The Slammin’ Salmon

The Slammin’ Salmon represents the latest in a long line of sporadically funny yet hopelessly uneven endeavors from the Broken Lizard comedy troupe, with the film’s progressively over-the-top sensibilities inevitably (and ultimately) negating its variety of positive attributes (including an opening half hour that’s surprisingly watchable). Set entirely within the confines of a seafood restaurant, the movie follows several waiters (including Erik Stolhanske’s Guy, Cobie Smulders’ Tara, and Jay Chandrasekhar’s Nuts) as they attempt to out-earn each other over the course of one very long night (with first prize a cash payment of $10,000). There’s little doubt that The Slammin’ Salmon fares best in its early scenes, as the movie boasts an easy-going atmosphere that generally compensates for the lack of laughs within Broken Lizard’s frenetic screenplay (and it’s impossible to deny the effectiveness and frequently hilarious nature of Michael Clarke Duncan’s turn as the dim-witted yet hot-tempered owner of said seafood restaurant.) The affable vibe can carry the proceedings only so far, however, with the increased, almost aggressive emphasis on eye-rollingly broad elements inevitably transforming the movie into a rather interminable piece of work (ie the film’s likeable attributes are slowly but surely crushed beneath the weight of Broken Lizard’s less-than-subtle approach). The end result is a terminally erratic effort that might hold some appeal for fans of Broken Lizard’s extremely specific comedic sensibilities, although it’s getting to the point where one can’t help but wish the gang would open up their films to a wider audience.

** out of ****