The Jerky Boys (1995)

When two unemployed telephone pranksters decide to use their vocal "talents" to impersonate a Chicago mob boss and curry favor with organized crime in New York, the trouble begins. It isn't... See full summary »

Director:

James Melkonian

Writers:

James Melkonian, Rich Wilkes,

Stars:

John G. Brennan, Kamal Ahmed, Alan Arkin

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John G. Brennan	...	Himself / Frank 'Rubberneck' Rizzo (as Johnny Brennan)
Kamal Ahmed	...	Kamal
Alan Arkin	...	Ernie Lazarro
William Hickey	...	Don 'Uncle Freddy' Frederico
Alan North	...	Micky Crump
Brad Sullivan	...	Detective Robert Worzic
James Lorinz	...	Brett Weir
Suzanne Shepherd	...	Mrs. B
Vincent Pastore	...	Tony Scarboni
Brian Tarantina	...	Geno
Peter Appel	...	Sonny
Darryl Theirse	...	Detective Connley
David Pittu	...	Doorman
Frank Senger	...	Bouncer
Michael Louis Wells	...	Roadie

Storyline

When two unemployed telephone pranksters decide to use their vocal "talents" to impersonate a Chicago mob boss and curry favor with organized crime in New York, the trouble begins. It isn't long before Johnny and Kamal (the "Jerky Boys" of crank call fame) are wanted by the local mafia, the police, and their neighbor.

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Plot Keywords:

mafia | telephone | police | tied up | telephone call | 

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Taglines:

They were just a couple of losers from Queens... until they dialed a wrong number and got the mob!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 February 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Bromas pesadas

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$7,557,877 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Caravan Pictures, Touchstone Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The band whose stage is set up by the Jerky Boys is "Helmet".

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Goofs

When the mobster shoots the doorknob towards the end, neither the pulling of the trigger, the gunshot sounds, or the squibs sync with each other.

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Quotes

Woman at the Hospital: Sir, could you please use a proper terminology?

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Crazy Credits

After initial credits a scene is showed where Brett Weir's housed is being destroyed.

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Return to Sleepaway Camp (2013)

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Soundtracks

"Four Fly Guys"
Performed by Hurricane
Written by Hurricane / Mike D (as M. Diamond) / Adam Horovitz (as A. Horovitz) / Adam Yauch (as A. Yauch) / Mario Caldato Jr. (as M. Caldato,
Jr.) / D. Fromback
Courtesy of Grand Royal Records, Inc. / Capitol Records

User Reviews

Simply should not have been made.

When something comes successful, the corporate folk behind it always feel the need to somehow push it into every medium through which they can profit from it - even if it makes so sense creatively or logically.

The Jerky Boys movie is a prime example of just that - turning a mildly successful series of records in which two guys assume various characters and prank call people into a scripted, plot-driven feature film. The Jerky Boys were good at catching people off guard and generally making fools out of them. But that is the fun - the "off guard" and the "fool". In this movie, it takes away the reality & humor from any of the prank calls - and the only fools are the actual Jerky Boys (or the people who paid to see the film), turning the entire formula around and making the whole thing completely unfunny. This isn't even an attempt at depicting their actual rise to fame, day-to-day lives, or to put their characters into a story - just putting the actual Jerky Boys (who can't act) into a contrived, cliched plot where the mafia chases after them and they re-enact prank calls from their first album to scripted actors.

First there was some amusing albums, then a book (now out of print), a TV special, and then this horrible movie. It just begs the question - how much money is enough?