Absolutely Brilliant!

Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Comedy legends Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis bring their lovable, beer-guzzling, very Canadian dolts to the big screen in this very funny vehicle for Bob & Doug. They were riding high after the success of the characters on the 'SCTV' show and the Great White North album, and devised this very amusing script, which they devised with future director Steve De Jarnatt ("Cherry 2000", "Miracle Mile"), a fairly subtle goof on "Hamlet", of all things. Ultimately, they decided on directing the movie themselves.Bob & Doug manage to get jobs at Elsinore brewery, and don't let their lack of wits stop them from trying to save the day when diabolical brewmeister Smith (the great Max von Sydow, in the mightiest role of his career) intends to manipulate scores of beer drinkers by putting a drug in the brew. They encounter former hockey player Jean LaRose (Canadian character actor Angus MacInnes, who played Gold Leader in "Star Wars"), who falls in love with Pam Elsinore (lovely Lynne Griffin of "Black Christmas" fame), the young lady who's legally inherited the brewery.Yes, "Strange Brew" does lag at times, but the good news is that there is always another inspired bit of lunacy around the corner, as Thomas and Moranis gleefully leave reality FAR behind and turn the adventures of Bob & Doug into a sort of live action cartoon. In addition to von Sydow, they also enlisted the services of another legend, voice-over artist Mel Blanc, who provides the voice of Bob & Doug's dad. The excellent Paul Dooley ("Breaking Away") rounds out the main players as Pam's nefarious but bumbling uncle Claude.This picture really is a beauty, eh. You can't get more Canadian than having hockey, toques, beer, back bacon, and a dog named Hosehead in your story. It gets off to a wonderful start by putting a fresh spin on MGM's famous logo sequence, and having Bob & Doug premiere their micro budget end of the world saga in a theatre to a flurry of negative responses. The effects are often quite cheesy, but in a largely harmless lark like this, that hardly matters.Are you still reading this, hosehead? Take off! Go see the movie, eh.Eight out of 10.

Here's a film I put into a category for achieving the lowest common denominator to appeal to it's many fans. I'd never seen SCTV's 'Great White North' segments but Bob and Doug McKenzie's fame became so ubiquitous back in the Eighties it was hard to escape their presence. Without meaning any offense to the principal players, I think their names could be aptly parodied as Rick Moronic and Dave Dumbass. There's actually some funny stuff going on in the picture but much of it comes across as forced, and I would have appreciated a story with more subtle humor. I can't imagine Max von Sydow needing a paycheck to appear here but I guess even some of the greats are allowed their career mistakes. But giving the movie credit where credit is due, there was no profanity or nudity in the picture, which only leads one to consider - how did that happen?

This is one of the greatest movies ever made, bottom line. Steange Brew is one of the few true slapstick comedies made in a long time. The plot really isn't important. It's so far-fetched, it works hand in hand with the movie.This film has some of the best one liners, sight gags, and even features the late great Mel Blanc as the voice of Bob and Doug's father. How can you not love a dog that drinks beer, and suddenly gets the ability to fly. What asylum has it's own hockey rink, complete with overhead sound. Let's not forget that the hockey players all wear outfits that seem more fit for Battlestar Glactica then anything else.Also, this film features the great Max Von Sydow as brewmiester Smith, the Evil beer brewer. He tackles the role with such greatness, it shows that he's truly enjoying every single second of it.Now for the spoiler. The fire department can't reach the burning asylum in time, so it's up to ..... Bob to save the day by.... peeing on the building! You have to see the movie to see why that happens. And besides, him peeing isn't even the funniest parts of the scene. With his brother standing by his side while he pees (and commenting "beauty") the fire Marshal, impressed by the work, ever offers Bob a job with the fire department!!!! You've got to see this movie, hoser!

I love this film. To me there isn't a moment of dullness in the entire flick. I think the script is mixed with great written diolgue and ad-libbing w/the best of them. I also think it's a shame everyone forgets just how good Max Von Sydow is playing the bad guy as if the movie is a serious Drama! It was great to see that Spielberg felt the same way when he played the bad guy to Great avail in the classic "Minority Report." This reminds me of how so many films that people try to make themselves and this is the end product of a shoe-string budget, with purposefully bad set-ups and ridiculous lines. Films that cost 100x's this budget can't compete w/this classic film. It seems that people either "GET IT" or plain ol' don't. The prerequisite for this film is that it should be watched w/someone who has seen it before, or in groups. Granted this film is great on it's own, but it is that much better when you watch it w/others that can appreciate the humor! If you enjoyed the funniest movie ever "Airplane" & The "Naked Gun" Series as well as Weird Al's "UHF" you will almost assuredly enjoy this film. The sad thing is that Neither Rick Moranis or Dave Thomas ever did anything better in their careers. Rick had a pretty good career for about 15 years after this ("Honey I Shrunk the Kids," "Ghostbusters" the under-rated "My Blue Heaven" w/Steve Martin to name a few, but Dave Thomas just popped up here and there once in a while. The kids these days that think the "Scary Movies" are great (which they aren't) need not apply because they won't get it, although they are welcome to try!