Wayne's World

• Title:  Wayne's World
• Director:  Penelope Spheeris
• Date:  1992
• Studio:  Paramount
• Genre: Comedy
• Cast:  Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Rob Lowe, Tia Carrere
• Format: Color, Widescreen
• DVD Format:  R1, NTSC

"I've had plenty of 'joe jobs' - nothing I'd call a career. Let me put it this way - I have and extensive collection of name tags and hair nets." - Wayne Campbell

"Sometimes, I wish I could boldly go where no man's gone before, but I'll probably stay in Aurora." - Garth

"Aren't we lucky we were there to get all that information? Seemed extraneous at the time." - Wayne

Wayne's World  felt very much like a 1980s movie to me when I re-watched it, so I was surprised to see the copyright date as actually 1992. The story is about two best friends, Wayne and Garth, who live in Aurora, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The two have a local public access TV show that they film in Wayne's basement called, "Wayne's World", and the film was developed from the Wayne's World sketches on Saturday Night Live. However, in the film, the clips of Wayne and Garth doing their Wayne's World show are the least successful parts of the film (they are very dated, and often fall flat).

The strength of the film, the part that shines, and still works, is that it's a buddy film. But whereas most "buddy films" are cop films - Wayne's World is about these two guys, good friends, who are into heavy metal music, and not taking life too seriously. The film also continuously breaks the fourth wall, as usually Wayne, addresses the audience directly. Garth, normally the quieter and shyer of the two - also, occasionally, addresses the audience. The constant breaking of the fourth wall gives the film a surreal quality and an avant-garde edge. But that doesn't mean the film is overly serious. Quite the opposite - it's very, very funny. It's also filled with clips of great music, and a lot of singing (almost exclusively cover versions of popular music).

The basic storyline is that Wayne and Garth have this cable access show, Wayne's World, that they put together every week, more-or-less as a hobby, though Wayne, at least, would like to do Wayne's World as a career. One night, Benjamin Oliver, an unsavory ad exec is flipping channels and he sees the show. He thinks it's the perfect vehicle for his biggest client, the owner of a chain of video arcades called Noah's Arcade. He wants to move the show to a cable network, have Noah's Arcade sponsor it, and use it as a vehicle for, essentially, half an hour's worth of advertising for the arcade. Benjamin's plot works in that he gets Wayne and Garth to agree to his contract, though when Wayne gets on set he blows up and refuses to do product placement (in a hilarious scene in which at least half a dozen different products are prominently placed and used). Benjamin meanwhile sows discontent between Wayne and Garth, and gets Wayne to think his girlfriend is cheating on him. But it all works out in the end (well, in the third alternate ending).

But the film's point isn't really the plot. The characters, Wayne and Garth, and their close friendship - a friendship that is threatened but recovers - is at the heart of the film. Also, the idea of personal happiness being more important than money or what others call success is a subtext of the film. Yet, at it's heart the film is just very funny - and enjoyable to watch. Wayne and Garth's personal optimism and infectiously happy outlooks make the film enjoyable to watch. The frequent music, covers, and sing-alongs add to the fun.

Overall, one of the oddest things about the film might just be the frequent anachronisms. The entire set-up, the "Wayne's World" cable access show is something that barely exists now. However, a real-life Wayne and Garth these days could easily do their own show on youTube, or create a regular podcast. Wayne and his new girlfriend, Cassandra talk on landline phones that include a cord. Benjamin's client owns coin-operated video arcades. The famous, and awesome, sing-along to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" starts with Wayne putting a cassette tape into the car's tape deck (though later Wayne, at least, upgrades to an external CD drive). The film doesn't so much look dated as have moments of, "Oh, yeah, that's how we used to do things." Though, it's Garth who mostly correctly describes how he will bounce the special "Wayne's World" episode featuring Cassandra's performance off several communications satellites (which Garth mentions by name/number) - today such dialogue would be simplified to "bounced off several satellites") to Mr. Sharpe's limo to get her a  record contract. Even the three endings reference older films, such as Clue. It felt at times, like a window into the past.

Overall, I found Wayne's World to be enjoyable to re-watch, mostly because it was just so happy. Wayne and Garth's attitude towards women notwithstanding (Garth continuously talks about women as "babes" but can't get up the courage to talk to the pretty blonde he keeps spotting in their neighborhood.) It some ways the film was also like an updated American Graffiti in that it portrays a time and a place, though it's less serious in content and tone. Still, it's fun, just plain fun.

NOTE:  I normally don't mention DVD menus, but this one with the cable access opening is funny. Also, there are a number of hidden features on the menu (which looks like a cable TV on-screen guide).

Recommendation:  See it

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Next Film:  When Harry Met Sally...