Review of So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) by Barnaby E — 25 Aug 2009

It's a romantic comedy with a dangerous edge, played too often for obvious laughs when the black comedic script probably yearned for a little more subtlety. But, this little-known and often overlooked Miker Myers film is a jewel in his hit-and-miss CV and sees him playing the romantic lead (he also plays his own father too, covered in such convincing aged make-up and with a Scottish accent that he latterly used for 'Shrek', that - on first viewing - most people don't realise it's him) and playing it very convincingly.

Oddly, the film works better on repeated viewings, due to the nature of the plot and becomes funnier and infinitely more clever because of it. Mike Myers plays Charlie Mackenzie, a performance poet, who finds wildly bizarre faults with all his girlfriends. When he meets his new love interest, played very sweetly by Nancy Travis, he somehow becomes convinced that she is a serial killer.

The supporting characters all have 3-dimensional characters (with Alan Arkin's overly caring and sensitive Police Chief being a fantastic stand-out) and include some great performances from Anthony LaPaglia, Brenda Foster, Phil Hartman (who puts in a laugh-out-loud turn as an deliciously camp prison guard/tour guide on Alcatraz), and Amanda Plummer. There's even small but amusingly off-kilter cameos from Charles Grodin and American deadpan comedian Steven Wright.

Less mainstream than 'Wayne's World' and 'Austin Powers' but yet not your conventional romantic comedy in any way, shape, or form. The dark undercurrent to the comedy here bears repeated viewings, as does the clever Hitchock-type plotting. This one doesn't sit up and grab your funny bones when you first watch it but you'll find yourself returning to it again and again.