SIBLING COMEDY A 'BLACK SHEEP' IN THE FILM FAMILY.Byline: Philip Wuntch Dallas Morning News "Black Sheep black sheep n. 1. A sheep with black fleece. 2. A member of a family or other group who is considered undesirable or disreputable. " runs for one hour and 27 minutes, which is blessedly brief by today's standards. But it's not nearly brief enough. The Chris Farley-David Spade comedy is both predictable and miscalculated. One thing it's safe to expect from two wild souls with "Saturday Night Live This article is about the American television series. For the show related to Big Brother (UK), see Saturday Night Live (UK). Saturday Night Live (SNL " on their resumes is irreverence. But "Black Sheep" has a gooey See GUI. marshmallow marshmallow /marsh·mal·low/ (mahrsh´mel?o) (-mal?o) a perennial Eurasian herb, Althaea officinalis, at its center - it's about brotherly love and male friendship. It's never cheeky or irreverent; it's just mildly crude and sloppy. It keeps emphasizing its own "family values" message as though not wishing to offend any potential viewer. The bland Spade plays Steve Dodds, lowly aide to the very proper gubernatorial candidate Al Donnelly (Tim Matheson). Dumb Dodds volunteers for the job of looking after Al's brother Mike (Farley), who unintentionally manages to foul up Al's best-laid plans. Mike and Al love each other; they say so with unnecessary frequency throughout the film. But poor Mike can't do anything right. He always makes a spectacle of himself just as Al is delivering a major speech. If he does something as simple as closing his car's trunk, we know his tie (or even a more personal appendage appendage /ap·pen·dage/ (ah-pen´dij) a subordinate portion of a structure, or an outgrowth, such as a tail. epiploic appendages see under appendix . ) will get caught. With Dodds as chaperon chap·er·on or chap·er·one n. 1. A person, especially an older or married woman, who accompanies a young unmarried woman in public. 2. An older person who attends and supervises a social gathering for young people. , Mike runs afoul of crazed Vietnam vet Drake Sabitch (played with wild-eyed vigor by Gary Busey). Once Mike punches Drake in the mouth, they become best buddies, just like Tom Sawyer and Huck huck n. Huckaback. Noun 1. huck - toweling consisting of coarse absorbent cotton or linen fabric huckaback toweling, towelling - any of various fabrics (linen or cotton) used to make towels Finn. Drake's military skills eventually come in handy Verb 1. come in handy - be useful for a certain purpose be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer" , as Mike and Dodds run into chaos whether on the highway or locked in a woodland cabin. "Black Sheep" represents what is wrong with a lot of comedies these days. Aside from its gross-out "Dumb and Dumber"-styled humor, it doesn't take any chances. It's the cinematic equivalent of a group hug in which someone, just to be mischievous, does something improper. Director Penelope Spheeris, who took challenging views of American life in her early films "Suburbia" and "The Boys Next Door," now merely choreographs chaotic set pieces, none of which are inspired or unpredictable. Farley blusters a lot. Spade manages a couple of adequate comic reactions. Matheson looks like his mind is somewhere else. You will find yourself empathizing with Matheson. THE FACTS The film: "Black Sheep" (PG-13; crude humor, language). The stars: Chris Farley, David Spade. Behind the scenes: Directed by Penelope Spheeris. Running time: One hour, 27 minutes. Playing: Citywide. Our rating: Two Stars. CAPTION(S): PHOTO Photo David Spade, left, and Chris Farley are exiled to a backwoods cabin that has been knocked off its foundation in "Black Sheep." |
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