Men at Work (1990)

Two garbage men uncover a conspiracy involving illegal toxic waste dumping and decide to bring the whole operation down.

Director:

Emilio Estevez

Writer:

Emilio Estevez

Stars:

Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Leslie Hope

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlie Sheen	...	Carl Taylor
Emilio Estevez	...	James St. James
Leslie Hope	...	Susan Wilkins
Keith David	...	Louis Fedders
Dean Cameron	...	Pizza Man
John Getz	...	Maxwell Potterdam III
Hawk Wolinski	...	Biff
John Lavachielli	...	Mario
Geoffrey Blake	...	Frost
Cameron Dye	...	Luzinski
John Putch	...	Mike
Tommy Hinkley	...	Jeff
Darrell Larson	...	Jack Berger
Sy Richardson	...	Walt Richardson
Kari Whitman	...	Judy

Storyline

Carl and James are two pleasant but unambitious garbage men. Carl has a telescope with which he observes his neighbors. One evening he sees a man giving a female neighbor a hard time. As she leaves he shoots the man with a pellet gun. Hiding, he and James miss two men strangling the man and leaving with the body. When he appears in a can on their route they are afraid and hide the body, fearing that they may be implicated in the death. Trying to crack the case, they spy on the woman, join up with a slightly to majorly crazed Vietnam vet, kidnap a pizza man and help to protect the ecology.

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Plot Keywords:

55 gallon drum of haardous waste | illegal toxic waste dumping | sleeping on a beach | telescopic rifle | shooting a campaign poster | 

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Taglines:

Cleaning up in August at theaters everywhere.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Carl joins James in their garbage truck for the first time James gives a JOLT soda to Carl and has one for himself. JOLT Cola is renowned as the soft- drink with the most caffeine- 280 milligrams, twice that of Coca-Cola or Mt Dew, and equal to 2 cups of coffee as well.

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Goofs

When we see at night, Carl and James' rival truck drivers waiting in their car at night for the chase, the back window can be seen to be clearly smashed with a hole in the middle. Later on, the same window is not smashed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jack Berger: I can't support this activity any longer, Max.

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Crazy Credits

During the credits, a radio host is heard accepting a call from a woman who complains that her pizza deliveryman boyfriend (likely Pizza Man) didn't return home the previous night and she fears he may be cheating. The host tells her to "dump the dude."

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Connections

Referenced in The Cinema Snob: Gayracula (2013)

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Soundtracks

Here and Beyond
Written by Lowell 'Sly' Dunbar (as Sly Dunbar) and Robbie Lynn
Performed by Sly & Robbie (as Sly and Robbie)
Publisher Island Music, Inc./IXAT Music
Courtesy of RAS Records

User Reviews

A Classic for all the Wrong Reasons

Are you looking for perfectly structured Mise-en-Scene? How about eloquent dialogue and acting?? No? Neither am I when I sit down and watch a comedy about two looser garbage men played by the Estevez brothers. This flick is what it is, and in that respect, it's amazing. Sure, the last 25mins are total garbage, but what comes before has me and my friends rolling on the floor in hysterics. Here's these two idiots, they seem to have no friends besides themselves, and their relations with women appear to consist of the odd peep into their windows or occasional stalking. They suck at their job, and have the local cops hating them for what appears to be a variety of reasons we are not privy to. What flows within this basic framework is a ridiculous 'adventure' in which the boys attempt to solve a local crime and avoid a murder rap by dragging a dead body around ala 'Weekend at Bernie's". Add to the mix the always amazing Keith David, playing an insane Vietnam vet who is charged with monitoring their activities on the job, but only ends up being crazier than the ?Sheens? ever could be ("Never, EVER, touch another man's fries"). The antics reach a fever pitch when David's character kidnaps the Pizza Boy played by that dude who played 'Chainsaw" in "Summer School". Eventually the dead body dons a Nixon mask, and the traditional "we couldn't think of a funny ending, so here's some lame action sequence" ensues (See "D.C. Cab). I usually stop the film here. You don't need to finish 'Men at Work' to love it. The pratical jokes, the memories of Da-Nang, and of course the infamous Pellet gun, make the first hour worth every minute. A comedy classic ... at least I think so.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 August 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Clear Intent

Filming Locations:

Harbor Star Stage, San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,184,311, 26 August 1990

Gross USA:

$16,247,964

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$16,247,964

Company Credits

Production Co:

Epic Productions, Euphoria Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1