Et Tu Cracker Barrel?

I love Cracker Barrel. Does that surprise you at all? It shouldn’t.

As modern as my tastes are in art and culture, I’m a bit of an old soul. I love “down home”and “old-timey” kitschy stuff. I also love eating copious amounts of food that is probably okay if you’re out working in the fields all day, but pretty bad for the rest of us. So Cracker Barrel is right up my street.

Cracker Barrel is often thought of as a restaurant only for senior citizens, and while that is their largest demographic, it’s certainly not an exclusive thing. Many families go to Cracker Barrel for extended family meals. Some go while on vacation just to have a bite somewhere familiar because it brings a feeling of homey-ness, which is a word I’m pretty sure I just invented. You’re welcome.

We regulars go to Cracker Barrel because we want to eat chicken and dumplings, biscuits and gravy, have breakfast at night, and get a mess of okra on the side. We want to wander around the general store looking at products and clothing we don’t need but, ehh, we may pick up something anyway if it’s unique enough, or would make a good last minute Christmas gift. We’d also like a few of those old timey candies and sodas, too, as long as we’re at it. Basically, Cracker Barrel is a vibe that lets us feel connected somewhat to the past (fabricated though that feeling may be), and puts us in touch, ever so slightly, with an idyllic, small town America that, for the majority, no longer exists.

And they’re going to take it away from us.

Yep. Rebranding. Ugh.

It seems that the corporate yahoos over at the CB offices have noticed a bit of a decline in business. That’s pretty much true with restaurants across the board since Covid, of course, but there you are.

According to the brand’s new CEO, the chain “isn’t as relevant” as it once was. Umm…okay. Has Cracker Barrel ever been relevant? Depends on your definition, I suppose, but I would tend to say “no” to that one. Which is okay. It’s not supposed to be hip and relevant. It’s supposed to be kitschy and uncool. That’s why we love it!

The aim, of course, is that the chain will appeal to new customers while continuing to please the current base. Seldom does this work. Sure, there’s usually an uptick in business when the new changes roll out, but that’s mostly due to curiosity. Once the sheen wears off, many businesses find themselves in trouble just like they were in before. Which tends to start the cycle all over again.

It has also been stated that the chain will focus on better tasting items. This is good. However, that generally means that the chain will be simplifying the menu (throwing out your favorites). That could go either way.

Basically, what the company is trying to do is to modernize while still keeping the nostalgia factor. That’s going to be hard. No doubt there will be an overhaul inside the restaurant, probably removing most of the crazy crap on the walls and painting them in a muted shade of beige. They’ll probably try to bring in some sort of technology aspect as well, which could be anything from replacing the waitstaff with tablets for ordering (shudder) to an electronic version of the peg game. No good can come of this.

They’ll probably even redesign the logo. Every other restaurant on the planet has adopted streamlined, soulless logos, so why wouldn’t Cracker Barrel follow suit?

The logo we all know and love. I may or may not have bought this tee shirt exclusively for this post.

Okay, I know I sound like a grumpy old man here, but, I mean, honestly. Nobody wants this. Other than the guys in the suits, I mean.

Do you wanna turn things around Cracker Barrel? Here’s what we want:

– Better tasting food. It’s not that the food is bad as is, but there is room for improvement on some of your dinner items. Okay, sure, the food is gummable which helps the seniors out, but not everything needs to taste like it was boiled. The menu doesn’t need changing as much as the recipes do, and even then, you don’t need to CHANGE. Just tweak a little. Except for your breakfast items. They rule. All of ’em. Leave them be.

– Lower prices. This is difficult in these times when food is overpriced across the board, I know. Maybe run more specials? Discounted prices for smaller meals? Themed specials, perhaps, like “Okrafest”, or “Dumplin’ Days” maybe? There are lots of possibilities here.

– Better connection with customers. How about some big community outreach programs? Maybe partner up with some local charities to get people in the door to spend money and donate to causes that affect their neighbors and friends. Perhaps this is already done, I don’t know, but if so, I’m not aware of it. So if there is a charitable arm of Cracler Barrel, make some noise about it. Involve yourselves in your customer’s lives, and people will notice.

Now. What we don’t want is the standard, boring, lifeless makeover. We also don’t want these changes to come at the cost of people. Please find a way to avoid the “minimize choice and minimize workforce” system that so many other restaurants have followed in the past. This idea may help the bottom line, but it usually results in longer wait times and grumpy employees. Which leads to grumpy customers. Certainly, this is not the change you are looking for.

