When it comes to comedy troupes, Broken Lizard probably won’t be mentioned in the same breath as luminaries like Monty Python or the Kids in the Hall. However, they’ve garnered a loyal following thanks to the cult success of their second film, Super Troopers. Since then, Broken Lizard has produced Beerfest and the horror spoof, Club Dread. Neither film was as well received as Super Troopers. The guys are back with the restaurant-themed comedy, The Slammin’ Salmon, which hit a handful of screens at the end of 2009 before going straight to DVD.
The Slammin’ Salmon takes place one night at the trendy Miami restaurant owned by former boxing champion, Cleon Salmon (Michael Clarke Duncan). Salmon is deep in debt with the Yakuza and challenges his maitre d’ Rich Ferente (Kevin Heffernan) to come up with $20,000 before closing. Rich offers up an escalating series of prizes from a free trip to Key Largo to $10,000 for the server who comes up with the biggest take. Unfortunately, the waiter or waitress who comes up with the lowest amount gets a “broken rib sandwich” from the champ.
The wait staff includes Connor (Steve Lemme), who returns to waiting after a failed try at acting; Mia (April Bowlby), a trained ballerina who isn’t afraid to use her sex appeal; Tara (Cobie Smulders), a med student struggling to pay the bills; Guy (Erik Stolhanske), a tanned and obnoxious pretty boy; and the appropriately named Nuts (Jay Chandrasekhar), who transforms into a raging lunatic when he doesn’t take his medication. There are also the twin brothers, Dave and Donnie, both played by Paul Soter. One is the short-tempered head chef; the other is the newly hired busboy.
Many other stars make cameo appearances as the customers. You can watch out for Will Forte, Morgan Fairchild (as herself), Lance Henriksen, Jim Gaffigan, Olivia Munn, Sendhil Ramamurthy from Heroes, Carla Gallo, and Vivica A. Fox. Troupe member Jay Chandrasekhar has handled the directing duties for Broken Lizard’s previous pictures, but hands the reins over to Kevin Heffernan for his directorial debut.
The majority of the film is built around the various interactions between the staff and the patrons. Connor winds up having to wait on his former producer and co-stars. April’s beautiful looks are ruined when she accidentally gets a face full of burning hot soup. Guy is increasingly frustrated with a customer who just sits at his booth reading War and Peace.
Much of the comedy in Slammin’ Salmon falls flat on its face. At best, the gags are slightly amusing. One subplot involves Rich accidentally swallowing an expensive diamond engagement ring which allows us the requisite scatological humor. You just can’t do R-rated comedy without poop jokes. There are also at least three or four instances involving vomiting or implied vomiting.
Most of the acting is rather uneven. Cobie Smulders, who most know from CBS’s How I Met Your Mother, gives one of the better performances. Hers is the most realistic person in a sea of cartoon characters. The star of the film is most definitely Michael Clarke Duncan. The gentle giant of a man has already shown his comedic chops in Talladega Nights as Ricky Bobby’s pit crew chief. Here, Duncan gets a chance to let his improvisational skills shine. He manages to rise above the mundane material, turning Cleon Salmon into the love child of Mike Tyson and Tracy Jordan. Duncan launches into many funny non sequiturs and one-liners like, ”When you assume, you make an asshole out of yourself.”
I don’t count myself as a devotee of Broken Lizard. Though I have many friends who swear by Super Troopers, I personally didn’t get the poor man's version of Police Academy. I haven’t seen any of their other movies so I can’t judge how The Slammin’ Salmon might fit into their pantheon. Broken Lizard followers might find some enjoyment in this otherwise dreary and scattershot comedy.
Rating: *
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