That's Adequate (1989)

Fake documentary about a fictional Hollywood film studio.

Director:

Harry Hurwitz

Writer:

Harry Hurwitz

Stars:

Tony Randall, James Coco, Jerry Stiller

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tony Randall	...	Host
James Coco	...	Max Roebling
Jerry Stiller	...	Sid Lane
Anne Meara	...	Charlene Lane
Ina Balin	...	Sister Mary Enquirer
Anne Bloom	...	Maid Marian
Irwin Corey	...	D.W. Godilla
Susan Dey	...	Southern Belle
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Albert Einstein
Richard Lewis	...	Pimples Lapedes
Chuck McCann	...	Lowell Westbrook
Stuart Pankin	...	Sigmund Freud
Peter Riegert	...	Adult Baby Elroy
Robert Staats	...	Premiere MC
Theodore Gottlieb	...	Doctor Dismal

Storyline

Satirical mockumentary that celebrates the history of Adequate Pictures, a fictitious prolific low-budget Hollywood movie studio that delivered some of the most adequate films out there during its 60 years long run. The host, Tony Randall, and TV personality, Joe Franklin, interview several key people behind the studio including the owner, Max Roebling, who's more than willing to give the dirt on everyone he worked with. The clips from his movies, such as "Einstein on the Bounty," "Little Elroy Meets Baby Frankenstein," and "Slut of the South" are also shown. The movie features various celebrity cameos ranging from Robert Downey Jr. and Bruce Willis to Robert Vaughan, who played Hitler in one of Max's movies.

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Plot Keywords:

film clip | adolf hitler character | albert einstein character | sigmund freud character | movie host | 

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Taglines:

No money! No class! No shame!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

I o to chodzi

Company Credits

Production Co:

That's Adequate Co.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The final role for Ina Balin. She passed away in 1990.

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Connections

Features Mr. Bug Goes to Town (1941)

User Reviews

Unknown and unnoticed...yet brilliant mockumentary!

"That's Adequate" is a very funny, satirical romp that no one ever saw. It went to Sundance in 1989 followed by a very, very limited release in New York and L.A. theaters in early 1990. It came, it went...rapidly.

I first heard of the film when I saw Bruce Willis talk about it briefly in a television interview. He didn't say much except that it was a spoof on documentaries chronicling a fictional movie studio and that he was playing himself. My local video store at that time carried every movie, so I rented it and what I watched, was a very funny stab at the mockumentary. This was long after "This is Spinal Tap"...but long before the mockumentary went mainstream via Christopher Guest.

The film centers around the rise and fall of Adequate Pictures, a low-budget film studio, which is hosted and narrated as a documentary by Tony Randall (playing himself). The studio owner Max Roebling (a hysterical James Coco), is interviewed by Joe Franklin (also playing himself) and they discuss the cheating, double-crossing, and corruption Max endured to make his ridiculous films such as "Einstein on the Bounty," "Little Elroy Meets Baby Frankenstein," and "Slut of the South."

To write a full review would just give it all away, but the celebrity roster on this film is huge including...Robert Downey Jr., Richard Lewis, Ben Stiller, Jerry Stiller, Anne Meara, Robert Townsend, Stuart Pankin, Peter Riegert, Robert Vaughan, Marshall Brickman, Susan Dey and yes, Bruce Willis. The gags and the dialogue are silly but so much fun here from late writer/director Harry Hurwitz. This movie should've been bigger.

You're only bet is to track it down on VHS which is long out of print, but not highly sought after...do yourselves a favor, if you're a huge movie buff, and a big fan of this genre, check this film out...you will appreciate this film's humor...which is smart, sharp and risqué.