Alright, rant over. I’ve complained about this sort of thing before, and no CEOs have listened to me yet (rude!), but I still feel obligated to raise a ruckus.

You’re one of the few consistent, reliable, comfortable, “happy place” restaurants left, Cracker Barrel. Don’t let us down.

Thanks for reading, MonDavers. See you next time.

RIP Joe

Hey, all. Special edition of the blog tonight. Normally I publish on Mondays (duh), but as I was preparing a new blog last night I saw a post come across my Twitter (I refuse to call it X) feed that stopped me in my tracks. I knew I needed to write about it, but since the date was April 1st, I decided to put everything on hold and make sure there wasn’t just another hoax going around.

Sadly, this was true. Joe Flaherty has died. Another hero gone.

This name may not be immediately familiar to everyone-at least not in America. In Canada, he’s considered comedy royalty. In this country Flaherty is well known, but perhaps not as much as he should be. You’ve seen him though, and you have laughed.

Perhaps you know him from Freaks And Geeks, the 90’s show that was too good to survive more than one season. He played the dad, Mr. Weir. He was the ultimate dad: caring, funny and sarcastic.

If you were a kid in the 1990s you may remember Maniac Mansion from The Family Channel. Yep. The wacky Dad again, only this time he’s a scientist.

But maybe you’re a movie person. Remember the guy who delivers Marty McFly the letter in Back To The Future II? How about the Serbian border guard in Stripes? Or, maybe you know him best as the spectator who heckles Happy Gilmore. Better yet, how about his role as the blubbering bad guy Sid in Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird? One of my favorites, for sure.

Joe Flaherty had a habit of popping up lots of places, from television shows to movies to Saturday morning cartoons. He was never short of brilliant in anything. In fact, he often made an average scene ten times better just by showing up. Check out his Wikipedia page and do a deep dive. You’ll find lots of laughs along the way.

Now, apart from all that, what Flaherty may be best known for (at least as far as comedy nerds are concerned) is his genius run at the Canadian/American television show SCTV. It’s a cult classic certainly, but one that is a touchstone for generations of comedy. This show served as a big break for-you ready for this list?-Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas, and, of course, Joe Flaherty. Just think about all the talent that sprung forth from that pool. Joe may not be the biggest name in the bunch, but he was arguably the funniest-and he was often the glue that held it all together both on screen and off.

For those unfamiliar, SCTV was a show that centered around the broadcast day of a fictional television station. Not only did the viewer see the shows being “broadcast”, but also got a glimpse behind the scenes at the people who ran the station and starred in the shows. This was the genius of SCTV. Not only were the actors able to create their own characters, but they could do parodies of popular movies and TV, and impersonate the real life stars.

Back in the day (early 1980s this would have been), the cast was known mostly for their impersonations, which could be mercilessly accurate, though I believe mostly came from a good place. Watching this stuff nowadays, the parodies and impersonations take a back seat to the original characters and conceptual pieces. It doesn’t always age well (I sometimes don’t even know what or who the jokes are about), and some of it is very hit-and-miss, but SCTV is still a classic. Mostly because you are pretty much required to love these people, and I do.

Joe Flaherty is my favorite cast member. Many of the others have gone on to do bigger and better things, but in the context of the show at least, he was the absolute best. Want proof?

Count Floyd.

Yep, that’s Joe. The Count Floyd sketches are a masterclass in hapless comedy. These sketches are a parody of the “horror hosts” of the 1960s-70s who would present old, bad movies while dressed up in ghoulish attire. Count Floyd was colossally bad at his job. Not only did he get the worst movies-but he couldn’t preview them before air time, so he had to roll with whatever was available and try to convince all the kids watching that the film would “scare the pants right off of you!” Floyd was also under the impression that vampires howled at the moon. Class stuff!

Other great Flaherty characters included station owner Guy Caballero, who used a wheelchair “for respect”, and was smarmy, but also a soft touch and a decent guy underneath. Another favorite was small time criminal/businessman Vic Hedges who could rob you blind, but he’d “save your life in a minute.” I always loved watching the Farm Film Report (later Celebrity Farm Film Blow Up) with Big Jim McBob. Flaherty’s cheesy, old school show-biz talk show host Sammy Maudlin was always good for some laughs as well. When it comes to impressions, Flaherty did a great Bing Crosby, a hysterically over the top Kirk Douglas, and a bizarrely wonderful Gavin McCloud. If you know who that last guy is, then this show is for you.

