Kids in the Hall - Brain Candy (1996)

Moviegoers never caught on to its brilliance, but Brain Candy is a smart, outrageously inventive vehicle for Canada's most irreverent comedy troupe. The subtly subversive plot is about society's ongoing search for the perfect "happy drug," and the Kids inhabit a multitude of costumes and characters as they celebrate--and lament--the invention of "Gleemonex," the ultimate antidepressant, which locks users into their happiest memories... and subsequently renders them comatose. No worries for the Roritor Chemical Company; they don't care much about side effects! With rampant riffs on heavy-metal doomsayers, closeted gay husbands (resulting in Scott Thompson's hilarious coming-out musical), blissed-out grandmothers, and all varieties of corporate greed-mongers, Brain Candy is almost too hip for its own good, combining Pythonesque ingenuity with cutting social satire. As a comedic experiment it's hit-and-miss, but with the cross-dressing Kids running the show, it's likely to leave you laughing out loud. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

Maybe Those Kids Should Have Stayed In The "TV" Hall....

"Say, if a TV comedy troupe like Monty Python can have a film career, why can't we, the Canadian equivalent?"

Back in the late 80's/early 90's, when you wanted sketch comedy that wasn't live at 11:30pm, you went to HBO's The Kids In The Hall. These five guys hailing from Canada produced some of the best satirical comedy and characters for their time. Filmed before a live studio audience and with pre-planned filmed bits, they gave that generation their own Monty Python of sorts. So when the show ran it's course by 1994, the guys decided it was time to take the plunge into motion pictures like their British heroes. They then wrote a script about a scientist working for a ruthless pharmaceutical company who creates the ultimate in happiness pill with disastrous results, as well as playing the majority of the male and female parts, it was going to be a smash because the TV series was such a big hit with a loyal following, right? Although, when the film was made and released there was one problem.

It's not funny.

Not that they made a serious drama about the subject, it's just that there's not a gut-busting laugh in the entire film. If I had to give it a title, humorous satire would fit the bill. And while they created great long-running characters on the show, none of them are really used here (okay, a couple are, but barely) and the new characters are quickly forgotten once the wig is removed. Of course, the casual fan was turned off by the movie in '96 and so ended the film career of KITH. Looking back, the film hasn't gotten any better, McKinney's Don Roritor is a pale copy of producer Lorne Michaels (done much better by Mike Myers less than a year later), McDonald as the lead character Chris Cooper seems like the wrong actor for the part, and mainstay Dave Foley is barely in the film at all due to his feelings on the script and doing just fine for himself on his own with 90's TV show Newsradio.

Truthfully, the only reason why I picked it up is that recently this film/DVD has gone out-of-print. While I'm not too sure why, lately these guys have reunited together for live gigs even more than The Eagles, so I can only assume that this bare-bones release will soon get an extras-filled/commentary version....maybe with an explaination from the guys as to what went wrong. So in conclusion, if you can see it easily (read:cheap), give it a view, but if you're a fan of the TV show but haven't seen Brain Candy yet, prepare yourself for one bad trip, man.
(RedSabbath Review:7.0/10) July 13, 2008

We're right on top of that

So where are we with that?
With what?
Our restructuring plan.
You mean the thing you just told me about, just now?
Yeah.
Oh we're on top of that Don. April 10, 2008

An AMAZING Kids In the Hall Performance

This movie amazes me. It has so many many of the lovable characters in a wonderful storyline. We are all part of these exaggerated and many lovable characters in some way or another. Everytime I watch this movie I laugh even more. This movie is a masterpeice and is one of the best of my collection. I highly recommend it. If they make another movie, I'll be there! I reallly hope they do because if it's anything like this one, it'll be very well made and entertaining! January 31, 2008

Love it!

If you like improv this is for you... lots of inside jokes from the show too. January 20, 2008

...Keeping your happy happy!

I'll say it until I die twice! Kids in the Hall is the funniest Comedy troupe any time, any where! Brain Candy is the perfect example of how to turn a good show into a better movie. Brain Candy starts with several vignettes, like sketches from the show, that unfold into a tangible plot that moves forward.

Very simply, Chris Cooper invents a wonder-drug that can cure depression. Pretty soon, the drug goes non-prescription and Gleemonex is thoroughly abused by the masses. The by-product is a minor minority of coma cases, but no one seems to care except Dr. Cooper.

The plot, mixed with the talents of the Kids in the Hall stars, makes for a brilliant and completely uncompromising movie. Just don't be weirded out by all the guys in their dresses! January 17, 2008

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