The Stupids (film)
Encyclopedia
The Stupids is a 1996 American comedy/adventure film directed by John Landis
. The film is based on The Stupids
, characters from a series of books written by Harry Allard and illustrated by James Marshall
.
The story tells the adventures of the fictional family the Stupids, with a last name synonymous with their behavior. The story begins with patriarch Stanley Stupid believing "sender" from letters marked "return to sender" is a wicked man planning a conspiracy. Adding several misunderstandings, the family unwittingly saves the world from military chaos, while believing a fake story about a fictional man named Sender and his plot to confiscate everyone's mail and trash. The movie was filmed in Toronto, Ontario (Downtown shots) and Uxbridge, Ontario (Home located at 55 Quaker Village Drive, Uxbridge, Ontario).
) is convinced that someone is stealing his trash. He discovers and follows a garbage truck
to the local dump
on rollerblades (he figures because it has more wheels than a car it is faster). His children, Buster (Bug Hall
) and Petunia (Alex McKenna
), upon waking up and not finding their father, decide to go to the police for help, only after leaving a note for their mother Joan saying where they're going.
While at the dump, Stanley overheard a meeting of corrupt army officials promising several foreign representatives large amounts of contraband
. Stanley poses as one of the foreigners, and talks with Colonel Neidermeyer (Mark Metcalf), the leader of the corrupt officers. Neidermeyer is convinced that Stanley is a secret agent
, but he gives Stanley his car and cell phone and sends him off on good terms. Shortly afterward, he tells Lieutenant Neal (Matt Keeslar
), one of his subordinate assassins, to kill him.
Meanwhile, the children are brought home by the police only to discover that their mother is gone too. After the two find an advertisement for a Chinese restaurant, they assume it must be a clue, and go to the restaurant. There, Buster receives a fortune cookie that says "Time flies when you're having fun." Believing this is the Daily Times Newspaper, the children go to the newspapers offices in attempt to find their mother. The computer prompts them for a headline, and after telling Buster (who is picking his nose) and Joan that computer language is alien, Petunia inputs "alien picks nose". The computer then requests a picture, at which they try to slide a photograph of Stanley into the floppy drive. The computer reports a fatal error
in Drive B.
The family reunites at their house and Stanley, who escapes a close encounter with an assassin after being warned about the Drive B by his family and inadvertently escapes by fleeing from a bee he sees in his car, explains a conspiracy he discovered
at the dumpster. Years ago, while working for the post office, he noticed an inordinate amount of letters marked "return to sender". Thinking "sender" was a person's name, he reported this to his superior, who promptly fired him. He believes Mr. Sender (played by Christopher Lee
in his fantasy) accumulates letters, has bribed the police into stealing people's children, and is now planning to steal "American's least guarded good" (their garbage). The Stupid's children suggest looking for "Sender" in the telephone directory, and find a Charles Sender (Bob Keeshan
) who works at the Museum of Natural History
. At the museum, they split up and sneak in.
Buster and Joan find a display of several dates and events, ending at an elevator which had buttons for floors A-D and 1-9. Believing it to be a time machine, Buster presses several random numbers and the letters B and C. The elevator takes them to a display about dinosaurs, and Buster writes his name on the wall
, believing it will be the first thing humans will read. Petunia and Stanley, meanwhile, enter Sender's office and find a photograph of him and his daily planner
. On their way out, they enter a planetarium
. Suddenly, the planetarium show begins, making Stanley and Petunia believe they just died. They are discovered by a janitor named Lloyd (Frankie Faison), who they take as "The Lord
" because he appears to be floating among the stars.
The family reunites again outside the museum. Stanley and Petunia tell Joan and Buster that Sender was going to a television studio. After confusing Stanley with a talk show
guest and Joan with a parcel delivery
person, the studio kicks them out, and on the way they see Sender, but are unable to reach him. Neidermeyer realizes Stanley hasn't been assassinated when he sees him on TV singing I'm My Own Grandpa
. He kidnaps Stanley and brings him to the army base, and his family follow but are not allowed in. Stanley is tied to a chair and interrogated
, but refuses to give away anything. Just when he is about to be beaten, one of his guards spits a wad of chewing gum on the floor. Remembering the museum janitor's words, he finds the strength to escape and rejoin his family.
