The Stupids (1996)

An incredibly dull-witted family unknowingly stumble upon an illegal weapons deal while on the trail of their "stolen" garbage.

Director:

John Landis

Writers:

James Marshall (characters), Harry Allard (characters)

Stars:

Tom Arnold, Jessica Lundy, Bug Hall

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Arnold	...	Stanley Stupid
Jessica Lundy	...	Joan Stupid
Bug Hall	...	Buster Stupid
Alex McKenna	...	Petunia Stupid
Mark Metcalf	...	Colonel Neidermeyer
Matt Keeslar	...	Lieutenant Neal
Scott Kraft	...	Policeman
Victor Ertmanis	...	Garbageman #1
Earl Williams	...	Garbageman #2
George Chiang	...	Chinese Waiter #1
Max Landis	...	Graffiti Artist
Carol Ng	...	Jade Palace Hostess
Arthur Eng	...	Chinese Waiter #2
Jennifer Dean	...	Meter Maid
Garry Robbins	...	Extremely Tall Guy

Storyline

When the Stupids, an average suburban American family, discover that their garbage was "stolen" out of the can, they begin the investigation of that "conspiracy".

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Plot Keywords:

stupidity | garbage | paranoia | warehouse | arms deal | 

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Taglines:

Meet the world's simplest family!

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some violence

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

30 August 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eine Familie zum Kotzen

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,593,929, 1 September 1996

Gross USA:

$2,415,593

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imagine Entertainment, Savoy Pictures, The Rank Organisation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The scene where Stanley (Tom Arnold) and Petunia (Alex McKenna) walk into the auditorium and think they've died, is a reference to the book "The Stupids Die", where the entire family experiences a blackout, and think they've died.

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Goofs

When the Stupids set off to Warehouse 21, they leave when the sun is up. You see their car pass under a bridge with a sign reading "Warehouse 21 5 Miles" but when they arrive at the warehouse, it is the dead of night.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Petunia Stupid: Let's move.

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Crazy Credits

The persons and events in this motion picture are fictitious. Any similarity to actual persons, events or space aliens is unintentional. No space aliens were harmed in any way during the making of this film.

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Connections

Featured in Movie Nights: The Stupids (2018)

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Soundtracks

Garota de Ipanema
Written by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes
Produced and Arranged by Geoff Koch and Randall Crissman
Published by Duchess Music Corporation (BMI)

User Reviews

vastly underrated

Don't listen to the critics. "The Stupids" is one of my favorite movies, and I've seen close to 800 in the last few years. It's full of scenes that deserve to be classic, like the "I'm My Own Grandpa" musical number, the Stupids' encounter with The Lloyd, and "to be a bush, you've got to think like a bush..." It's worth watching more than once, for sure. It's tragically underappreciated. The plot has Stanley Stupid investigating the conspiracy to steal his garbage and accidentally blunders into an illegal arms deal, while also tracking down the evil Mr. Sender.