They Call Me Bruce? (1982)

"Bruce" (Johnny Yune) is a hapless cook who just happens to work for the main mafia boss on the west coast. But things aren't going good for the mob because of a series of drug busts by the feds. So the boss of the west coast named "Lil Pete" (Bill Capizzi) decides to use an unsuspecting Bruce to deliver his cocaine throughout the United States by fooling him into thinking that it is flour from China. Naturally, Bruce doesn't know any better. He also doesn't suspect that his new girlfriend, "Anita" (Pam Huntington) is a federal agent who has planted a bug on him to track his movements. Meanwhile, another mobster on the west coast named "Big Al" (Martin Azarow) is seeking to discredit Lil Pete and has his girlfriend, "Karmen" (Margaux Hemingway) follow Bruce to inhibit his deliveries. Anyway, rather than detail the entire plot I will just say that for a low-budget comedy this wasn't too bad. Johnny Yune was absolutely hilarious. Unfortunately, the action scenes and everything not centered on him fell completely flat. In addition, the middle portion of the film really seemed to drag. All in all then I rate this film as about average.

Get set for all the zany fun in this hilarious comedy about an Asian immigrant that everyone calls "Bruce," because of his resemblance to the legendary Bruce Lee. Bruce unknowingly works as cook for the mob and is duped into making deliveries of "Chinese Flour" - which is really cocaine - all across the U.S. It's a non-stop, rollicking romp when Bruce is persuaded by a wild and crazy assortment of characters - Texas sheriffs, Vegas hookers, rival mobsters, Kung Fu Krishnas, street punks, Urban cowboys and a host of other wacky, weird people interested in "flour."

Reading some of the reviews here reminds of some critic reviews of various children's movies, wherein they complain about childish plots, low humor or movies that didn't hold their attention, forgetting that they are, in fact, reviewing a children's movie.This movie falls into similar areas, although it's clearly not a children's movie. It is meant to be a spoof, a parody, and it pokes fun at all kinds of people, be they Asian, Caucasian, African-American, Italian, or what have you. It's not meant to be an Oscar candidate. It's meant to be plain silly, slapstick fun. And in that regard, it's perfect.No, Yune looks nothing like Bruce Lee. No, he's not even Chinese. But therein lies the humor. It's as much a send-up of Western stereotypes of Asians as anything (ever watch the "Average Asian" skits on MadTV with another Korean, Bobby Lee?).Overall, I have loved this movie every time I've seen it (although the sequel isn't quite the classic), and I would rate it as a fall - out - of - my - seat - and - wet - myself type of comedy. You just have to let your mind go and enjoy it for what it is. Pure, silly, goofball slapstick... :)

I decided to watch this again, after reading some of the other comments, and perhaps find a funnier movie than the one I remembered seeing, but it still wasn't there. "They Call Me Bruce?" does have some funny jokes in it, but also too many flat ones. The whole production looks clumsy and amateurish, but the film's biggest mistake is its overreliance on fight scenes and on the needless plot. Still, it's not the kind of movie you can genuinely hate, and Johnny Yune is not the most dislikable actor you could find.... (*1/2)