A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY

Trying to gain our sympathies for lovable losers, Saturday Night Live again expands one of its segment comedy sketches into a feature length movie in A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY. Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan reprise their roles as Steve and Doug Butabi, those goofy, shiny-suited dance kings who endlessly bop their heads to the dance-floor lyrics of “What is love? Baby don’t hurt me.” Though not quite as good as WAYNE’S WORLD from SNL, this movie is slightly more entertaining than IT’S PAT or CONEHEADS.

A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY is able to sustain its 87 minutes because it actually has a plot, with some character growth and success by the underdogs. Steve and Doug share a bedroom and live with their parents in Southern California. By day, the two dim-witted brothers work at their father’s silk flower shop. By night, Steve and Doug don their shiny suits and try to enter the super-exclusive Roxbury Club. Yet, the bouncer always denies their desires.

One night, Steve and Doug’s flower delivery van is rear-ended by one-time television actor Richard Grieco. Mr. Grieco doesn’t want any trouble, or lawsuits, and so helps Steve and Doug get into the Roxbury as a favor. There, they meet the owner, pitch him a club idea and hook up with two dancing girls who think the brothers have money.

Later, Steve and Doug try to re-approach the owner of the Roxbury to discuss the new club idea, but are turned away by a jealous bouncer. Furthermore, the dancing girls at the Roxbury discover that Steve and Doug are not rich. Steve quits his job at his father’s flower shop and moves out of the house into the guesthouse. Finally, Doug caves in to the romantic desires of the girl next door, Emily Sanderson, and they become engaged. The rest of the movie demonstrates that brotherly love can overcome any obstacle and dreams can really come true.

A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY is very light and fluffy entertainment with only mild chuckles. Though containing some implied sexual immorality and sexual innuendo, it doesn’t come anywhere close to the foul nature of THERE’S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY or BASEKETBALL. In fact, when the brothers finally become romantically involved, the audience discovers that these losers are very inexperienced and not really sexual cads, nor the romantic smoothies they would purport themselves to be on the dance floor. Thematically, it is about two young men coming out from under their parents’ wing and making a life of their own.

Extreme caution is recommended, however. Doug inhales laughing gas, the brothers do fornicate and the movie has many obscenities, despite most being mild. Of special note is a very brief and obscured image of a topless woman at a pool. This is a brief but strong message that Hollywood is now letting nudity into PG-13 rated movies.

Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan do well in making genuine characters out of the Butabi brothers. Also funny are Molly Shannon as the girl next door, Loni Anderson playing the brother’s mom and Richard Grieco as himself.

Unlike THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO and 54, A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY truly makes fun of the pretentiousness and vanity of exclusive access into nightclubs. This movie doesn’t beg a sequel, but may serve to give greater exposure to Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan. Saturday Night Live movies are not big money makers, nor great entertainment. They are usually made for little money and seek to make a quick return. A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY may dance the weekend away, but these shined-up hoofers will soon wear out their welcome.