Dirty Work (1998)

hyped garbage

Beautiful, moving film.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Words to live by in comic Norm Macdonalds' first big film vehicle, directed by none other than Bob Saget. Speaking as a fan of Macdonald, I've always just loved his delivery. The man could say practically anything, and I'd still chuckle. Here he works with other comedy pros and established actors to create a gleefully un-P.C., ridiculous movie that's just fun from beginning to end.Co-written by Macdonald, "Dirty Work" stars him as Mitch, kind of a loser in life who finally realizes what he's best at: getting revenge when somebody does him wrong. Together with his best friend Sam (Artie Lange), he decides that this will be his line of work. However, they do need to come up with $50,000 rather quickly to pay a gambling addict doctor (Chevy Chase) to pull some strings to get Sams' dad 'Pops' (Jack Warden) a new heart. Trouble brews when rich bastard Travis Cole (Christopher McDonald) plays Mitch and Sam for fools and some innocent people get booted out of their homes. So the two buddies save the best revenge of all for the nefarious Cole.Examples of the kinds of lunacy in this movie include "dead" prostitutes in car trunks, frat boys tricked into picking a fight with cops, the raunchy spin on "Men in Black" that Mitch and Sam play at a theatre, Mitchs' frequent "notes to self" dictations into a pocket tape recorder, and a highly unlikely choice of music for a fight scene in a bar. Macdonald does alright in his first lead, and isn't bad when he's required to actually act. Lange makes for a good sidekick. It's nice to see veteran Warden be so feisty (and randy). Traylor Howard is cute as the requisite love interest. McDonald is perfect in the kind of jerk role that he was clearly born to play. Don Rickles has fun doing his traditional insult humour as a crabby movie theatre owner. David Koechner has a small role as the proprietor of a car dealership. And there are assorted lively cameos by a couple of familiar faces. The verbal and visual jokes keep coming and everything is wrapped up within a very reasonable 82 minutes. Best of all, there's a few outtakes to enjoy during the end credits.This is one of those riotous movies that can hold up to repeat viewings, especially if one is an admirer of any of the comedic talent here. It's highly recommended.Eight out of 10.

Dirty Work isn't so much a film as a competition for "how many filthy jokes can we incorporate in a seventy-six minute film?" That kind of thesis for a comedy is almost always lethal because we get no opportunities for humanity or genuine laughs since the film constantly feels the dreary obligation to one-up itself. Here's a film that is so perfunctory and foreseeable in its setups and deliveries that I'd be convinced if the screenwriter and the director thought of this film over a coffee break and decided to carry out everything right then and there.The film was directed by Bob Saget, who you'd know as the whitest, cleanest, and most supportive sitcom daddy in existence on the classic program Full House. Saget is famous for leading a life contradicting to his clean-persona on the show, often performing the filthiest, crassest standup you're likely to ever hear. For this reason, it is unsurprising his directorial effort plays much like his standup in terms of predictably raunchy material that lacks heart and craft.The film follows Mitch Weaver (Norm Macdonald) and Sam McKenna (Artie Lange), two lifelong buddies who have gone their entire lives exacting revenge on people for the smallest offenses. They stage elaborate attacks on the people they can't stand in order to gain a small sense of satisfaction. When Sam's father (Jack Warden) has a heart attack and is in need of a heart transplant, the guys learn the doctor can get the man immediate attention if they pay off the doctor (Chevy Chase) $50,000 so that he can pay off his enormous gambling debt.They decide to open a revenge business called "Dirty Work," which thrives off of people calling in and getting Mitch and Sam to exact revenge on people that make their callers tick. One of the reasons the film doesn't work is that the attacks are simple and, overall, underwhelming. With more intricate planning and craft, the payoffs for these offenses could've been rewarding and hilarious. Instead, they are childish and redundant.It also doesn't help that Mitch and Sam are two of the most archetypal, cliché protagonists in any comedy I've ever seen. They're so thin, wooden, and void of personality they feel like robots programmed to do and say things that are allegedly funny. Macdonald and Lange are average comedic talents, and here, they can't do too much with the script (which was somehow the product of three people) that forbids and character or development from sneaking past the abundance of clichés and predictable plot lines.Even so-called "late night comedies" and "stoner films" need to achieve some sort of quality and Dirty Work doesn't possess the characteristics of being memorable or creative enough to achieve them. It is an overly-silly, ridiculous film that gets even more ridiculous when it feels the need to allow plot lines like romance and fighting to elbow themselves into the picture. Saget may have craft when it comes to juggling personas, but he also shows that he has talent for making one of the most frustrating comedies of the nineties I have yet to see.Starring: Norm Macdonald, Artie Lange, Jack Warden, and Chevy Chase. Directed by: Bob Saget.

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!

I actually have newfound respect for Bob Saget after seeing this movie (as well as his cameo in "Half-Baked" with the great line: "I've sucked dick for coke. Have you ever sucked dick for marijuana?!") This movie was obviously not made with the intention of racking up a bunch of awards, but we found it hilarious nonetheless. It has some great scenes in it, great lines (Mitch: "I've made up my mind, I'm going to tell Sam..." --Pops grabs him by the balls-- "...or NOT...AAAAHH!"), and if you like Norm MacDonald, you'll love this movie. It's full of his "note to self" one-liners as well as his general humor. The plot itself, although I found it to contain a lot of holes (which is why I say keep an open mind while you watch it), is quite funny. Highly recommended!