Stanley tells of the nefarious plot he heard that will take "... place (at) Warehouse 21". Arriving in the middle of the night, they sneak in to discover huge stores of weapons
. They order the corrupt officials to surrender, and soon find themselves under attack. After a series of humorous struggles, they manage to get the police's attention. All the corrupt officers are arrested except for Neidermeyer. Stanley approaches Sender and tells him he needs to turn his life away from evil. Thinking these are road directions, Sender thanks him. When the Stupids return home, they find Neidermeyer waiting to kill them. Before he can pull the trigger, Neidermeyer tells them that no guardian angel can save them, at which point the takeout-delivery man Joan called earlier barges in, knocking him out with the door. The family believes that delivery man to be working for "The Lloyd", when in fact the man's boss' name is Floyd.
Meanwhile, a nose-picking alien in a space ship passes an edition of the newspaper Joan and the children were in earlier. Upon seeing "Alien picks nose" with Stanley's photo on the front cover, they set off to Earth to kill him. The film ends as Stanley is grilling hamburgers outside. Buster says he wants to try, at which point the aliens appear in the yard. Oblivious to the aliens, Stanley tries to explain to Buster that he is too little to do it. In the process, he inadvertently sets the aliens on fire, and they teleport away.
The Stupids' dog, Kitty, and cat, Xylophone, are anthropomorphized- claymation
characters that act much more intelligently than their owners. For instance, they solved the "mystery" of why the car wouldn't start. Far from needing the mouth to mouth resuscitation Stanley provided, the problem was that the car keys weren't in the ignition.
Another gag is the name of the film's main antagonist, Colonel Niedermeyer. The Colonel is played by Mark Metcalf
, who had previously played Doug Niedermeyer in Animal House. He may be playing the same character, even though the character in Animal House was killed by his own men in Vietnam
.
Tom Arnold
won the 1996 Golden Raspberry Award
for Worst Actor
for his performances in Big Bully
, Carpool
and The Stupids. The Stupids was also nominated for the award for Worst Picture
, Worst Director
and Worst Screenplay
.
John Landis
John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
. The film is based on The Stupids
The Stupids
* For the skatepunk band see The Stupids * For the 1996 film, see The Stupids The Stupids are a fictional family which appear in a series of books written by Harry Allard and James Marshall...
, characters from a series of books written by Harry Allard and illustrated by James Marshall
James Marshall (author)
James Edward Marshall , who also wrote as Edward Marshall, was a children's author and illustrator....
.
The story tells the adventures of the fictional family the Stupids, with a last name synonymous with their behavior. The story begins with patriarch Stanley Stupid believing "sender" from letters marked "return to sender" is a wicked man planning a conspiracy. Adding several misunderstandings, the family unwittingly saves the world from military chaos, while believing a fake story about a fictional man named Sender and his plot to confiscate everyone's mail and trash. The movie was filmed in Toronto, Ontario (Downtown shots) and Uxbridge, Ontario (Home located at 55 Quaker Village Drive, Uxbridge, Ontario).
Plot
Stanley Stupid (Tom ArnoldTom Arnold (actor)
Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...
) is convinced that someone is stealing his trash. He discovers and follows a garbage truck
Waste collection vehicle
Garbage truck refers to a truck specially designed to collect small quantities of waste and haul the collected waste to a solid waste treatment facility. Other common names for this type of truck include trash truck and dump truck in the United States, and bin wagon, dustcart, dustbin lorry, bin...
to the local dump
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
on rollerblades (he figures because it has more wheels than a car it is faster). His children, Buster (Bug Hall
Bug Hall
Brandon "Bug" Hall is an American actor, acting teacher and musician.-Biography:Brandon Hall, nicknamed "Bug" by his family, was born in Fort Worth, Texas on February 4, 1985. He is the second oldest in his family...
) and Petunia (Alex McKenna
Alex McKenna
Alex McKenna is an American television and film actress perhaps best known for her role as Abby Macy in the American television series Crossing Jordan. She also played Petunia Stupid alongside Tom Arnold in the 1996 movie The Stupids.-Early life:McKenna was born in Los Angeles, California...
), upon waking up and not finding their father, decide to go to the police for help, only after leaving a note for their mother Joan saying where they're going.