SCTV is comfort food for me. When I was in grade school, the 90 minute version aired for two years on NBC, occupying the same time slot as SNL did, only one night earlier. I would stay up watching it with my dad until I fell asleep in front of the screen, both of us laughing at these crazy people and wild ideas, though I suspect we may have been laughing at different things. As a youngster, I don’t know that I truly appreciated what Joe Flaherty brought to the show, but now he’s my favorite thing about it. I watch through the (edited but still indispensable) DVDs once a year.

All Joe Flaherty has to do is be on screen and it makes me smile. Let him go on a tirade and forget it, it’s over, I’m laughing my head off. He was so prolific in big roles and small that he could and would just show up in any production that needed a little comic relief, or any comedy that needed a little extra class. It makes me sad to know that he won’t be doing that anymore.

Joe Flaherty had a good run, he was 82 when he passed. So he was a little older than his co-stars on SCTV. He’d done work with The Second City comedy troupe (of course), and appeared on at least one album and a few stage shows with The National Lampoon in the 1970s. I’ve been watching his work to different degrees for around 40 years now, so he’s been a comedic presence and influence in my life for almost all of it! The man had a long career, so you can’t really say that this is a case of someone being gone too soon. Yet, it does feel that way. Doesn’t it always?

I’ve been watching some of my favorite clips today-it’s amazing how one can be laughing so hard and feeling so sad. If you’re a fan then you get it. If you’re only just discovering Joe, get ready to laugh long and hard.

RIP Joe Flaherty. Thanks for all of it.

Thanks to you for dropping by, MonDavers. Come back next time for some happier stuff. And go watch some Joe! Plenty of SCTV clips are available on YouTube…as is a bizarre sketch called Abraham Lincoln and His Time Machine (not the animated one) which stars actors from SCTV, SNL and The Kids In The Hall, premiered on a “Toonces The Driving Cat” TV special in the ’90’s and concerns Abe Lincoln trying to prevent his own death…it’s dark, a little twisted, and a personal favorite.

Whistle While You Read

You don’t have to know me long to know that two of my passions are music and reading. When the two combine, I am a happy guy.

There are, of course, a plethora of books written by and about musicians and music itself. Most people would assume that the reader would need to have an interest in the artist or genre being written about to enjoy a given book, but I don’t believe that’s necessarily true.

So I submit the following books as recommendations of music books for non-music geeks.

Love Is A Mixtape: Life And Loss One Song At A Time-Rob Sheffield
Rob Sheffield is a contributing editor to Rolling Stone magazine, and this is his true, tragic love story. The book uses music and the mixtapes made by Rob and the love of his life Renee to frame their all too brief story. This book both will warm your heart and break it. It is a beautiful work that illustrates the power of music as a joyful expression, a melancholy reminder, and ultimately a healer. Music fans of any genre will no doubt relate. If you’re not a music fan, the story will keep you reading along, and perhaps give you some new music to discover. Recommended for everyone.
Traveling Music: Playing Back The Soundtrack To My Life And Times-Neil Peart
Neil Peart (RIP) was the drummer/lyricist for progressive rock band Rush. He is often referred to as the greatest drummer of all time, and is known for intelligent, thought provoking lyrics. His second career was as a travel writer, telling the stories of his (mostly) solo travels and adventures. This book tells the story of one such trip while discussing the music he brought along to loosen to in the car and discussing the impact these particular albums had on his life. The music featured is perhaps a bit more varied than one would think, from jazz to alternative rock and more. Part travelogue, part music review, part autobiography, all good.
The Facts Of Life And Other Dirty Jokes-Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson is a unique American voice, and this is my favorite of the several books he has authored. It features many stories from Willie’s life and career, along with the lyrics to related songs. There are wise observations, tender moments, and laugh out loud stories from all aspects of Nelson’s life. There are also, as the title implies, just a lot of dirty jokes. So if that’s not your thing, maybe give this one a pass. For the rest of us, it’s a fun read.
Man In Black-Johnny Cash
On the other side of the coin, we have this autobiography by Johnny Cash. Yes, it is his life’s tale, but it is also the story of his faith. Cash has always been known to have a dark side that balances the more evangelical bent to his work. This is Johnny Cash diving in to explain at least a little bit of both. Ultimately it is the story of his own redemption. I’ll tell you the truth, I read this book at the exact right time in my life, and it did more for my own spiritual journey than countless sermons, hymns, and Sunday School classes ever did.
Anatomy of a Song: The Oral History of 45 Iconic Hits That Changes Rock, R&B and Pop-Marc Myers
Okay, this one might be aimed a little bit more at the music obsessed, but anyone who is interested in the artistic process should find plenty to like here. While this book does not claim to include the greatest songs ever written (though some would qualify), it does do a very good job at putting the featured songs into historical perspective. There are tons of stories about the inspiration behind these tunes, and the sometimes strange stories of how they came to be. Informative and well written.

