Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful "B" movie fare, SCTV spins off gold!
Review: Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, long-time members of the Canadian Second City TV comedy troupe capitalized on their TV characters, THE GREAT WHITE NORTH'S Bob and Doug MacKenzie, in this movie about love and romance, hey, WAIT A MINUTE! it's about beer and ruling the world!Thomas and Moranis play two somewhat dimwitted but lovable(?) brothers who are constantly in search of beer. When they go to a brewery to try to fenagle free beer they become unwittingly embroiled in a mad but brilliant brewmeister's plan to take over the world through the distribution of beer containing a special drug. Everything near and dear to the heart of Canadians make an appearance in this show -- hockey, beer, and romance. But, most importantly, beer and hockey. Bob and Doug say this movie was filmed in 3-B (three beers and it looks pretty good). I wouldn't know about that, but it makes sense. Moranis and Thomas do a good job as the MacKenzie brothers, and Max Von Sydow makes an excellent mad brewmeister. Good casting, a fun and non-taxing script, and a willing audience makes for a fun show. I have to share my favorite scene in the show -- it's when Bob and Doug realize that the only beer left in the house is in their dog's dish, and they have to pour the remains of it into a glass for their dad. Eeew! This is certainly not world-class entertainment or acting, but it can be lots of fun if you are in a silly mood. 4 stars only because it could never qualify for 5. Have fun, eh.
Rating: 
Summary: The McKenzie's Score a Hat Trick
Review: Strange Brew follows the adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie played by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas respectively. The pair was created for the brilliant SCTV television show and the duo seamless took them to the big screen. The movie's plot revolves around an evil brewmeister (played deliciously by Max Von Sydow) who is concocting a potion that will allow him to control the minds of the people who drink it. The brothers unwittingly stumble onto the plan and with the help of the daughter of the late brewery owner and former hockey player, they foil the plans. Through it all Mr. Moranis and Mr. Thomas are absolutely hysterical. The film is actually the forerunner of such films like Wayne's World, The Coneheads and other Saturday Night Live films that took character sketches from the small screen to the movie screen. The big difference is that Strange Brew is well made, well written and still almost twenty years later, down right hilarious.
Rating: 
Summary: Great movie should have great DVD
Review: No commentary from Moranis and Thomas? Why buy a DVD that has no commentary, especially 20 years after the fact, especially for such a rip-roaring film? I'll just keep watching my lame VHS until a worthwhile DVD is released.
Rating:
Summary: Welcome to our movie review, eh!
Review: If Shakespeare had been a beer-swilling, unshaved Canadian man, he might have called his most famous play STRANGE BREW. But, the fact is that the most famous playwright on Earth didn't write this grand opus, so it was left to the two Canadian McKenzie Brothers to carry that torch. And while this bizarre but hilarious film does seem to borrow one or two things from HAMLET, it certainly doesn't try to be sophisticated or urbane. Oh boy, does it not try to be sophisticated or urbane. If you're looking forward to a witty and knowing plotline, then you're going to be hugely disappointed. The screenplay rejects the notion that stories should make sense, and just plows forward while having a darn good time. Who cares about a coherent story when you've got Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas running around making beer and fart jokes? So, while the movie doesn't have a straightforward plot, it does have a lot of beer, a lot of lowbrow humor and even has a flying dog. What more could one ask for? Heck, the funniest parts of the movie aren't even jokes; they're the bits where Doug and Bob McKenzie run around with Canadian accents, insulting each other, and ending every sentence with "eh". Turn off the hockey game, crack open a beer or six, and watch the surreal adventure of two idiots trying to save their local brewery from bad guys who want to do, um, bad stuff. It's a funny, stupid movie that you can't help but like.
Rating:
Summary: Where's the Sequel, You Knobs!
