This movie lasted 44 minutes in the video machine before I ripped it out and that was on fast forward. It's a cheap Monty Python rip off done by Americans with no comedy talent at all, the director must have forgotten to turn up on set as they were filming it. Bring back Kentucky Fried Movie all is forgiven!
5 Reviews
Joe Piscopo is the best thing about this film.
D A18 May 1999
Okay, I like Piscopo, and have most of his videos, but this truly dredges the bottom. Chuck Vincent attempts to direct this sketch comedy compilation that never quite makes you laugh. There is not enough gratuitous nudity to make up for the lame routines. Piscopo appears in only two bits, "King Dong" and a Steven Spielberg sendup, "Jews". Just not funny.
Horrible
BandSAboutMovies10 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
If you're going to watch a Chuck Vincent movie, you should really watch Hollywood Hot Tubs or Warrior Queen. Deranged is pretty good, too. Or Bedroom Eyes II.
This is a movie that has a shark movie parody called Jews. That alone should warn you of the heights that this movie will dramatically trip and fail before it even gets close to takeoff. It isn't helped by another parody called King Dong which is exactly what you think it is. Then there's The Happy Cooker, a show hosted by Xaviera Collander. That's a joke only I would find funny, to be honest.
Three people - other than me - have reviewed this on Letterboxd. That should tell you how bad it is. It's one saving grace is that it's the first movie that Joe Piscopo ever made.
Imagine all of the worst Saturday Night Live sketches, the ones that seem to go on for on and on and on, with people noticeably silent and every cast member looking uncomfortable. Now make an entire movie of that.
At least the poster is nice.
This is a movie that has a shark movie parody called Jews. That alone should warn you of the heights that this movie will dramatically trip and fail before it even gets close to takeoff. It isn't helped by another parody called King Dong which is exactly what you think it is. Then there's The Happy Cooker, a show hosted by Xaviera Collander. That's a joke only I would find funny, to be honest.
Three people - other than me - have reviewed this on Letterboxd. That should tell you how bad it is. It's one saving grace is that it's the first movie that Joe Piscopo ever made.
Imagine all of the worst Saturday Night Live sketches, the ones that seem to go on for on and on and on, with people noticeably silent and every cast member looking uncomfortable. Now make an entire movie of that.
At least the poster is nice.
Don't watch this one.
finercreative26 November 2023
It is hard to believe that someone sat in a room, saw this whole movie, and thought it was ok to release. This movie is just a compilation of tv spoofs/skits, and there were many other films like this in the 70s, such as "Kentucky Fried Movie" or "Groove Tube". This is one is bad though. The skits are overlong and drawn out, and some of them have strange or dark subject matters. Combine that with the fact the skits aren't funny, it just leaves me feeling uncomfortable. There are one or two funny bits in the movie, but getting through the rest of the bits is pretty hard (some I just skipped through or fast-forwarded). There are also some bad animations, and it looks like they were just copying Monty Python during the whole movie. There are no big names in it, and the same actors appear in different roles, which I guess is from budget problems. Overall, the movie wasn't funny and just left me feeling uncomfortable.
Low End Of The Bunch - Minor Spoilers
archmagechaos2 July 2004
Warning: Spoilers
There was, for a short time, a glut of 'skit films'. The best of them were 'Amazon Women On The Moon' and 'Kentucky Fried Movie', without a doubt. 'American Tickler', on the other hand, just didn't measure up. Too many small problems added up to a bad idea overall.
This isn't to say that the film was a complete bomb; some of the skits were actually very amusing. 'The Sadistic Game Show' is easier and easier to believe, in this day and age of "reality TV". 'The Edge Of Soap' is a beautiful send-up of daytime soap operas. And it's hard not to giggle at 'King Dong'. Also, while most of the acting is mediocre at best, some of the overdone acting is hilarious, even if it isn't meant to be.
'American Tickler' will always exist in the shadow of the others of it's genre. But, if you liked the kind of film-making that brought about not only the above examples but also 'The Groove Tube' and 'The Boob Tube', it's worth seeing.
- No big name stars meant a lesser draw, right off the bat.
- The badly-done animated links between sketches made it look amateurish.
- Making one skit as a 'common thread' throughout the film probably sounded like a good idea at the time, but failed to be funny.
- With such a small cast, you keep seeing the same people every skit...which meant if you didn't think someone was funny, they didn't get any better.
This isn't to say that the film was a complete bomb; some of the skits were actually very amusing. 'The Sadistic Game Show' is easier and easier to believe, in this day and age of "reality TV". 'The Edge Of Soap' is a beautiful send-up of daytime soap operas. And it's hard not to giggle at 'King Dong'. Also, while most of the acting is mediocre at best, some of the overdone acting is hilarious, even if it isn't meant to be.
'American Tickler' will always exist in the shadow of the others of it's genre. But, if you liked the kind of film-making that brought about not only the above examples but also 'The Groove Tube' and 'The Boob Tube', it's worth seeing.
See also
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