All right, that should get you started. There are tons more books I could recommend, and I may well do that soon, but these are, I think, a good introduction to the world of music literature for the uninitiated. Keep reading, keep listening, and keep coming back here for more MonDAVEs.

Under Construction

Gonna get real here for a minute. You have been warned.

Over the weekend someone I knew back in the old days passed away. This wasn’t somebody I knew well. We weren’t friends, more like acquaintances. His name was Tom Johnson.

I knew Tom back during my stand up comedy days. He was an established comic on the local scene, and I was just starting out as an open mic-er. I always thought he was next level funny. He had a sense of the absurd that was dark and irreverent, and his jokes could surprise and shock just as much as they could delight. These were qualities I looked up to in a comic back then, and to a degree I still do today.

Not only was he hysterical, but he was a decent guy. He never made me feel “less than” like some other established comics did, and accepted me and my comedy pals into the fold. I mean, he didn’t go out of his way to help us get a leg up (you have to earn your place in that world!), but he didn’t make fun either, which to my impressionable self was just as good. I remember getting a few small pointers form him as well after a set one night at the now defunct Comedy Etc. in Collinsville, IL.

I only knew Tom for a short while before he moved away to seek his fortune, which he did. He wound up as one of the writers on Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” back in it’s 1990s heyday (which always made me proud that I knew that guy) and I believe he was still writing for that show when he passed.

Like I said, I wasn’t at all close to him, and he probably wouldn’t remember me in the slightest, but his death really hit me. Hard. Way harder than it should have. I mean, I don’t think I’d even thought about him for years. Still, when I was scrolling through the entertainment news on my phone and read the article in “Variety” I let out an audible gasp and a “nooo….”, and was shocked speechless for a while.

Part of this reaction was, of course, nostalgia for the old days, and part the loss of someone I respected. Yet, it’s bigger than that. I think I was also reacting to me.

This unfortunate news really got me thinking. I started thinking about some of the old gang of comics I used to pal around with and what they are doing now. I am still in touch with some, but others I lost contact with years ago. A little googling (not in a creepy way) showed me that some are still active in the comedy game, and others have moved on. I know a few who are still performing in other ways such as being in bands, local television, writing books, etc. One old friend works seasonally in haunted houses and making appearances as Santa. Good for all of them, they have found a way to keep things going! I admire that.

I also miss that. It’s been a number of years since I have done anything creative, outside of this blog that is. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy doing it and I’m glad you all read it, but it’s not quite the same thing as what I’d done before. I have been a comic, an actor in small theater productions, and a musician over the years. The last project of note I did was in 2016. For someone who considers themselves a creative type, that’s a long dry spell. Okay, so the pandemic didn’t exactly help matters, but still.

Somewhere along the way during that time I lost my spark. I lost that part of my personality. I think it happened slowly, to where I didn’t really notice, as I just busied myself with life and what was around me. I have a good life, to be sure, and I can’t complain. Still, I can’t help but feel that loss.

Without a steady creative outlet, I don’t feel quite as complete, and I am just now realizing it has been affecting me in ways that I hadn’t been aware of. I am not as jovial as I used to be. I’m not as sharp either. As I’ve fallen into the same old routines, I’ve become slower, duller, and more, well, boring. Some of that can be attributed to age, sure, but not all of it. I haven’t really felt like myself for quite some time, in fact my self confidence and self esteem have both dropped to lower levels than I would like to admit. I’ve grown complacent and ambivalent about a lot of things. Not completely, mind you, but it’s there all the ame. Again, it happened so gradually I didn’t really notice. Now I have. I’ve lost a part of myself, and I miss me.

