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

5 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 Greenberg	...	Natalie (Roritor's secretary) (as Jackie Harris)
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.

---

Plot Keywords:

scientist | pharmaceuticals | side effect | pharmaceutical company | anti depressant | 

---

Taglines:

Shove this up your mind

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sexual humor

Did You Know?

Trivia

Brendan Fraser: Placebo test subject and running out of the laboratory with an animal cage.

---

Goofs

When the psychiatrist writes a prescription for Gleemonex for the repressed gay character, we see a large microphone hanging from the patient's neck during an over-the-shoulder shot as he's sitting up on the couch.

---

Quotes

Mrs. Hurdicure: [looking at drug] What will this do?
Dr. Cooper: Well, it reaches into your brain "chemically," and then it locates your happiest memory "chemically," then it locks onto that emotion and freezes it "chemically," and then it keeps you happy, happy.
Baxter: Chris? She's depressed, not stupid!

---

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.

---

Alternate Versions

The Kids in the Hall originally filmed a different ending to the film where Dr. Chris Cooper (played by 'Kevin McDonald') fell into a coma and dreamed the ending. Apparently this included "an elaborate parade, complete with Coma Queens, candy-coloured floats, and a grinning mob", but unfortunately it scored poorly with test audiences. Paramount and the Kids re-evaluated the ending and agreed it lacked dramatic-weight and was "too scattered". They re-shot the ending in January.

---

Connections

Referenced in Dinner for Five: Episode #4.2 (2005)

---

Soundtracks

Funkytown
by Steve Greenberg
performed by Lipps Inc. (as Lipps, Inc.)
courtesy of Mercury Records
by arrangement with PolyGram Film & TV Licensing

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.

Details

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brain Candy

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$770,280, 14 April 1996

Gross USA:

$2,654,308

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,654,308

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