While at the dump, Stanley overheard a meeting of corrupt army officials promising several foreign representatives large amounts of contraband
Contraband
The word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
. Stanley poses as one of the foreigners, and talks with Colonel Neidermeyer (Mark Metcalf), the leader of the corrupt officers. Neidermeyer is convinced that Stanley is a secret agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
, but he gives Stanley his car and cell phone and sends him off on good terms. Shortly afterward, he tells Lieutenant Neal (Matt Keeslar
Matt Keeslar
Matt Keeslar is an American actor.Keeslar was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Fred Keeslar and Ann Ferguson, who divorced in 1977....
), one of his subordinate assassins, to kill him.
Meanwhile, the children are brought home by the police only to discover that their mother is gone too. After the two find an advertisement for a Chinese restaurant, they assume it must be a clue, and go to the restaurant. There, Buster receives a fortune cookie that says "Time flies when you're having fun." Believing this is the Daily Times Newspaper, the children go to the newspapers offices in attempt to find their mother. The computer prompts them for a headline, and after telling Buster (who is picking his nose) and Joan that computer language is alien, Petunia inputs "alien picks nose". The computer then requests a picture, at which they try to slide a photograph of Stanley into the floppy drive. The computer reports a fatal error
Fatal error
In computing, a fatal error or fatal exception error is an error that causes a program to abort and may therefore return the user to the operating system. When this happens, data that the program was processing may be lost. A fatal error is usually distinguished from a fatal system error...
in Drive B.
The family reunites at their house and Stanley, who escapes a close encounter with an assassin after being warned about the Drive B by his family and inadvertently escapes by fleeing from a bee he sees in his car, explains a conspiracy he discovered
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory explains an event as being the result of an alleged plot by a covert group or organization or, more broadly, the idea that important political, social or economic events are the products of secret plots that are largely unknown to the general public.-Usage:The term "conspiracy...
at the dumpster. Years ago, while working for the post office, he noticed an inordinate amount of letters marked "return to sender". Thinking "sender" was a person's name, he reported this to his superior, who promptly fired him. He believes Mr. Sender (played by Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
in his fantasy) accumulates letters, has bribed the police into stealing people's children, and is now planning to steal "American's least guarded good" (their garbage). The Stupid's children suggest looking for "Sender" in the telephone directory, and find a Charles Sender (Bob Keeshan
Bob Keeshan
Robert James "Bob" Keeshan was an American television producer and actor. He is most notable as the title character of the children's television program Captain Kangaroo, which became an icon for millions of people during its 30-year run from 1955 to 1984.Keeshan also played the original...
) who works at the Museum of Natural History
Museum of Natural History
A museum of natural history is a museum with exhibits about natural history, including such topics as animals, plants, ecosystems, geology, paleontology, and climatology. Some museums feature natural-history collections in addition to other collections, such as ones related to history, art and...
. At the museum, they split up and sneak in.
Buster and Joan find a display of several dates and events, ending at an elevator which had buttons for floors A-D and 1-9. Believing it to be a time machine, Buster presses several random numbers and the letters B and C. The elevator takes them to a display about dinosaurs, and Buster writes his name on the wall
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
, believing it will be the first thing humans will read. Petunia and Stanley, meanwhile, enter Sender's office and find a photograph of him and his daily planner
Personal organizer
A personal organizer, day planner, personal analog assistant, or personal planner is a small book/binder, designed to be portable, usually containing a diary, calendar, address book, and other sections usually including blank paper. It may also include pages with useful information, such as maps,...
. On their way out, they enter a planetarium
Planetarium
A planetarium is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation...
. Suddenly, the planetarium show begins, making Stanley and Petunia believe they just died. They are discovered by a janitor named Lloyd (Frankie Faison), who they take as "The Lord
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
" because he appears to be floating among the stars.
The family reunites again outside the museum. Stanley and Petunia tell Joan and Buster that Sender was going to a television studio. After confusing Stanley with a talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
guest and Joan with a parcel delivery
Delivery (commerce)
Delivery is the process of transporting goods. Most goods are delivered through a transportation network. Cargo are primarily delivered via roads and railroads on land, shipping lanes on the sea and airline networks in the air...
person, the studio kicks them out, and on the way they see Sender, but are unable to reach him. Neidermeyer realizes Stanley hasn't been assassinated when he sees him on TV singing I'm My Own Grandpa
I'm My Own Grandpa
"I'm My Own Grandpa" is a novelty song written by Dwight Latham and Moe Jaffe, performed by Lonzo and Oscar in 1947, about a man who, through an unlikely combination of marriages, becomes stepfather to his own stepmother — that is, tacitly dropping the "step-" modifiers, he becomes his own...