So, I need to figure some things out. I need to find my fire again. My passion. I need to take a long look in the mirror and work on that guy who’s staring back at me. He’s not a bad guy, I don’t hate him or anything, but he could use some work in a lot of different areas. This loss of sense of self has affected my day to day just as much as my overall state of being. That’s not good, y’all. It’s time to do a little self re-evaluation. It’s time to go to work.

Now, please don’t misunderstand, this is all internal stuff that needs to happen, not external. I’m not about to have a mid-life crisis and leave my family or anything like that. I love them deeply and wouldn’t swap them for all the riches in the world. So don’t hear what I didn’t say. I just need to find my way back to me. It’s going to take a little time, a little work, and some intentionality, but I’m betting on a big payoff down the road.

Okay, there we are. Thanks for sticking with me guys, I really needed to get that out. I’ll be back to the usual stuff next week.

One more thing. To Tom: you inspired me as a young comedian, and in a way, you have inspired me again. Thank you. Oh, and say hi to Bernie. His song still haunts my dreams, and I am better for it! Rest in peace.

What’s Dave Watching?

With all of the holidays, snow days, and “I’m not leaving this house in single digit temperatures” days, I have been able to catch up on some of my recent blu ray purchases (and gifts) that I’ve been meaning to get to, but haven’t had the chance. Most of this stuff is probably available to stream somewhere or other, but you know me, I like physical media, and I have the “collector gene”, so these have been in the “to be watched” pile for a little while now.

Most of these movies fall into two categories, “music movies” and “comedies”. Atnd one of them is kinda both. So I thought I’d share my finds with you all in case you’re looking for something a little bit different to view while we wait out the long winter months. Here we go, in alphabetical order.

Arsenic And Old Lace (1944)
-This is an all time classic that still plays just as well today as it ever has. For those who may not be aware, this is a dark comedy directed by Frank Capra and starring Cary Grant, with a small though vital role played by Peter Lorre. The story sees Grant’s character newly married coming home to visit his dear, sweet, aunts to tell them the good news before heading off to his honeymoon. It turns out these two sweet little old ladies have a habit of offing little old men. Add in one brother who is convinced he’s Teddy Roosevelt, and another who returns home a violent criminal and things get a little weird.

Grisly subject matter, sure, but it’s all handled with class, and the laughs are piled on thick throughout the first act of the film, with some real tension and danger mixed in until the manic conclusion. The reason this film works so well, apart from the cast who are all spot on, is that we are really seeing multiple stories unfold, involving well defined characters in a movie that goes off the rails about ten minutes in and doesn’t let up.

I know there are many people my age and younger won’t watch films made in black and white. This is a shame. The arguments are along the lines of the films being out of touch with modern thinking, the actors speaking in ways that sound peculiar to our ears, the inclusion of cultural references that modern audiences just won’t get, and that it’s just flat out hard to relate to the black and white imagery. While each of these arguments may have some truth to them, seldom will they all come into play in the same picture, and many viewers who drop their guard long enough to get into older movies are often pleasantly surprised. Give the old black and whites a shot. Trust me, you’re missing out. Especially so with a movie as great as Arsenic And Old Lace.

Elvis (2022)
-This movie biopic came out to mixed reviews, mostly stating that the film is a case of style over substance. While that isn’t entirely untrue, I don’t think it hurts the film any. Besides, it did win several non-Oscar awards so I think quite a few people would agree.

I enjoyed this film quite a lot. It’s interesting that our window into the Elvis story is through that of his infamous manager, Col. Tom Parker. Not only does the movie pull back the curtain a little bit on both men, but also examines their level of dependency on one another. It doesn’t really judge either man, but lets the viewer make up their own mind about the events within. Neither one is completely innocent or completely guilty when it comes to their own role in how Elvis’s story unfolded. Music biopics are quite popular these days, and I believe this one goes after the facts just a tiny, little bit more than most, which is nice. More on that later.

My only real complaint, and I hate to make it, is with the casting of Tom Hanks as Col. Parker. I love Hanks, but as with any actor, there are certain roles where the actor melts into the part to the point that you almost forget you are watching them act, and some where that doesn’t happen. Hanks did it brilliantly in movies such as Forrest Gump and The Green Mile among others. Not so here. I never forgot that I was watching Hanks in a fat suit, using a dialect that he never quite mastered. Don’t get me wrong, he gave a valiant effort, but came up short this time out.

