant to be PG-13 originally.But it's also possibly the most consistently funny movie I have ever seen. Norm's dry-as-the-desert delivery constantly creates laughs, and while it is largely a series of bits kind of trying to create a story, the bits are absolutely hilarious. I'm not surprised that many hate this movie, because if you want to get critical, there are definitely some flaws. But if you like to laugh yourself silly, and you like the literal, deadpan style that Norm is so great at, then I suggest relaxing and enjoying this one. It's a guilty pleasure of mine, and it holds a special place in my heart.