Review of The Slammin' Salmon (2009) by Nick C — 19 Mar 2010

To put it lightly, there is nothing overly impressive with the post-"Super Troopers" writing from Broken Lizard. In fact, one could make that argument that they're movies have almost become somewhat predictable, especially the gags and jokes that they set up for. From all angles it seems like Broken Lizard is just five guys living the dream by pulling in a cult following and never quite topping their gold mine. It's a good thing that they're so good at being humorous then.

Recently, Broken Lizard released its fourth mainstream movie (fifth if you're a Broken Lizard fan boy like myself and count Puddle Cruiser) "The Slammin' Salmon." In the movie, former heavyweight champion turned restaurant owner Cleon Salmon (Michael Clarke Duncan) gets into some debt at needs his restaurant to make $20,000 in one night. A gutless manager (Kevin Heffernan) is then put in charge of setting up a contest in which whatever waiter makes the most money wins ten grand. The waiters/waitresses (played by Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, Erik Stolehanske, Colbie Smulders and April Bowlby) then compete throughout the night to not only win the grand prize, but compete to avoid coming in last place, which, in the words of Lemon, will result in a bunch of broken ribs. As expected, the waiters and waitresses begin to resort to dirty tactics and undermining one another in order to give themselves a leg up.

Sticking to its familiar storyline that features unforgettable characters, gross-out humor and surreal chaotic timing, Broken Lizard has hit yet another home run. As to be expected, there's a limit on the depth and development of characters as the plot only carries for one night; however, Broken Lizard successfully gives each and every character such as different persona that the entertainment value cannot possibly be overlooked. In its most obvious form, this is proven by the character Nuts who is played by Broken Lizard lead man Jake Chandrasekhar. Known for playing the out-of-it characters, Chandrasekhar strikes again as an "insane" man who has to resort to taking pills otherwise he slips into a crazy alter ego named Zango, who is vulgar to customers and commits crazy acts such as serving an old lady a drink with his own balls in them or forcing a fish down a man's throat.

Aside from Chandrasekhar, "The Slammin' Salmon" features memorable performances from all its leads including from Michael Clarke Duncan who takes about as big a leap away from "The Green Mile" as he can. As Lemon, Clarke Duncan is extremely intimidating, yet highly hilarious and has several memorable one-liners. Heffernan, Lemme, Stolehanske, and Soter, who played two roles as twin brothers David and Donnie more than held their ground. Will Forte was also featured in a classic cameo role and only becomes more and more hilarious as his story reaches its climax.

All in all, Broken Lizard sticks to its basis of success and it will more than please its fan base. (Others...maybe not so much.) "The Slammin' Salmon" is full of laughs from beginning to end and features an expected, yet entertaining plot that plays out in an enjoyable fashion. The interplay between characters is enough to produce laughs; however, as "The Slammin' Salmon" proves, actions speak louder than words.