The Slammin' Salmon

I like Broken Lizard, the comedy troupe that broke out with 2001’s SUPER TROOPERS and went on to make CLUB DREAD and BEERFEST. SUPER TROOPERS is one of those movies I enjoy springing on people, CLUB DREAD gets funnier with each viewing, and, BEERFEST, um, featured beer. Broken Lizard’s members play well off one another, they know how to set up a joke, and their rapid fire style keeps us laughing even as it forces us to pay attention.

THE SLAMMIN’ SALMON takes place in an eponymous upscale Miami restaurant. The manager, needing a big night on the sales floor, announces a contest with fabulous prizes for the highest-earning server. Which is fine, but really only serves to create a story arc on which to hang a series of gags. For this is very much a gag movie, with philosophy seems of, “Didn’t like that one? Here’s another. And another.” Which is great for me, because I liked the gags. THE SLAMMIN’ SALMON kept me laughing out loud from beginning to end, generating enough goodwill to erase the skunky memory of BEERFEST and fire me up for the troupe’s next film. These guys are fantastic.