Review of The Slammin' Salmon (2009) by Tara M — 19 May 2010

Another comedy classic from Broken Lizard?

A witty yet rather predictable film about Slammin Cleon Salmon, a former world champion boxer who, at his high end seafood restaurant, The Slammin Salmon, puts the waiting staff head to head in a frantic bid to win a cash prize of $10,000. After getting in to debt with the Japanese Yakuza, Cleon demands his waiters sell as many meals as possible in one night to pay them off. Full of toilet humor and comical brutality this is not recommended viewing for serious folk.

Although many parts are out loud laughable, there is something about the plot that is just too familiar (including an outdated side story on someone eating a wedding ring and then, well I'm sure you can guess). Based entirely in the restaurant, most of the scenes are shot in the kitchen where the waiters continuously bump into each other and cause trouble. Unfortunately due to the lack of variety in settings it could easily be mistaken for just another American sitcom, with only various members of the cast giving it that Hollywood feel.

The broken Lizard boys make one top choice though it seems, casting Michael Clarke Duncan as the egotistical owner himself. Besides his large rather frightening frame, Duncan has the ability to steal the scene, making a grand entrance every time he pops in to the restaurant. At one point he even rides in on a horse and when all the customers cheer, he says 'Oh stop it it's not about me'. What, you rode in on a stallion?

As Duncan is the boss and leaves his Gambling problems for the waiting staff to solve (or get a broken rib sandwich), the film mainly focuses on them. With the Broken Lizard gang (Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske) playing the waiters alongside 'How I met your mother's leading ladies Cobie Smulders and April Bowlby only ridiculous drama and cringe worthy consequences can be expected.

On the whole this film is 98 minutes of mayhem. Not all of it is funny but it is easy entertainment if you've had a hard day at work or just fancy something that doesn't take a genius to work out. The Broken Lizard team have delivered what, to be frank, is expected of them. Another boisterous, silly yet can't help but make you smile sort of flick.