A Disappointing Continuation

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

I enjoy. I enjoy. I enjoy. I enjoy. I enjoy. I enjoy. I enjoy. I enjoy.

This film reminds me of a number of very bizarre early 1990's films "Freaked", "Death Becomes Her", "Meet the Feebles", and "People Under the Stairs", to name a few. There is a really good chance, if you liked any, or one of those films, this film will appeal to you. Though it is best to come to this film without expectations.I have seen the box of this movie many times since it came out, I would have been 6yrs when it came out originally, and the box intrigued me, but Dan Akroyd's get-up always repulsed me, and it still does! I found this movie very cheaply the other day and decided to buy it and give it a try, I discerned from the box this was either going to be as bad as "Class Reunion" was, which had a lot of hope, or it would be an entertaining and bizarre film that likely will never be largely enjoyed by the masses, and the latter ended up being true.We really never know anything about these characters, and that isn't the point. I actually find it irritating that critics always like to say "No character development" as an insult, sometimes, it honestly is a bonus. In a film such as this one, it is definitely a positive. Character development would have seriously bogged the pace of this movie, and it is very clear the point of this film is to be quirky, bizarre, and ridiculous. All of which it is. This is not a belly-laugh type comedy, it is very much a dark comedy, and at times, definitely induces some anxiety, and even a little fear. I think the only time I laughed was from John Candy, but revealing why would spoil some of the plot, and I don't want to do that. There are definitely a number of humorous set-ups and somewhat scary situations, that by the end turn out to be a bit humorous. This isn't a horror film, but it certainly has some elements, and certainly plays on some old horror tropes about hicks in tiny little towns, but in a way I have never seen in any other film. This is not a classic, though it might deserve a slight cult following, it is definitely a film worth revisiting if you hated it when you watched it 20yrs ago, or a film worth watching if you never did. I am confused as to how Akroyd got funding for this film, as it is just bizarre, but at the same time, I am really glad he did. It is kind of encouraging when weird films like this get made, and it is a shame Hollywood rarely makes anything this fun and silly anymore. That now anytime something isn't PC it gets run under the bus. Most of my favorite films are not PC, because PC doesn't allow for humor or satire or reality. It only allows lies and false perceptions in, period. If you don't have a bizarre sense of humor, stay far away. God Bless ~Amy

You know the film has a few decent characteristics... the set design is pretty cool and there's a little be of an uncomfortable gore/make-up edge to it, but that's about it.It's not funny at all. The whole concept seems absolutely ridiculous. Way TOO over-the-top imo. I've revisited-it once since watching-it in the theater, and it's still as bad as I remembered.Slightly entertaining sight gags nearly, and I mean NEARLY make it passable.A cast that includes Akroyd, Chase, and Demi Moore drew us in, but I remember the entire audience(at least the one's I heard) being quite disgruntled with this odd and unfunny mess of a movie.I'd pass. 34/100

A financial publisher, meets a spurned woman and agrees to take her to a business meeting, to meet up with her soon to be ex partner. On the way there, they run a stop sign in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. They are arrested and taken to the local court. But all is not as it seems. The courthouse and the prison are a maze of booby- traps and deadly contraptions. Not to mention the seemingly insane Judge, his hatred for bankers, and his insufferable family.....Maybe it was my age when I first saw this at the cinema (14), or maybe it was due to fact that I saw the dreadful Soapdish just before it, but I always find time for this film, and its a perfect, silly film to watch every now and again.I'm not saying its a brilliant film, it's far from it, and Ackroyd's directing leaves a lot to be desired, but when you have a reliable cast like Chase, Candy, and the aforementioned Ackroyd doing what they do best, in a bonkers film, you can't help but love it.There is a little bit of a story to the whole silly thing, The judge hates bankers because a long time ago a deal was made and ruined the town of Valkenvania, but Ackroyd doesn't know what to do with the narrative, so a fun-house was created to fill in the cracks of the weak plot.But the town of Valkenvania, and the judges house, are just wonderful, and look like they were created by someone who likes a touch of alcohol. One liners are cringe-worthy, but coming from Chase, they sort of work, and Moore is just hilariously bad.Add Candy in drag, and a couple of what could only be described as blobs into the mix, and you have one of the most random movies to come out of the nineties.I like it, I can't think for the life of me why, but I always enjoy watching it.