Viking Night: Wayne's World
By Bruce Hall
August 18, 2015
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Feeling like you're getting something for nothing - or almost nothing - makes you feel like a real winner, doesn't it? That's why people clip coupons. That's why people buy used cars. That's why people SELL used cars. It's also why people fewer people go to the movies these days. If you don't want to pay full price to see the latest Saturday Night Live inspired cinematic masterpiece (and really, who does?), you don't even have to wait for it to hit the dollar theater. Bide your time and hit up Netflix when the time comes. Borrow it from a friend if you know someone who has no taste and is also a time traveler, so they can lend you their DVD player. Or fire up a bit torrent, if you're a horrible person and like to snatch food right from the mouths of celebrities.
That's right - every time you steal a movie, Gwyneth Paltrow has to survive on that much less green tea infused mineral water and organic garbanzo bean paste. Live with that...if you can. So now that we've established that getting free stuff is cool, Saturday Night Live is overrated and stealing is bad, let's talk about Wayne's World - because all three of these concepts are going to be relevant.
Saturday Night Live was experiencing something of a resurgence by the 1990s, having added people like Chris Rock, Chris Farley and (unfortunately) Adam Sandler to the cast. They joined established stars Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, who were two of the the biggest reasons I watched the show at the time. I'm not sure why, but I found Wayne's World endlessly entertaining, despite their shtick feeling a bit like a somewhat more refined but still slightly less excellent Bill and Ted. Still, over the course of their time on SNL, I found Wayne (Myers) and Garth (Carvey) amusing and charming, and I liked them enough that I was willing - even eager - to pay a whole four bucks to give them a full hour and a half of my time.
I mean, the only thing better than getting something you love for free is getting 20 times more of it for four lousy bucks, right?
Right. Or at least, the math worked out for me. I thought Wayne's World was freaking hilarious, to the point that I had a tee shirt, knew most of the dialogue, and could do a fairly good impression of Garth. The first SNL flick since 1980 was an instant classic; so much so that it made Queen a top 40 band again even without Freddie Mercury. The question isn't whether it was funny then, but rather whether it's still funny NOW. The answer is that it depends on your ability to visualize.
I know, I sound like Dr. Phil, and should probably be beaten savagely for that. I'll explain.
As an SNL sketch, Wayne's World was never anything more than a proto Beavis and Butthead, snickering their way through sketches based on a fictional cable show in Wayne's fictional basement. The gags relied on catchphrases like “schwing” (rather accurately recreating the sound of an erection), “that's what she said” (yes, you can thank Mike Myers for that” and “duh” (a timeless classic). What made the sketch work was not the content or the characters, but the actors themselves, who were endearing enough to make you forget that you weren't watching anything but a few minutes of dick jokes. The film version is much the same, with the story centering around a shady entertainment executive named Benjamin (Rob Lowe) who wants to take Wayne's World nationwide. But his motives are called into question when he clashes with Wayne over the show and makes off with Wayne's rock-star girlfriend Cassandra (Tia Carrere).
There's also a subplot about Cassandra trying to get a recording contract, and a lot of talk about the history of Milwaukee.
I know, it sounds about as engrossing as that episode of The Brady Bunch where Peter broke Alice's favorite lamp. But like I said, the great thing about Wayne's World was always Myers and Carvey themselves, and their interaction/improvisation with everyone around them. In that regards, the movie version really shines - Rob Lowe is the quintessential smooth-talking corporate shark who exists on some kind of interdimensional plane where the only difference between good and evil is whether or not you get results. For me, he's the best thing in the movie - you seriously aren't sure whether you want to hand over your firstborn child or drive a stake through his heart.
The part fits him like the condom he's probably using on your daughter right now. Benjamin is just THAT good.
Tia Carrere, I should point out, isn't much of an actress but she sings well, even if she does succumb to the early '90s hair metal vibe a bit too deeply. The rest of the movie is littered with bit parts and cameos by people like Ed O'Neill, Chris Farley, Meat Loaf and Alice Cooper, and the humor stays light and self-effacing all throughout. Yes, a lot of the fun depends on pop culture references that haven't been relevant for a quarter century. Also, concepts such as “cable access television” and “high-waisted jeans” might be alien to modern viewers, and there's only one reference to the Internet in the whole film - made as a novelty. There's definitely a time capsule quality to Wayne's World, but as someone who was there at the time, it still (mostly) works for me.
Still, a lot of it hasn't aged well. Myers' ironic, self-referential brand of humor was unique at the time, but it fell out of favor a long time ago, and a number of people have done it as well or better since. It's like watching the original Superman movie and then checking out The Avengers now. It's still good, but dear God does it seem primitive now. No, it's not his fault that the style he pioneered has passed him by, but it's worth noting. It's Myers' vision that makes the whole thing work in the first place, and director Penelope Spheeris hilariously got more credit for that than she deserved. If you don't believe me, check out The Beverly Hillbillies (1993) or The Little Rascals (1994).
Better yet, do not do either of those things. Just take my word for the fact that the credit for Wayne's World belongs elsewhere. So, while it might be a little rough around the edges, and it really does drag in a lot of places (there's a painful product placement gag that relies entirely on your level of good will toward Mike Myers - which I suspect is less than it was in 1992), Wayne's World is still good, harmless, stupid fun. And the best part is, it will no longer cost you four dollars to see it. Yes, stealing is bad. Yes, SNL is overrated, or at least I hardly ever laugh when I watch. But free stuff is, and always will be awesome. And the fact that you can now spend 90 minutes with Wayne and Garth for the price of waking up in the morning is pretty cool. And best of all, you can save your four bucks for a cup of coffee, which I'm pretty sure cost less than that in 1992.
Man, inflation sucks.