Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy (1996)

A pharmaceutical scientist creates a pill that makes people remember their happiest memory, and although it's successful, it has unfortunate side effects.

Director:

Kelly Makin

Writers:

Norm Hiscock, Bruce McCulloch

Stars:

Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dave Foley	...	Marv / Psychiatrist / New guy / Raymond Hurdicure
Bruce McCulloch	...	Alice / Cisco / Grivo / Worm pill scientist / Cop #2 / Cancer boy / White-trash man
Kevin McDonald	...	Dr. Chris Cooper / Doreen / Chris' dad / Lacey
Mark McKinney	...	Simon / Don Roritor / Cabbie / Gunther / Cop #1 / Nina Bedford / Melanie / Drill sergeant / White-trash woman
Scott Thompson	...	Baxter / Mrs. Hurdicure / Wally Terzinsky / Malek / Big Stummies scientist / The Queen / Raj / Clemptor
Kathryn Greenwood	...	Ginny Hurdicure
Amy Smith	...	Raymond's kid
Lachlan Murdoch	...	Raymond's kid
Nicole de Boer	...	Cooper's groupie
Krista Bridges	...	Cooper's groupie
Christopher Redman	...	Wally Jr.
Erica Fairfield	...	Wally's daughter (as Erica Lancaster)
Jackie Harris	...	Natalie (Roritor's secretary)
Jonathan Wilson	...	Panicky assistant
Tony Ning	...	Mai Tai waiter

Storyline

A team of scientists working for a pharmaceutical company discovers a cure for depression. When the company finds itself in trouble financially, they rush the new drug into production without doing enough testing. Things seem to go fine until some of the users of the drug start slipping into comas. It becomes a race between the scientists who want to tell the world the truth and the company's marketing department who wants to protect their profit margin.

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Plot Keywords:

drugs | scientist | pharmaceuticals | side effect | marketing | 

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Taglines:

Shove this up your mind

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexual humor

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brain Candy

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,653,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Lakeshore Entertainment, Broadway Video

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The music that plays in the elevator as Dr. Cooper goes to meet the executives is The Tragically Hip's 'Butts Wigglin' from their '95 album Trouble at the Henhouse. Though the lyrics are not heard, the song contains the line 'In my opinion, the drug is ready', which is exactly what Dr. Cooper tells his bosses, despite his reservations and uncertainties on that matter. Perhaps he was subliminally primed into making his ill-fated decision.

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Goofs

When the two workmen roll the carpet into a tube, it is obviously lopsided, accumulating on the left hand side of the screen. In the next shot, the carpet is perfectly even.

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Quotes

Don Roritor: May I have the room for a moment? My empire is CRUMBLING!

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Crazy Credits

After the credits, Mother Hurdicure is distressed over her grandson flying away with the balloons she gave him, and is queried by the boy's mother as to his whereabouts.

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Connections

Followed by Kids in the Hall: Tour of Duty (2002)

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Soundtracks

Pablo and Andrea
written & performed by Yo La Tengo
courtesy of Matador Records

User Reviews

Very Enjoyable, Quotable Cult Classic

A group of researchers for a pharmaceutical company release Gleemonex, a drug that brings people's happiest memory to the surface and cures depression. All is right in the world, at least until the drug is discovered to have some side effects down the road.

The Kids in the Hall had a great show, and it's no surprise they were able to make a great movie. With a very limited cast, they play dozens of parts and keep the humor rolling from the very beginning. If there's a group that is the spiritual successor to Monty Python, it is probably KITH.

Some of the best jokes are just throw-aways: a cop that dreams about sex with toast, a therapist who doesn't speak German, and a scientist who develops a drug that gives ex-girlfriends worms. One of the running jokes throughout the film is a man who is obviously gay but is unable to admit it. He is consistently funny, even after he comes out in the middle of a musical scene.

Some people allegedly thought that including Cancer Boy was insensitive and not funny in the slightest. I disagree. If it's okay to make fun of depression and homosexuals, I think cancer should be perfectly acceptable. I may not be easily offended, but I think this was fine.

A couple other things made this film great: a great soundtrack with bands like They Might Be Giants and The Odds. One of the earliest film appearances of Selma Blair. Seriously, the only way you would not find this funny is if you had a stick up your butt or you were a flipper baby.