The Shrimp on the Barbie (1990)

Down on his luck and working in a Mexican restaurant in Australia, an American tourist is hired by a icy heiress to pose as an obnoxious new boyfriend in an attempt to make her father accept her current boyfriend.

Director:

Michael Gottlieb

Writers:

Grant Morris, Ronald E. House,

Stars:

Cheech Marin, Emma Samms, Vernon Wells

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cheech Marin	...	Carlos
Emma Samms	...	Alex
Vernon Wells	...	Bruce
Bruce Spence	...	Wayne
Carole Davis	...	Dominique
Terence Cooper	...	Sir Ian Hobart
Jeanette Cronin	...	Maggie Ridley
Gary McCormick	...	Gary Williams
Frank Whitten	...	Blue
June Bishop	...	Lady Irene Hobart
David Argue	...	Kevin
Bruce Allpress	...	Mr. Ridley
Val Lamond	...	Mrs. Ridley
Claire Glenister	...	TV Anchorwoman
Jonathan Coleman	...	Postman

Storyline

Carlos failed in the show-biz and currently works as waiter in a Mexican restaurant. There he meets Alex and dumb footballer Bruce, who celebrate their engagement with her parents. Alex' father is less than thrilled of her fiancée and says he'd rather accept anybody else. Eventually Alex hires Carlos to present him as her new fiancée. But her father sees through the game...

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Plot Keywords:

fiance | restaurant | waiter | australia | friendship | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 August 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kypare med trubbel

Filming Locations:

Auckland, New Zealand

Box Office

Gross:

$458,996 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

David Hannay Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the United Kingdom, the title was changed to "The Boyfriend from Hell", because Mattel owned the name and trademark Barbie.

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Goofs

When Alex screeches to a halt and parks outside the airport looking for Carlos, a car and a truck can be seen parked near behind. However, when she gets out of the car, both vehicles are gone.

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Quotes

Carlos: Hey, do you mind if I use that stick?
Alex: What stick?
Carlos: The one that's up your butt!

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Connections

Referenced in Who Is Alan Smithee? (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Margheritta"
Written by Simon Sheward
Performed by Hattie and the Hounds

User Reviews

Pure Emma Samms

I'm a big Emma Samms fan. There is no other actress in my mind who can show such beauty, grace and talent. Next to "Delirious," this movie truly shows off the range of her talent as well as her ability to do comedy as she is being upstaged by Cheech Marin. Wildly let loose with the script, Marin tries to become a "boyfriend from hell," the movie's alternate title, to help Samms show up her father. Instead, he goes from a down-on-his-luck to the hero and Emma changes from a snob to being a bit more wise for her ordeal. The charming plot seems to poke a lot of fun at the rich and is a bit more than a comedy. It rolls to its end as if it were one of Aesop's fables with the villains getting their due and everyone happy in the end. There are a few eccentrics along the way to remind you this is a comedy, Emma's horse-loving cousin being the funniest. This movie is one of the jems in Comedy Central's cavalcade of movies, but it doesn't get quite as much of the respect it deserves.