Best movie of this year hands down!

Truly Dreadful Film

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Out to annoy her father who told her that he would not object to any future boyfriends were she to dump her current beau, an affluent young lady hires a Mexican tourist to pose as an obnoxious boyfriend in this Australian comedy starring Cheech Marin. From such a plot description alone, 'The Shrimp on the Barbie' sounds like a laugh-out-loud affair and Marin is expectedly excellent, however, the actual film is never quite as funny as it ought to be. The movie takes a very long time to warm up with over twenty minutes elapsing before the ruse begins. The initial stages of the ruse are hilarious thanks largely to June Bishop's wide-eyed bewilderment at the boorish man her daughter has taken home, and things only get funnier as the father eavesdrops, catches onto the ruse and then takes over-the-top measures to welcome Marin to the family. Promising as all this is, the plot derails around halfway in as the two protagonists take a road trip that tests their innermost prejudices, but which is also absent of much in the way of humour. The film never really recovers from this detour - though a party in which she presents a revealing slide show is certainly memorable. For sure, 'The Shrimp on the Barbie' is amusing fluff while it lasts, however, had the filmmakers been more interested in playing the central situation for laughs than shoving "you think money can buy anything" messages into the second half, it could have been a lot more. Marin is great either way - and that is despite the filmmakers (literally) throwing him in the air too many times.

This is a favorite movie of mine to watch. Shrimp on the Barbie is a stardard fish out of water with Cheech Marin as a down on his luck Mexican American in Sydney. He then is brought into a scheme by the poiled daughter of a tycoon to fake being her fiance so her ultimately worse pick of a fiance looks better. There are some logic gaps that defy logic, but between these moments are some funny bits that glue the movie together. It is a low budget comedy, so this is to be expected.Is it a must see? Probably not. But it also isn't 90 or so minutes that you won't feel like you wasted either.

Much better than most of the original movies Cheech Marin was in. This one has heart and sensitivity, with a little comedy thrown in. Love the "very rich" father. One of the better movies Cheech Marin has been in. I enjoy watching it more than once. Another real feel-good movie. The kind with a happy ending, whether it is reality or not.

I cannot think of one redeeming feature about this movie. The acting is wooden, the script unbelievably bad!! If there is a redeeming feature it is the scenery from many shots taken around New Zealand and the brief appearance of some rarely seen New Zealand artists.If you have a choice between a dentist appointment and watching this film, take the drill every time, even if it means a root canal!!!