Review of UHF

UHF (1989)
The plot isn't the point
1 August 2000
It's a real shame this beast didn't do better at the box office; thank heaven it has found its niche among cultish Weird Al fans and 9-year-olds everywhere.

I saw this in the theater when it first came out. Although I've seen more cerebral and highbrow comedies I have never laughed so hard in my life as I did at "UHF". From the sight gag at the very beginning with the tiki head giving a raspberry to the karate guys bursting out of the supply closet in the denouement ("SUPPLIES!") this movie is a consistent howler. It's less a coherent whole than a series of set pieces which are almost entirely extremely funny.

Interesting also are the before-they-were-huge-stars performances, notably Fran Drescher and Michael Richards, who is vaguely disturbing as kiddie-show host Stanley Spedowski.

The PG-13 rating is very harsh. There's a lot here that younger kids will get a real bang out of. I'd say anyone over the age of about 7 will flip over "UHF", unless you're an insufferable snob.
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