. He kidnaps Stanley and brings him to the army base, and his family follow but are not allowed in. Stanley is tied to a chair and interrogated
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
, but refuses to give away anything. Just when he is about to be beaten, one of his guards spits a wad of chewing gum on the floor. Remembering the museum janitor's words, he finds the strength to escape and rejoin his family.
Stanley tells of the nefarious plot he heard that will take "... place (at) Warehouse 21". Arriving in the middle of the night, they sneak in to discover huge stores of weapons
Gunrunning
Arms trafficking, also known as gunrunning, is the illegal trafficking or smuggling of contraband weapons or ammunition.The 1997 Report of the UN Panel of Governmental Experts on Small Arms provides a more refined and precise definition, which has become internationally accepted...
. They order the corrupt officials to surrender, and soon find themselves under attack. After a series of humorous struggles, they manage to get the police's attention. All the corrupt officers are arrested except for Neidermeyer. Stanley approaches Sender and tells him he needs to turn his life away from evil. Thinking these are road directions, Sender thanks him. When the Stupids return home, they find Neidermeyer waiting to kill them. Before he can pull the trigger, Neidermeyer tells them that no guardian angel can save them, at which point the takeout-delivery man Joan called earlier barges in, knocking him out with the door. The family believes that delivery man to be working for "The Lloyd", when in fact the man's boss' name is Floyd.
Meanwhile, a nose-picking alien in a space ship passes an edition of the newspaper Joan and the children were in earlier. Upon seeing "Alien picks nose" with Stanley's photo on the front cover, they set off to Earth to kill him. The film ends as Stanley is grilling hamburgers outside. Buster says he wants to try, at which point the aliens appear in the yard. Oblivious to the aliens, Stanley tries to explain to Buster that he is too little to do it. In the process, he inadvertently sets the aliens on fire, and they teleport away.
Cast
- Tom ArnoldTom Arnold (actor)Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...
... Stanley Stupid - Jessica LundyJessica LundyJessica R. Lundy is an American actress. Although she has appeared in several movies, she is noted more for her television roles, especially as Joel Fleishman's fiancee/ex-fiancee Elaine Shulman on the series Northern Exposure...
... Joan Stupid - Bug HallBug HallBrandon "Bug" Hall is an American actor, acting teacher and musician.-Biography:Brandon Hall, nicknamed "Bug" by his family, was born in Fort Worth, Texas on February 4, 1985. He is the second oldest in his family...
... Buster Stupid - Alex McKennaAlex McKennaAlex McKenna is an American television and film actress perhaps best known for her role as Abby Macy in the American television series Crossing Jordan. She also played Petunia Stupid alongside Tom Arnold in the 1996 movie The Stupids.-Early life:McKenna was born in Los Angeles, California...
... Petunia Stupid - Mark MetcalfMark MetcalfMark Howes Metcalf is an American actor in both television and film.-Early life:Metcalf attended Westfield High School in Westfield, New Jersey.-Film and television work:...
... Colonel Neidermeyer - Matt KeeslarMatt KeeslarMatt Keeslar is an American actor.Keeslar was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Fred Keeslar and Ann Ferguson, who divorced in 1977....
... Lieutenant Neal - Scott KraftScott KraftScott Kraft is an Emmy Award winning American television writer and executive producer.-Early life and career:Kraft obtained his Bachelors of Arts from University of Pennsylvania and an MFA from Antioch. Kraft co-wrote the 1992 action-drama 'The Silencer' with Amy Goldstein...
... Policeman - Victor Ertmanis ... Garbageman #1
- Earl Williams ... Garbageman #2
- George Chiang ... Chinese Waiter #1
- Max LandisMax Landis-Early Life:The son of director John Landis and costume designer and historian Deborah Nadoolman Landis, Max Landis was born in Beverly Hills, California. He attended a stringent boarding school after being "kicked out" of Beverly Hills High...
