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FreeRide looks at David Foley's THE WRONG GUY
Sigh.... Ya know, sometimes the film industry just kind of makes me a bit ill. And with THE WRONG GUY's lack of release even though the audiences they've screened it to have enjoyed it... Even if David Foley is quick becoming a favorite cult comedian... And it seems by most accounts to be a very good movie. It's been released and is on video in Canada... But is nowhere to be seen in the good ol U. S. of A. Well, here's FreeRide with his take on the whole deal, listen up...
"The Wrong Distributor: How THE WRONG GUY Fell Into
The Wrong Hands"
The air is stale. A film cannister falls. Luckily
you are quick enough to catch it. As a puff of dust
rises in its wake, you take a closer look at the lid.
The ink is too faded to read. Towering above,
numbering in the hundreds, film cannisters stacked to
the ceiling... films that time forgot. This place is a
maze of lost films, each label stamped with a
recognizable black circle with smaller circles for
ears.
One particular label catches your eye. It’s a newer
film, but does show signs of age. It’s been on the
shelf for a while. You can barely make out the title.
THE WRONG GUY. You pause for a second. The name
strikes a cord inside you. You can’t help yourself –-
you snatch up the print and make for the nearest exit.
The coast is clear. The only thing stopping your
escape is a guard who hovers on the edge of sleep. As
you approach, his rat-like eyes send chills through
your body. He knows you have something you shouldn’t
have... or does he? He leans back in his chair,
closes his eyes, and you pass unchecked. You leave
holding a copy of a film that hasn’t seen the light of
day for two years.
In THE WRONG GUY, Dave Foley (A BUG’S LIFE, DICK,
NEWSRADIO) plays a delusional executive named Nelson
Hibbert. As the film opens, Hibbert's on his way into
the office for what he thinks is going to be the
announcement of his new promotion. He gloats to every
person he passes, wearing a happy-go-lucky smile, a
spring in his step.
He passes a couple of executives standing around the
water cooler, tosses out a "Hey, fellas. How ‘bout
that game last night?" Someone asks, "What game?
There was no game last night," but Hibbert's already
moving again. Nothing's going to keep him from having
his "big day." What Hibbert doesn’t realize is that
his life is about to change, just not in the way he
imagined. His promotion is given to someone else, and
Hibbert is disgraced in front of his peers.
When Hibbert decides to confront his father-in-law, he
finds the man dead, a knife imbedded in his neck. Not
thinking clearly, he removes it. With his
fingerprints now on the murder weapon and his hands
covered in the dead man’s blood, what can he do? He
does the only thing a sane man could do in Hibbert’s
position, the thing he's been conditioned to do by a
dozen different suspense films -- he decides to make
his way to Mexico and wait until he can prove his
innocence. With a combination of dumb luck and good
old-fashioned panic, Hibbert manages to escape,
determined to prove the cops are after (drum roll
please) THE WRONG GUY!
What Hibbert doesn't realize, and what really makes
the film work, is that the cops already know he didn't
commit the crime. They have the murder on tape. The
whole time Hibbert's on the run, the police are
chasing the real killer, and it's only coincidence
that keeps bringing Hibbert, the cops, and the killer
together, with no one realizing just how clueless
anyone else is.
THE WRONG GUY is a hard movie to categorize. It’s a
comedy, but its formula is unique. Its structure
doesn’t follow the normal set-up, punchline, wait for
audience to get it and laugh, like most comedies. The
filmmakers were smart enough to keep the pace
constant. As an audience member, you have to be quick
enough to keep up with all the plot twists that are
typical in a Hitchcockian man-on-the-run thriller.
Those elements are all there, except they are
heightened to their extreme. That’s the key to what
makes it funny.
The film began life as an independent. Paragon Films
of Canada financed the film with seven million
dollars. Hollywood Pictures, the now-defunct
subsidiary of Disney, put up an additional four
million dollars to secure the US distribution rights.
That may have helped finish the film in more ways than
one. When Hollywood Pictures got their hands on the
film, they handed it to their marketing department.
As with any picture, they began to figure out how to
sell the film, planning test screenings, and then the
unexpected happened. Hollywood Pictures went belly
up, taking everything and everyone with it.
Actually, it shouldn’t have been too unexpected.
There was a saying around town, based on the quality
of the average Hollywood Pictures film, and playing
off their logo: "If it’s the Sphinx, it stinks." When
the distribution arm folded, many films were lost in
the shuffle. If you ask Disney or Buena Vista,
they’ll tell you they’ve never heard of THE WRONG GUY.
Unless an executive has personal interest in a
particular film, they couldn’t care less about it.
There’s no impetus to release someone else’s movie.
But wait... there’s more!