Review: Before there was "Wayne's World," there was Bob and Doug McKenzie. Originally a series of skits on SCTV, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas played Bob and Doug, two loser brothers living in the "Great White North" of Canada. With a fierce dedication to drinking beer, wearing toques, and spouting such quintessential Canadianisms as "eh?" and "hoser," Bob and Doug finally got a chance to make their own movie in 1983. The result is the hilarious "Strange Brew," a film with a Shakespearean subtext about two guys who get caught up in a series of misadventures during a quest for a free case of beer. "Strange Brew" also stars Max Von Sydow as the evil Brewmeister Smith, Paul Dooley as Claude Elsinore, and several other people you probably aren't familiar with. The funniest thing about this film is its sheer stupidity. Yes, this movie is exceedingly dumb, but it has the rare ability to grow on you every time you watch it. I recently watched the DVD version without having seen the movie for years and it was still funnier than the last time I saw it. This classic belongs on every movie lover's shelf. The film fades in with a belching MGM lion. As the camera sweeps behind the beast, we see Doug and Bob tormenting the beast. They notice the camera and run to their set in order to begin discussing their new film, a set consisting of a map of Canada and about ninety cases of beer. In a clever opening bit, a "movie within a movie" kicks off the McKenzie brothers' adventure. You see, the two gave away their Dad's beer money and now must find a way to acquire a case of beer or risk the wrath of their inebriated father. After failing to procure a free case of Elsinore brew by claiming that they found a mouse in a bottle, the two knobs drive to Elsinore brewery to argue their case. The McKenzie brothers land right in the middle of a dangerous intrigue. Claude Elsinore, who now runs the company after his brother died, seeks to keep his niece Pamela out of the family business. Unknown to Pamela, Claude is a mere puppet of the evil Brewmeister Smith, a creepy looking guy who has some evil plans for an eventual world conquest. The bumbling antics of Bob and Doug leads them to jobs at the factory where they discover weird goings on: a video game that glows mysteriously, a hockey game where mental patients from the neighboring asylum beat each other up to the sounds of strange music, and a former hockey player who looks like death warmed over. "Strange Brew" is one increasingly hilarious and bizarre scene after another. By the time you get to the conclusion of the film, you cannot believe you are laughing at this stuff. The best parts of the movie are probably some of the lines the characters toss out from time to time (some of these are paraphrases): "It's a jelly." "If I didn't have puke breath, I'd kiss you." "Two orders of split plea soup to go, please." "Oh, is that Bonaparte? No, I think its Napoleon." "It must be one of those English New Wave bands." I could go on and on with similar dialogue that is laugh out loud funny. If you don't pay close attention, you'll likely miss some great lines. Of course, with all of the sight gags and ridiculous situations going on, it is sometimes difficult to pay attention to the dialogue. It's all funny in the end. The DVD includes several extras, including an animated short starring Bob and Doug, cast filmographies, part of an original SCTV skit about how to get a mouse in a beer bottle, and a "Strange Brew" theatrical trailer. What it doesn't have is a commentary, an egregious omission of epic proportions. I would love to hear what Moranis and Thomas have to say about this movie twenty years later. I hope this DVD sells so many copies that Bob and Doug have no option but to produce a sequel, properly scored by the rock group Rush, for the new millennium. It wouldn't get any better than that.
Rating:
Summary: Funny despite holes.
Review: This DVD is a "must have" for those of us who loved SCTV. However, it's definately not for those who aren't. It's not that this isn't a funny and entertaining movie, it is. It's just that it's not a "standout" comedy. The core of the film, ie; characters, production, story are all there, but unfortunately many of the details are done halfa**ed. There are several parts of the story that don't tie together well, and certain scenes that either should have played out more or simply didn't fit. The DVD production is also a disappointment. I agree with a previous reviewer in that the lack of commentary from Rick and/or Dave is unforgivable. Still, this is certainly a movie worth renting or watching on T.V.
Rating:
Summary: 5 Burps
Review: A magnificent achievement - ranks up there with Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, Lawrence of Arabia, Blues Brothers, and Monty Python's Holy Grail and Life of Brian. But Strange Brew is better - cos it's about Beer! Right on eh! And if any of you Hosers out there don't like it, TAKE OFF EH!
Rating:
Summary: Funny despite holes.
Review: This DVD is a "must have" for those of us who loved SCTV. However, it's definately not for those who aren't. It's not that this isn't a funny and entertaining movie, it is. It's just that it's not a "standout" comedy. The core of the film, ie; characters, production, story are all there, but unfortunately many of the details are done halfa**ed. There are several parts of the story that don't tie together well, and certain scenes that either should have played out more or simply didn't fit. The DVD production is also a disappointment. I agree with a previous reviewer in that the lack of commentary from Rick and/or Dave is unforgivable. Still, this is certainly a movie worth renting or watching on T.V.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligently Dumb
Review: What can I say, eh? This movie not only boosted the careers of Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, but may have also helped the Canadian brewing corporations. As the two McKenzie brothers save the world from a madman (played wonderfully by Max Von Sydow), their adventures are nothing short of hilarious. This is definitley a cult classic and should be a staple in the diet of collectors and beer swillers worldwide. "Hey, is it getting warmer in here?"
Rating:
Summary: Where is the commentary?
Review: I'm giving this DVD a 4 as an average of two separate scores - 5 for the movie, 3 for the DVD treatment. This movie is a classic, a real cross of High-brow Hamlet and Low-brow Bob & Doug antics. It is extremely clever while at the same time appealing to burp and fart jokes. However - it is criminal that this DVD was issued with no commentary track by the two stars. I'm dying to hear their comments on the film 20 years later. Most commentary tracks on DVDs are done two weeks after the movie hits the theater, in this case all the time passing would have made listening to the two of them reflect back on the film extremely interesting to hear. They just did Brother Bear, basically the same characters, so they are around and will work together. What's the deal?
| 
