CORKY ROMANO / (2001) ** (out of four)
I laughed hard at the trailers for "Corky Romano." I made many stops at the movie's official web site, which features a partially animated Corky leading two weenier dogs in a wild dance to A-Ha's "Take on me." I became interested in the newspaper ads that ask us "Who is Corky?" With funny promotional techniques, I expected big laughs from "Corky Romano"
Surprisingly, though, you will get most of the laughs this film offers by watching the trailers and visiting the web site. "Corky Romano" really is not very funny. It does offer a few big funny moments, and I grimaced several times throughout the film, but it never takes off with these funny ideas. It doesn't deliver the laughs it leads us to expect.
Corky Romano is an original character, not another Saturday Night Live blowup. He is portrayed by SNL veteran Chris Kattan, who tackles the role with enthusiasm, energy, and zest. He's the kind of character you will either love or hate. I loved him. He is spastic, clumsy, wacky, and full of sunshine and life.
Corky Romano, an assistant veterinarian, loves his job with all of his good-natured heart. He is surprised, however, when his family asks for his assistance. His father (Peter Falk), an underground crimelord, has been indicted by a grand jury. With the trial just weeks away, the aging criminal needs someone to investigate the FBI and destroy the evidence against him. The authorities would recognize his two sons (Peter Berg and Chris Penn), thus all the fingers point to Corky.
I wish I could tell you Corky gets himself in a whole lot of trouble because he is stupid, but I cannot. The movie's can't make up its mind about Corky's intelligence. At times he acts like a preschooler, yet he figures out a very complex villainous scheme against his family. The least these writers could do is provide Corky with intellectual consistency. It's no fun watching a character who is utterly stupid for one minute, and a crime solving genius the next.
The movie actually takes the plot seriously. Sure, the plot does act as a clothesline for tons of creative comic opportunities-with few actually making us laugh-but we do become involved with several character twists and interesting plot points. "Corky Romano" has a wacky side, but the wackiness does not tread outside the boundaries of the story.
Regardless of the story, however, "Corky Romano" features way too much throw away humor, lame physical comedy, and recycled slapstick jokes. We can see some of them coming from miles away. Example: A snake crawls up Corky's pants. Guess where our slithering friend exits. After an accident, a weenier dog needs mouth to mouth resuscitation. Remember that one from "There's something About Mary"?
This comedy, directed by Rob Pritts, does not provide quite enough laughs to warrant a recommendation. It's not as bad as some people are saying, and if you are into fart, klutz, crotch, and gay jokes, and lowbrow physical humor, "Corky Romano" might be your ticket to fun. I prefer my humor a little more sophisticated, though.
I laughed hard at the trailers for "Corky Romano." I made many stops at the movie's official web site, which features a partially animated Corky leading two weenier dogs in a wild dance to A-Ha's "Take on me." I became interested in the newspaper ads that ask us "Who is Corky?" With funny promotional techniques, I expected big laughs from "Corky Romano"
Surprisingly, though, you will get most of the laughs this film offers by watching the trailers and visiting the web site. "Corky Romano" really is not very funny. It does offer a few big funny moments, and I grimaced several times throughout the film, but it never takes off with these funny ideas. It doesn't deliver the laughs it leads us to expect.
Corky Romano is an original character, not another Saturday Night Live blowup. He is portrayed by SNL veteran Chris Kattan, who tackles the role with enthusiasm, energy, and zest. He's the kind of character you will either love or hate. I loved him. He is spastic, clumsy, wacky, and full of sunshine and life.
Corky Romano, an assistant veterinarian, loves his job with all of his good-natured heart. He is surprised, however, when his family asks for his assistance. His father (Peter Falk), an underground crimelord, has been indicted by a grand jury. With the trial just weeks away, the aging criminal needs someone to investigate the FBI and destroy the evidence against him. The authorities would recognize his two sons (Peter Berg and Chris Penn), thus all the fingers point to Corky.
I wish I could tell you Corky gets himself in a whole lot of trouble because he is stupid, but I cannot. The movie's can't make up its mind about Corky's intelligence. At times he acts like a preschooler, yet he figures out a very complex villainous scheme against his family. The least these writers could do is provide Corky with intellectual consistency. It's no fun watching a character who is utterly stupid for one minute, and a crime solving genius the next.
The movie actually takes the plot seriously. Sure, the plot does act as a clothesline for tons of creative comic opportunities-with few actually making us laugh-but we do become involved with several character twists and interesting plot points. "Corky Romano" has a wacky side, but the wackiness does not tread outside the boundaries of the story.
Regardless of the story, however, "Corky Romano" features way too much throw away humor, lame physical comedy, and recycled slapstick jokes. We can see some of them coming from miles away. Example: A snake crawls up Corky's pants. Guess where our slithering friend exits. After an accident, a weenier dog needs mouth to mouth resuscitation. Remember that one from "There's something About Mary"?
This comedy, directed by Rob Pritts, does not provide quite enough laughs to warrant a recommendation. It's not as bad as some people are saying, and if you are into fart, klutz, crotch, and gay jokes, and lowbrow physical humor, "Corky Romano" might be your ticket to fun. I prefer my humor a little more sophisticated, though.