... Graffiti Artist - Carol Ng ... Jade Palace Hostess
- Arthur Eng ... Chinese Waiter #2
- Jennifer Dean ... Meter Maid
- Garry Robbins ... Extremely Tall Guy
- Nicu Branzea ... Arms Buyer #1
- Richard Crook ... Arms Buyer #2
- Gurinder ChadhaGurinder ChadhaGurinder Chadha , OBE, is a British film director of Indian origin. Most of her films explore the lives of Indians living in the United Kingdom. She is best known for the hit films Bhaji on the Beach , Bend It Like Beckham , Bride and Prejudice and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging...
... Reporter #1 - Mick GarrisMick GarrisMick Garris is an American filmmaker and screenwriter born in Santa Monica, California.-Biography:He is best known for his adaptations of Stephen King stories, such as directing the horror film Sleepwalkers starring Madchen Amick and is the creator of the Showtime series Masters of Horror...
... Reporter #2 - Jeremy RatchfordJeremy RatchfordJeremy Ratchford is a Canadian actor. He starred as Nick Vera on the TV series Cold Case.While in Canada, Ratchford played Marvel Comic book character Banshee in a live action version of Generation X TV movie...
... Soldier - John Stoneham Jr. ... Green Alien
- Ken Quinn ... Orange Alien
- Gillian Vanderburgh ... Alien Stewardess
- Harvey AtkinHarvey AtkinHarvey Atkin is a Canadian voice actor who has worked in feature films and television. He has also done voice-overs, and has voiced animations.- Early life :...
... Deli Guy - David CronenbergDavid CronenbergDavid Paul Cronenberg, OC, FRSC is a Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror or venereal horror genre. This style of filmmaking explores people's fears of bodily transformation and infection. In his films, the...
... Postal Supervisor - Markus Parilo ... Special Forces Guy
- Costa-GavrasCosta-GavrasCosta-Gavras, is a Greek filmmaker, who lives and works in France, best known for films with overt political themes, most famously the fast-paced thriller, Z...
... Gas Station Guy - MifAnthony J. MifsudAnthony J. Mifsud is a Maltese-born Canadian actor, singer and songwriter. He performs professionally under the moniker Mif.Mif began his entertainment career as the front man and vocalist for the award-winning Canadian hard rock/heavy metal musical group Slash Puppet , originally under the stage...
... Explosive Guy - Walter Alza ... Taxi Driver
- Robert WiseRobert WiseRobert Earl Wise was an American sound effects editor, film editor, film producer and director...
... Stanley's Neighbor - Christopher LeeChristopher LeeSir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
... Evil Sender - Frankie FaisonFrankie FaisonFrankie Russel Faison , often credited as Frankie R. Faison, is an American actor.-Personal life:Faison was born in Newport News, Virginia, the son of Carmena and Edgar Faison. He studied drama at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, where he joined Theta Chi Fraternity...
... The Lloyd - Mo Kelso ... Airbag Woman
- Sherry MillerSherry MillerSherry Miller is a Canadian actress best known for her role as Jane Oliver on the Canadian drama E.N.G. , Jennifer Taylor on the Showtime television show Queer As Folk and Dorothy O'Sullivan on The Best Years .- Biography :Miller began her career as a singer and dancer, gaining attention...
... Anchorwoman - Robert Keeshan ... Charles Sender (as Bob Keeshan)
- Jeff Clarke ... Delivery Guy
- Atom EgoyanAtom EgoyanAtom Egoyan, OC is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian stage director and film director. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica...
... TV Studio Guard - Wendy Hopkins ... TV Assistant Director
- Jacqueline McLeod ... Make-Up Woman
- Jenny McCarthyJenny McCarthyJennifer Ann "Jenny" McCarthy is an American model, comedian, actress, author, activist, and game show host. She began her career in 1993 as a nude model for Playboy magazine and was later named their Playmate of the Year. McCarthy then parlayed her Playboy fame into a successful television and...
... Glamorous Actress - David FerryDavid Ferry (actor)David Ferry is a Canadian actor and Dora Award-winning theatre director. Ferry was nominated for a Genie Award, for best supporting actor in Hounds of Notre Dame. He was also star of the popular Canadian radio program "Midnight Cab". He was born in St...
... Late Night Show Host - Norman JewisonNorman JewisonNorman Frederick Jewison, CC, O.Ont is a Canadian film director, producer, actor and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. Highlights of his directing career include In the Heat of the Night , The Thomas Crown Affair , Fiddler on the Roof , Jesus Christ Superstar , Moonstruck , The Hurricane and The...
