[The Enzian did not pay me to write this entry, I just love going there and have for years, and wanted to spread the word!]
Not much of a review today, mostly a ramble due to heightened mental/physical activity this week.
Wednesday happened, as it always did. The usual ‘hump day’ jokes were going to be made, the Administrative Assistant was going to send out a humorous email reminding people to get their FedEx packages organized, and the week would begin its coast toward weekend.
So when I got a notice in my inbox that the Enzian would be playing UHF for free, and since I was broke as shit, it fit my budget perfectly! I invited a friend and we met up for the movie.
In my previous entry about the Enzian, I mentioned that it does outdoor, free events from time to time. Of course you’re encouraged to buy drinks and snacks, but due to my aforementioned ‘pre-payday’ state, I was quite broke. My friend ordered shrimp and grits. She, being a connoisseur of such things, pronounced them her favorite.
UHF is the story of George Newman, a class-A shiftless dreamer type who’s lost every job he’s had. He lucks into ownership of a tv station with a grand total of about 6 viewers, and despairs before he hits on the magic formula of putting the janitor in charge of a failing children’s show. There are some ups and downs, rags to riches, and though a lot of those cliches are present they at least feel fresher than not. The random, crazyass skits and wacky characters in the film keep it interesting, and its celebration of strange people and inclusivity is very much in the vein of Revenge of the Nerds.
Upon viewing it again with a friend who’d never seen it, I recognize that much of the appeal is based on nostalgia. That said, new fans might like the film because of its bizarre humor and also as a novelty since it contains a pre-breakdown Michael Richards, in one of his most insanely hilarious roles.
It holds a special place in my heart because UHF is one of the first movies I saw in the theater without parents. A friend and I were visiting my family in South Georgia and my aunt dropped us off at the theater to see it. THAT IS HOW OLD I AM. Granted, nowadays 10 is a little young to be unattended at a theater, but it was a theater in a small town where everyone knew everyone– and we were the only people in the theater. We ran up and down the aisles yelling and generally Being Loud. I don’t know, I still love it and it’ll always be one of my faves.
UHF is not available on Netflix.
UHF is one of my favorite comedies (along with Top Secret and the Airplane series). In fact, I’ve got all these on DVD so I can watch every now and again. Who can resist “Wheels of Fish,” Gandhi II or teaching puppies to fly…
LOL! I just watched Top Secret again a few weeks ago! And I love Airplane!
I even got to see Weird Al in concert a few weeks ago, he came through Orlando. If you get the chance, I HIGHLY recommend seeing him live – he must have had like 40 costume changes. It was such a fun show!
Sweet! I envy you 🙂