Movie Info:
Writers: Mike Myers
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Cast: Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere, Brian Doyle-Murray, Lara Flynn Boyle, Michael DeLuise, Dan Bell, Lee Tergesen, Kurt Fuller, Sean Gregory Sullivan, Colleen Camp, Donna Dixon
Rating: PG-13
Studio: Paramount
Release Info:
Theatrical Release: February 14, 1992
DVD Release Date: May 12, 2009
Online Availability: Amazon for $18.49
These days Saturday Night Live movies have a commonly trite feel to them. I don’t want to say that they suck, but in nine out of ten cases they do. For those of you living under a rock, SNL movies are movies that are based on SNL (Saturday Night Live) characters. In the past there have been such movies as Coneheads, Superstar (Mary Katherine Gallagher), It’s Pat! The Movie, Staurt Saves his Family, and even A Night at the Roxbury. Some of these were incredibly funny. Meanwhile others leave you wondering who the hell thought of making a 90 minute movie about two morons that head bop.
SNL has went through periods of good and bad over the years. It started out amazing, but it died down over the years. When Mike Myers, Adam Sandler, and Kate Jackson were on (along with numerous other funny men and women), things picked up again. One of the most popular sketches of that time was of Wayne and Garth. Take your basic loser, stoners and put them in a basement or their mom’s garage. They have some big dreams and manage to make some of them come true, though you are never sure how it happens to them. Hell, you might not even be sure how someone that high could get out of bed in the morning.
Giving credit where credit is due, Wayne’s World swept the nation during its theatrical release. I remember people seeing it two, three, and even four times at the theaters. In fact, in the area where I grew up they actually extended the run since it was doing so well. It was literally insane. The most insane thing had to do with the fact that while Wayne’s World is pretty damn funny, it wasn’t that funny. You would think this ended up being a classic and while I like it a whole lot, I don’t think it will ever reach that status. Furthermore, if it does…what does that say about us as moviegoers?
The Wayne’s World Plot
There is no denying the star power that is found here in Wayne’s World. Before we delve into the plot let’s go over some of the people you will see in this movie in one form or another. You’ll see Rob Lowe, Lara Flynn Boyle, Tia Carrere, Robert Patrick, Brian Doyle-Murray, Ione Skye, Meat Loaf, Ed O’Neill, and Alice Cooper. They all manage to fit into the plot pretty nicely, too.
Wayne Campell (Mike Myers – Shrek, The Love Guru) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) are your typical heavy metal loving stoner types. They run a cable access program that runs late at night, called Wayne’s World. Live from Aurora, Illinois these two amusing hosts do things like talk about the hotness factor of women, interview people (generally locals), and play air guitar. Surprisingly enough, it’s a hit with local viewers.
This eventually brings Benjamin Kane (Rob Lowe – Brothers & Sisters) to them when he accidentally finds out how popular the show is. With ideas of getting some sponsors, he sets out to find Wayne and Garth to make some money.
Despite the fact that Garth thinks they will be selling out, the two take $10,000 total to essentially sell the show, but remain the hosts and be paid employees. Between this and Wayne’s girlfriend (Tia Carrere – Lilo & Stitch), who Garth seriously hates, the best friendship that ever was, is in serious jeopardy.
The sponsor of the show ends up being Noah Vanderhoff (Brian Doyle-Murray – Spongebob Squarepants) and part of the deal to the sponsorship is that he is allowed an interview spot on a weekly basis. It doesn’t take long to see that Wayne wasn’t made for corporate sponsorship. In fact, thanks to signs like “He blows goat…I have proof” and “This man has no penis” Wayne’s job is out the door, Garth suffers from massive stage fright, and their friendship ultimately dies.
Of course, there is more to the story for Wayne and Garth. Based on the sequel alone you can tell these two make up. Once they do, they just have to find a way to get their show back and get back on top. The question is…can they do it?
Storyline/Plot: 
Replayability:
Acting:
Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Wayne’s World offers varying video quality that will leave you content, but when it comes to Blu-ray, you won’t be fully satisfied. The video specs include 1.85:1, 1080p and an AVC encode. Still, the beginning of the film offers a faded logo and a grim future. I am glad to report though that things are not nearly as bad as the logo makes them look. In fact, despite this not being a perfect transfer, it is the best possible option for Wayne’s World fans.
On the positive I can state that the colors are better than ever and more detail is present. The blacks are strong, and the overall picture is crisp and lively. It’s not a perfect Blu-ray transfer and it doesn’t appear to be of a remastered quality, but it is an upgrade over any DVD version on the market.
The audio comes in with a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound mix and while the video wasn’t top notch, the audio succeeds in all the right ways. This is a movie that relies on good audio. That being said, you won’t be let down here. The surround sound is used effectively, especially in the musical sequences, of which there are many. You have never heard Bohemian Rhapsody done this way before. It’s definitely an experience to say the least! That being said, there isn’t much here to complain about. It’s not a bad track when it comes to the audio. Along with the English audio there is a Spanish track in Mono and a French track in Dolby Digital Stereo. Subtitles include English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese.
Visual: 
Audio:
Bonus Features:
Fans will be disappointed when I point out that not one single new feature has been added to the special features section for Wayne’s World. All of the current features have been ported over from the last release. This includes a couple featurettes and an audio commentary with the director.
In the case of the commentary, Spheeris is entertaining and honest about the film that she has made. She offers information about the tight filming schedule (this was filmed during an SNL break) and the positive environment on set. As you can imagine this was an incredibly fun movie for everyone to make. It’s not a bad commentary, but if fans have already heard it, there is no reason for a second listen.
“Extreme Close-Up”: This 23 minute featurette offers interviews with the cast and crew of Wayne’s World. All the interviews that you would expect to be done are here. There are interviews with Myers, Carvey, Spheeris, Lorne Michaels, Carrere, and a host of others. There are some pretty funny moments here, so this stands out as the star featurette in the bunch.
The only thing left is the theatrical trailer.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
Wayne’s World remains one of the better SNL patterned movies. At the time it was made there was really nothing like it and it was funny as hell. SNL has been seriously hit or miss since then, but years later this is still a winner. If you love Mike Myers comedy and the duo of Carvey and Myers then this will definitely hit the spot. This offers great video quality, decent special features, and a hilarious movie. That being said, Wayne’s World is highly recommended.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Blu-ray Review, Review, Movie, Leonard Wayne’s World, Wayne, Garth, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Saturday Night Live, Comedy
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