... French Chef - Rolonda WattsRolonda WattsRolonda Watts is an American actress, producer, voice over artist, novelist, motivational speaker, and television and radio talk show host. She was the host of eponymous Rolonda, an internationally-syndicated talk show which aired from 1994 to 1998...
... Talk Show Hostess - Gillo PontecorvoGillo PontecorvoGillo Pontecorvo was an Italian filmmaker. He worked as a film director for more than a decade before his best known film La battaglia di Algeri was released...
... Talk Show Guest #1 - Nicholas Rice ... Talk Show Guest #2
- Julie Champnella ... Talk Show Guest #3
- Philip AkinPhilip AkinPhilip Akin is a Canadian actor who has been active for over thirty years in stage, film, and television. He has had featured roles in major American films such as The Sum of All Fears, S.W.A.T., and Get Rich or Die Tryin’...
... Henchman #1 - Kevin ConwayKevin ConwayKevin Conway is an American actor and film director.-Early life:Conway was born in New York City, the son of Helen Margaret , a sales representative, and James John Conway, a mechanic...
... Henchman #2 - Carol Anderson ... Checkpoint Guard
Running gags
Stanley Stupid and his daughter enter a planetarium and believe they are dead. The janitor talks to them and they believe he is God. They call him Lord, and he corrects them saying his name is Lloyd, and they refer to God as "Lloyd" from then on. The gag is further extended when they are "rescued" by a takeout-delivery man who works for Floyd's Restaurant. They believe he is a guardian angel and assure him that he works for Lloyd, not Floyd. The gag appears in the closing credits, when a final title says "Trust In The Lloyd".The Stupids' dog, Kitty, and cat, Xylophone, are anthropomorphized- claymation
Clay animation
Clay animation or claymation is one of many forms of stop motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually Plasticine clay....
characters that act much more intelligently than their owners. For instance, they solved the "mystery" of why the car wouldn't start. Far from needing the mouth to mouth resuscitation Stanley provided, the problem was that the car keys weren't in the ignition.
Another gag is the name of the film's main antagonist, Colonel Niedermeyer. The Colonel is played by Mark Metcalf
Mark Metcalf
Mark Howes Metcalf is an American actor in both television and film.-Early life:Metcalf attended Westfield High School in Westfield, New Jersey.-Film and television work:...
, who had previously played Doug Niedermeyer in Animal House. He may be playing the same character, even though the character in Animal House was killed by his own men in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
.
Reception
The film was not well received, grossing just $2,415,593 in the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Tom Arnold
Tom Arnold (actor)
Thomas Dwaine "Tom" Arnold is an American actor and comedian. He has appeared in many films, perhaps most notably True Lies . He was the host of The Best Damn Sports Show Period for four years.-Early life:...
won the 1996 Golden Raspberry Award
1996 Golden Raspberry Awards
The 17th Golden Raspberry Awards were held on March 23, 1997 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to recognise the worst the movie industry had to offer in 1996...
for Worst Actor
Razzie Award for Worst Actor
The Razzie Award for Worst Actor is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated....
for his performances in Big Bully
Big Bully (film)
Big Bully is a 1996 comedy-drama film starring Rick Moranis and Tom Arnold. The film was directed by Steve Miner.-Plot:Growing up in Hastings, Minnesota, young David Leary was constantly bullied by Roscoe Bigger , nicknamed "Fang" because of a pointed tooth. David is ecstatic when his parents...
, Carpool
Carpool (film)
Carpool is a 1996 comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring David Paymer and Tom Arnold.-Plot:Workaholic advertising executive of Bauer & Cole, Daniel Miller , has an important business meeting, but finds himself having to drive the neighborhood carpool for his sons, Bucky Miller and...
and The Stupids. The Stupids was also nominated for the award for Worst Picture
Razzie Award for Worst Picture
The Razzie Award for Worst Picture is an award given out at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst film of the past year. Following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, including each film's distribution company and producer.-1980s:...
, Worst Director
Razzie Award for Worst Director
The Razzie Award for Worst Director is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst director of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated....
and Worst Screenplay
Razzie Award for Worst Screenplay
The Razzie Award for Worst Screenplay is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards for the worst film screenplay of the past year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, including each screenplay's author...
.