Nothing But Trouble (1991)

User Rating:

4.0/10   

Director:

Dan Aykroyd

Writers (WGA):

Peter Aykroyd (story)
Dan Aykroyd (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 February 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

All they wanted was a little getaway. All they got was nothing but trouble.

Plot:

A businessman finds he and his friends the prisoners of a sadistic judge and his equally odd family in the backwoods of a bizarre mansion.

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Chase | Actor Playing Multiple Roles | Dysfunctional Family | Speeding

Awards:

1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Chevy Chase	...	Chris Thorne
Dan Aykroyd	...	Judge Alvin 'J.P' Valkenheiser / Bobo
John Candy	...	Dennis / Eldona
Demi Moore	...	Diane Lightson
Valri Bromfield	...	Miss Purdah
Taylor Negron	...	Fausto Squiriniszu
Bertila Damas	...	Renalda Squiriniszu
Raymond J. Barry	...	Mark
Brian Doyle-Murray	...	Brian
John Wesley	...	Sam
Peter Aykroyd	...	Mike the Doorman
Daniel Baldwin	...	Dealer #1 (Artie)
James Staszkiel	...	Dealer #2 (as James Staskel)
Deborah Lee Johnson	...	Dealer #1's Girlfriend
Karla Tamburrelli	...	Dealer #2's Girlfriend

Also Known As:

Git (USA) (working title)
Valkenvania (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-10 | Germany:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Applied Action

Trivia:

Dan Aykroyd's directorial debut.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Fausto: [as they leave a car and go into a building to a party] 20 minutes, hello, good-bye.
Renalda: Ok.

Movie Connections:

References "The Andy Griffith Show" (1960)

Soundtrack:

Helen Claire

Silly, outrageous escapism.

Chevy Chase plays financial publisher Chris Thorne, who does new acquaintance / neighbor Diane Lightson (Demi Moore) a favor by driving her from NYC to Atlantic City. Tagging along are Chris's annoying clients the Squiriniszus (Taylor Negron and Bertila Damas). What happens to these hapless schmucks is they get waylaid in an exceptionally freaky way. Chris is busted for a traffic offense and hauled in front of an extremely decrepit and aged reeve, J.P. (Dan Aykroyd, buried under an impressive makeup job by David Miller). When Chris successfully manages to alienate the old guy by getting impatient, he seals his and Diane's fate in a major way.

I wouldn't say that this is that successful as a comedy, because I didn't laugh all that much. But I was still entertained to a degree. Aykroyd here made his directorial debut, also writing the screenplay (based on a story by his brother Peter, who also plays Mike the Doorman), and maintains such an off-the-wall sensibility as to make the film amusing in its own way. One can level criticisms at this film that would be hard to argue, but it's hard to deny that it isn't exactly predictable. It creates an incredibly weird environment enhanced by marvelous and detailed production design-art direction-set decoration. J.P. has at his disposal various trapdoors, conveyor belts, and slides, but his crowning glory is his execution device, built like an amusement park ride, that gobbles up transgressors and spits out their bones (it's even got a cool theme song courtesy of the Damn Yankees). It's all highlighted by a show- stopping hip hop number by Digital Underground that inspires J.P. to get his groove on. The humor is enjoyably dark and twisted and it all ends on a very cartoon-like note.

The cast gives it a solid effort. Chase is as self-confident a wiseacre as he's ever been, with Moore proving to be reasonably adept at comedy. Aykroyd has a high old time as the demented antagonist; the film is a good vehicle for both him and co-star John Candy as they both get to play a second role. Candy is in drag for one of his, and is likable as always. Aykroyd gets buried under even more makeup and a full body suit in his second role, as Bobo, one of the two sub-human grandchildren of J.P.

I won't say that this is really good at all. But there's enough to take in for me to not just write it off; it shows some imagination and flair, and even if childish at times (make note of the look of J.P.'s nose), it's hard not to crack a smile now and then.

Look for Daniel Baldwin as a drug dealer and Tupac Shakur as one of the Digital Underground members.

6/10