Black Sheep (1996)

A gubernatorial candidate hires a wormy special assistant whose only job is to make sure the candidate's well-meaning but incompetent brother doesn't ruin the election.

Director:

Penelope Spheeris

Writer:

Fred Wolf

Stars:

Chris Farley, David Spade, Tim Matheson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Chris Farley	...	Mike Donnelly
David Spade	...	Steve Dodds
Tim Matheson	...	Al Donnelly
Christine Ebersole	...	Governor Tracy
Gary Busey	...	Drake Sabitch
Grant Heslov	...	Robbie Mieghem
Timothy Carhart	...	Roger Kovary
Bruce McGill	...	Neuschwander
Michael Patrick Carter	...	Scott Colleary
Boyd Banks	...	Clyde Spinoza
David St. James	...	Motorcycle Cop
Skip O'Brien	...	State Trooper
Branden R. Morgan	...	Fan
'Gypsy' Spheeris	...	Pocket Pool Lady
John Ashker	...	Jim Blaine

Storyline

Comedy about the prospective Washington State Governor Al Donnelly whose only stumbling block on the road to power is his embarrassing younger brother Mike. To keep him out of mischief, Al forces one of his aides, Steve Dodds to keep an eye on him during the election. However, this is easier said than done...

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Plot Keywords:

election | drugs | nitrous oxide | candid camera | physical comedy | 

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Taglines:

There's one in every family.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for crude language and humor, drug-related material and sexual innuendo

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Black Sheep - Schwarzes Schaf mit weißer Weste

Filming Locations:

874 W. Potrero Rd, Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$32,377,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film critic Gene Siskel said that this was the first film he walked out on in 26 years of reviewing movies.

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Goofs

After the roof top blows off the cabin, when the hail starts pouring on top of Mike and Steve while sleeping in the bunk bed, you can clearly see that the hail is only pouring in on the bunk bed, and not in the background.

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Quotes

[a bat flies out at them]
Steve: What the heck is that?
Mike: Ah! It's Ozzy Osborne!

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Connections

References The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

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Soundtracks

"Get a Job"
by Kirk Miller
Performed by Hog
Courtesy of Geffen Records, Inc.

User Reviews

An attention-hungry outcast

Black Sheep reminds us of Tommy Boy, another Farley and Spade comedy, released in 1995 and inevitably suffers by comparison. While continuing to elaborate and put emphasis on Farley and Spade's impressive chemistry, the film lacks the fun and adventures had by both the men in Tommy Boy. This is another entry in the "maximum antics, minimum laughter" genre of comedy where a film gets to caught up in over-the-top, slapsticky antics that it forgets in order to be acceptable they have to be funny.

Somehow, that just doesn't register with Black Sheep. It continues the same tired antics we saw previously in Tommy Boy. Some of the funniest scenes are when Chris Farley and David Spade are just having a calm talk, but with Farley's persona you can tell how rare those moments are.

The story seems to have tried its absolute hardest to distance itself from the formula of Tommy Boy, but it doesn't completely. Mike Donnelly (Farley) is the brother of Al Donnelly (Matheson), who is running for governor of Washington. Mike is told to help campaign for Al, but as you can expect, he can't stop running into goofy situations. Not to mention, Mike keeps finding ways to get into trouble by either getting his picture taken near a recreational center fire or holding a beer and a marijuana joint, further jeopardizing his brother's plans of winning.

To prevent any mishaps from his brother, Al hires Steve Dodds (Spade), a giddy man hoping to take a place on Al's staff after the election. Mike and Steve then go out to a remote cabin in the middle of nowhere, and, do I even need to continue? Penelope Spheeris, who directed Wayne's World, doesn't provide the same care and attention to Black Sheep as she did that fantastic rock comedy. But it's the writing that fails the film the most. In Tommy Boy (there I go again), the funny thing was David Spade's Richard character was actually smarter and more intellectual than Farley's Tommy character. In Black Sheep, David Spade's Steve acts as an intellectual, when he isn't much sharper than the crayon he he picks on.

Black Sheep is cute, but sour in more places that I would've liked. The plot is tired, the antics are rowdy but only a few funny, and no one looks optimistic about the performance of the project.

Starring: Chris Farley, David Spade, Tim Matheson, and Gary Busey. Directed by: Penelope Spheeris.