In the lexicon of films created from Saturday Night Live sketches, from Coneheads to The Ladies Man, the one that stands head and shoulders above the pack is Wayne’s World. Starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as the titular
The first film worked mostly as a comedy of the absurd. By using the simple plot premise of Wayne and Garth’s show being picked up and commercialized, the movie satires television, literature, film, music, pop culture, language, sports, social issues such as the entertainment business and hilarity ensues. The movie pokes fun at such diverse targets as rock stars, Star Trek, product placement, Kierkegaard, Laverne and Shirley, the state of Delaware, Annie Hall, Claudia Schiffer, Psycho, television commercials, pop music, hip hop, metal, Lassie, Led Zepplin, and Terminator 2. But, the humor really came from the structure of the movie and utilizing classic techniques of the spoof movies pioneered by such films as Blazing Saddles and Airplane! By acknowledging breaks in the continuity, breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the audience and really being able to make fun of themselves more than anything, they not only draw the audience into the film, but they really succeed in drawing them into the joke. All the jokes are designed to be broad, not over the top or over indulgent either. A remarkable fact about the movie is that it is rated PG, which would preclude that they really tried to translate the television sketch to the big screen, creating a much longer sketch with jokes that never made it past dress rehearsal on Saturday night, not unlike a movie like
I need to sidetrack here for just a paragraph and tell you that my true affection for Wayne’s World is rooted in the belief that like movies such as The Godfather, The Big Lebowski and Coming to America, this movie could be the post-modern Tai Chi, containing the answer to every question. Highly quotable, the dialogue works its way into my everyday conversation and even now, sometimes with out my conscious knowledge. Is someone planning on surprising you? Let them know, “If it’s a severed head, I’m going to be very upset.” Do you find yourself unable to get through to a stubborn friend? “Live in the now!” And of course, in times of relationship difficulties, never forget that, “Marriage is punishment for shoplifting in some countries.”
In
2 comments:
How could you forget "Schwing!"?? Or am I the only one who stills thinks that??
Sometimes, I think perhaps I have a little too much Garth Algar in me, for I find myself in casual conversation and interrupting myself to shout or whistle at attractive women as they pass by.
Thanks for the comment!
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