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

Writing and filming sessions for this movie commenced around 1993, but its release was delayed because the film's original distributor, Buena Vista, did not know what to do with it. Finally, Buena Vista and Touchstone Pictures bought the rights to the film in 1994, and it was officially released in 1995.

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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

Johnny: [being possessed by Sol Rosenburg] Oh, God! My mother, she woke me up today. She poured a hot pan of grease all over my chest and my ass and genitals and I fell down the stairs and my shoes fell off.
Burger Bob Customer: What does that have to do with ANYTHING?
Johnny: [being possessed by Sol Rosenburg] Because I can't see damn it, you son of a bitch

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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

"Shallow End"
Performed by Superchunk
Written by Superchunk
Courtesy of Merge Records

User Reviews

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"The Jerky Boys" is mostly an excuse to be silly. The plot is that slackers Johnny and Kamal spend their lives making prank phone calls and inadvertently call a mob boss (Alan Arkin), pretending to be another mafioso, thereby starting a wacky chain of events. I actually thought that the best parts were the pranks. Still, the flick's an overall fun romp. Far from the funniest movie ever, but OK for a viewing. As it was, I saw this movie right after I first learned of Alan Arkin by seeing "Catch-22", so this was a real surprise. And now he's won an Oscar!

Anyway, pretty funny. Also starring William Hickey (the mob boss in "Prizzi's Honor" and the patriarch in "Mouse Hunt").