The Slammin' Salmon (2009)

The filmography of The Broken Lizard comedy troupe is very much hit-or-miss. Their latest restaurant comedy The Slammin's Salmon is one of the troupe's true wins. Kevin Heffernan directs this heated contest at a high-profile Miami restaurant whose aim is to try to earn sufficient money to save the restaurant being used to pay off a gambling debt. Obviously, The Slammin' Salmon is not going to win any awards for creativity, yet the film has what it counts the most in comedies: it's very funny from start to finish. Similarly to Super Troopers and Beerfest, the humor can be described as situational and while some set-ups result in predictable outcomes, the majority of jokes is quite clever leading to even bigger laughs by the end. The characters are diverse enough to surprise us displaying near-perfect comic timing. Michael Clarke Duncan starring as an overbearing chief is a standout. His performance is so over-the-top that virtually irresistible. I wish every comedy was so immediate and apt in delivering laughs as The Slammin' Salmon. 7.5/10 (B)

Fmovies: Now that I have finally seen this film I understand why there were so many issues getting it off the ground. It felt like one of those really long SNL sketches that just wasn't working - only even longer. Like most, I enjoyed Super Troopers tremendously - it's endlessly watchable and one of my favorite comedies of all-time. I even enjoyed Club Dread for what it was and feel like it got better each time I watched it. I actually felt like Beer Fest was the weakest of their three major films but I still thought it was great. The Slammin' Salmon takes a giant step back and probably should have never been released. Of course there are some great one-liners and several cheap chuckles but I have no idea why Broken Lizard thought this would be a successful film. Everybody knows what they are capable of and The Slammin' Salmon does not live up the The Broken Lizard name. I feel like this may be another one of those movies where it gets a little better on future viewings. I think I went into The Slammin' Salmon with too high of expectations and was let down by what I saw.

This wasn't a completely worthless movie - there were still a few laughs. These guys have sharp wits and I know they are capable of better. Hopefully they will redeem themselves with their next release.

The latest effort by the comic troupe known as Broken Lizard, "The Slammin' Salmon" is a fitfully amusing comedy set in an upscale seafood restaurant in Miami owned and operated by a flamboyant ex-boxer known as - what else? - The Slammin' Salmon (delightfully played by Michael Clarke Duncan). To pay off a gambling debt, the boss sets up a competition among his staff of waiters and waitresses to see who can bring in the most money in a 24-hour period. Chaos and mayhem ensue.

As directed by Kevin Heffernan (who also appears, alongside his fellow Broken Lizard writers and actors, as one of the waiters), "The Slammin' Salmon" is not the most sophisticated or highbrow comedy you'll ever see, but its breezy style and high-energy performances go a long way towards making something uniquely unhinged and genuinely fun out of the material. Despite all the crazy antics, the movie never has to strain too hard to get its laughs, and even when the jokes clatter to the floor - as they are wont to do from time to time - the cast is always there to pick up the pieces and run with them.

A few well-known faces - Will Forte, Vivica A. Fox and Morgan Fairchild - also stop by to add to the laughs.

The Slammin' Salmon fmovies. I really want to like Broken Lizard's movies, Super Troopers is one of the best comedies I have ever seen, but none of their subsequent movies even comes close to matching it. In The Slammin' Salmon the waitstaff of a high end seafood restaurant compete against each other to win $10,000 for selling the most food in one night. The eccentric former heavyweight boxer turned restaurant owner (Michael Clark Duncan) is amusing throughout the movie, as are the waitstaff themselves, but only for the last 40 min or so of the film. The big problem with The Slammin' Salmon is that it takes too long to really get going. Its not until the waitstaff finally get fired up about the contest and start sabotaging each other the film becomes truly funny. It's not a bad movie, and it is pretty funny at times, but it really could have been so much better.

I saw this last night in Dallas and Jay, Paul and Erik came to present it. I rate it just below Super Troopers but right next to Beerfest and way above that turd called Club Dread. There are a LOT of one liners that you and your friends will quote for years to come. There are some scenes where they are milking the joke for all they can and it does get a bit long. The casting is great and you will be surprised with some of the faces that are regulars and some that you know will be back in other Broken Lizard films. That said it is worth seeing even though I am a bit upset that I spent $10.00! on it but it was very good. Michael Duncan Clark is worth the admission.

While people are going to INSTANTLY compare this to Super Troopers on how it doesn't reach that standard (easily the funniest and most quotable movie of their repertoire) and while it is slow in the beginning, the movie easily has you laughing with the absurdness. Each character is flushed out well enough for the movie's purposes, and each gives you the right laughs at the right moments. Quotable, outlandish, and insane. A mix of Waiting meets Glengarry Glenross meets...well...Super Troopers. However, if this STILL hasn't won you over, there is one sole reason to see this movie:

Michael F***in' Clarke Duncan.

HOLY hell did he have fun with this script. His character of the Champ has the BEST lines of the whole movie, and I almost wonder how much was scripted and how much is just him going off the chain. Best lines of the movie:

(while admiring his sister's triplets) "Look at the little babies! Hey, it's Uncle Cleon. Damn, they all look the same. What did you do, f**k a Xerox machine?"

(to Japanese translator) "How do you say 'motherf***er' in Spanish?"

and my personal favorite— "You know what ten grand feels like in your pocket? It feels like a third c*ck."

Seriously, get some beers, grab some friends, and watch this movie. It's good times.