All in all though, I thought it was a really good film, and an interesting view for Elvis fans and non fans alike.

It Happened One Night (1934)
Remember a few moments ago when I said that the supposed negatives of black and white films seldom come together in the same picture? Well, a lot of them do come into play here, but I still think it is an important cultural film.

Briefly, the story is as follows: a spoiled runaway socialite is joined on a cross country trip by a newspaper man who is determined to get the story of her disappearance. Hijinks ensue.

To the modern sensibilities, this plot is about as far fetched as you can get. The jokes are hackneyed and predictable, and there are a few unfortunate, cringe inducing lines about women that don’t play well at all these days. It would be easy to dismiss this film because of these qualities.

But also, it was 1939. Things were different. That doesn’t make bad ideas or actions any less wrong, or more acceptable, but that’s how things were, and a certain amount of understanding must be used. Even if it is done while shaking your head.

Remember, many of these gags were not old hat yet. There are more than a few scenes where the set ups and delivery of the jokes are very well done. Also, even though the attitudes displayed in the film are quite patriarchal, and wrong, our socialite heroine is still a fairly well written character for the time. The movie stars Claudette Colbert and Clark gable, both of whom are excellently cast. Gable clearly had a lot of fun making this movie, and it shows, which makes his performance a treat to watch.

It Happened One Night swept all five top categories at the Oscars (beat picture, actor, actress, director, and screenplay), and was a massive hit, breaking box office records across the country. It is an important movie in the history of comedy (often being called the first screwball comedy-though the jury is out on that one), and a fine example of early editing and cinematography. So, if you’re a film buff, it’s worth a view if you’ve not already seen it. For the rest, it may be worth a watch just to get a glimpse into the tastes of American movie goers in the 1930’s. Also, who doesn’t want to watch a five time Oscar winner?

Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023)
-Not a biopic, but a full fledged documentary about “The Architect” of Rock And Roll. I am a fan of Little Richard’s music. His stuff roared out of the speakers back in the day-and it still does. The entire runtime of the film could be spent just on his contributions to popular music. Not only did he redefine popular music for an entire generation, but the after effects of what Little Richard did are still being felt today. Yet there’s so much more to this film than that.

This documentary is just as much about the man as it is the music. It explores his conservative upbringing, his sexuality, and his spirituality. Little Richard was a complex man who was never able to get all of the pieces of his personality to fit together. He was a walking contradiction, often condemning the very music he helped create, and his own lifestyle with one breath, only to proclaim it and celebrate it the next. Some of the interviews can be hard to watch, and some stories hard to hear, but any worthwhile documentary should be this way.

Little Richard’s story is inspiring, frustrating, sad, joyful, engrossing, and extremely relevant to our times. Just like the man himself was, and continues to be.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022)
-And we’re back into the biopics. Sort of. It’s also a comedy, but what else would you expect from the National treasure that is Weird Al Yankovic?

Okay, so I can’t really talk about this movie without discussing the Queen/Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, or BoRap for short. BoRap was overseen by the surviving members of Queen during production. They had input on the script, the look, the music, everything. It’s a good movie, but it’s filled with erroneous details and historical inaccuracies-that the band okayed because they thought it made for a better movie that way. Many fans were not happy about these changes, but it still went on to be a highly successful film.

Now, back to National treasure Weird Al. He had been toying with the idea of an exaggerated biopic for some time (even doing a smaller scale version of this idea in the 1980’s home video release “The Compleat Al“). Well, when he saw the Bohemian Rhapsody movie and recognized the errors within, it gave him complete (compleat?) confidence to go forward with the idea and make it as big and crazy as possible.

That he did. As with any biopic there just enough glimpses of the truth to ground the movie a bit, but the comedy takes over quick and goes into directions that no one could possibly see coming. It’s almost like the Airplane! of biopics. There are a lot of snickers and a few flat out belly laughs to be had here, and the poolside party scene with its plethora of cameos is worth the watch on its own.

Seen as a straight up comedy, this movie is very good. Viewed as a parody of the entire biopic movie genre, it’s genius.

Alright, well, that’s been my viewing experience over the past few weeks. Check these movies out if you haven’t seen them, there may be a new favorite waiting for you. Until next time, happy viewing.