Los Enchiladas!
Encyclopedia
Los Enchiladas! is a 1999 film written, directed by and starring stand-up comedian Mitch Hedberg
. The film is loosely based on his life growing up in Minnesota
and his experience working in restaurants. It parodies a chain Mexican restaurant in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, on the day before Cinco de Mayo (the busiest day of the year for Mexican restaurants). The storyline follows an ensemble cast of absurd characters that work in and visit the restaurant throughout the course of one day.
The cast is composed of many of Mitch's comedian friends and rounded out by local Minnesota actors.
Three different local restaurants were used to portray the film's restaurant; one for the dining room scenes, a second for the kitchen scenes, and a third for the outside of the restaurant, which was a Chi-Chi's
that Mitch actually worked at many years before and was the main inspiration for the ridiculously inauthentic Los Enchiladas.
"Los Enchiladas!" premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival
, and has only been shown publicly a handful of times since, at comedy festivals and tributes to the deceased director, such as the one at the Paramount Theatre
in Anderson, Indiana on August 12, 2010. It has never been publicly released for purchase or download, although Mitch's fanbase has expressed a continuing desire for the film to become available.
In April 2011, a unofficial workprint copy was released on various torrent & p2p sites. This release appears to have been specifically opposed by Hedberg's widow, Lynn Shawcroft, who is working towards a wider release of the film.
Mitch Hedberg
Mitchell Lee "Mitch" Hedberg was an American stand-up comedian known for his surreal humor and unconventional comedic delivery. His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes, mixed with absurd elements and non sequiturs...
. The film is loosely based on his life growing up in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and his experience working in restaurants. It parodies a chain Mexican restaurant in a suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota, on the day before Cinco de Mayo (the busiest day of the year for Mexican restaurants). The storyline follows an ensemble cast of absurd characters that work in and visit the restaurant throughout the course of one day.
The cast is composed of many of Mitch's comedian friends and rounded out by local Minnesota actors.
Three different local restaurants were used to portray the film's restaurant; one for the dining room scenes, a second for the kitchen scenes, and a third for the outside of the restaurant, which was a Chi-Chi's
Chi-Chi's
Chi-Chi's was a popular Mexican restaurant chain from 1975 to 2004. It ceased to exist within the United States following a 2003 Hepatitis A outbreak that began at one of its locations in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Chi-Chi's is still in operation in Belgium, Luxembourg, United Arab...
that Mitch actually worked at many years before and was the main inspiration for the ridiculously inauthentic Los Enchiladas.
"Los Enchiladas!" premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, and has only been shown publicly a handful of times since, at comedy festivals and tributes to the deceased director, such as the one at the Paramount Theatre
Paramount Theatre (Anderson, Indiana)
Paramount Theatre - The Anderson Paramount Theatre opened on August 20, 1929. At the time the Paramount Theater opened it was part of the Publix Chain of theaters, owned by Paramount Pictures . The theater was designed by the famous movie theatre architect, John Eberson...
in Anderson, Indiana on August 12, 2010. It has never been publicly released for purchase or download, although Mitch's fanbase has expressed a continuing desire for the film to become available.
In April 2011, a unofficial workprint copy was released on various torrent & p2p sites. This release appears to have been specifically opposed by Hedberg's widow, Lynn Shawcroft, who is working towards a wider release of the film.