Disney did one test market screening for THE WRONG
GUY. Not surprisingly, it played poorly. Imagine
that... poor scores for a subtle parody starring an
eccentric comic actor, with much of the humor making
reference to films that have never been seen by the
prime test audience, young teenagers. Sure, Disney
was hoping for something like an ACE VENTURA or THE
WATERBOY, something that would be huge with the
14-21 crowd. That’s their coveted demographic these
days. They probably broke the script down by the
numbers: innocent man accused, failing bank, love
interest, evil must be stopped. That describes the
basic shape of the film, but it leaves out the
details, and that’s what distinguishes this particular
comedy. When Disney lost Hollywood Pictures, they
should have sold THE WRONG GUY’s rights to someone
else, a distributor who could, and would, actually
market the film.
I don’t think I understood NORTH BY NORTHWEST until I
was nineteen. The recruited audience for THE WRONG
GUY screening consisted mostly of your average high
school/college age kids with no film background.
Responses from the screening indicated a dislike of
Dave Foley as a lead, but that doesn’t take into
account what a monumental boob Foley’s playing in the
movie. Disney’s marketing department claims the film
has "no stars" and "is not a parody."
First of all, isn’t Disney the studio that released A
BUG’S LIFE? Didn’t that film "star" Dave Foley? And
before anyone says, "No, because it was animated,"
tell me who the stars of TOY STORY were. Is it really
a kiss of death to have a "no-name" star? Keep in
mind the film’s total budget. Director David
Steinberg only had 10 million to work with (give or
take a few pennies). How can you have a "star" in a
film with such a small budget? The whole thing would
only cover half of Jim Carrey’s salary. Is Disney
saying that small films don’t make money? They can if
they're marketed properly. Check out the per-screen
average on Artisan Entertainment’s THE BLAIR WITCH
PROJECT so far.
As for their other comment -- "It’s not a parody" --
that remark boggles my mind. Did we see the same
film? I can only assume that the marketing
team associated with this film has never seen a
Hitchcock film, or a single episode of KIDS IN THE
HALL. This film is true to the style of work Foley’s
done before. He co-wrote the script, and it plays
directly to his strengths. He obviously understands
parody better than the people supposedly selling his
movie do.
As an artist, you can only wait for a studio so long.
Dave Foley knew he had something on his hands, so he
screened the film at the Aspen Comedy Arts Festival
this year, where THE WRONG GUY received a "best
screenplay" award. You’d think that would light a
fire under a few asses, give a marketing department an
angle to work with, but no. THE WRONG GUY has gained
a sort of reputation in the comedy industry as being a
lost gem. Still, the film gathers dust to this day.
I can recall an incident similar to THE WRONG GUY,
when the very public battle was going on between Terry
Gilliam and Universal over BRAZIL. Gilliam chose to
fight fire with fire, and was very public about it.
He eventually won because he believed in his film.
Sometimes you have to stab for that ankle, and hope
the giant will fall.
If Disney had its way and was able to lock THE WRONG
GUY away, I wouldn’t have been able to see the movie.
But here’s the problem for Disney –- we (AICN) did see
it. I started writing this as a simple review, but the
backstory was just too interesting. I hope someday
I’ll actually be able to review the release version of
the film and give all those people who made the film
great their moment in the spotlight. I’m writing this
because I actually want to see this small film
succeed, and the only way it can is if it’s allowed to
be shown in theaters. A brief aside here to Dave
Foley -- you were right. THE WRONG GUY is some of
your best work. You’ve done all you can.
Now it’s time for you to do the right thing with THE
WRONG GUY, Disney, and remember: we’re watching!
FreeRide Forever!
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I can't believe it, I AM FIRST.
Sorry, I just had to do this at least once. I am not a virgin anymore woo hooo -
Some films, like the Wrong Guy, should be released. Others, like Space Truckers, should be sent into the fiery pits of hell. And where's that Fantastic Four movie they did a few years ago?
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The Fantastic Four "movie" has been booted on video more than a few times and is as commonplace at geekcons as copies of that atrocious "Star Wars Holiday Special." With the exception of the versatile Jay Underwood(Johnny Storm AND Sonny Bono, what an actor!), the FF flick is an embarassment. Too bad the demand for Dave Foley's movie probably won't be enough to guarantee it such ready availability on video. Pisser.
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Jul 27, 1999 4:25:46 AM CDT
ATTN: DISNEY FLUNKIES! Tell your bosses I promise to go see it
by the tall man
Okay, I admit, I did not pay to see BRAIN CANDY in the theaters, but I did rent it. But I've grown to be a huge Dave fan since then - HUGE! To whichever DISNEY flunkie who is reading this who can tell somebody, who'll tell somebody, who'll tell somebody who can make a difference, please let them know that I promise to go see THE WRONG GUY once AND I'll take my girlfriend - full price FIRST RUN! Now, how many others out there are vollunteering? Let em hear ya baby! I'd rather watch DAVE that ADAM ANY DAY! Let's rally the troops! Thanks.
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Well i am a Canadian from Ottawa. I've been a huge fan of KITH i must have seen every episode. When I found out Dave Foley was making his own movie I had to see it. If it had come out in theater I surely would have seen it there. It was a good movie, but I was disapointed more of the KITH regulars weren't included. They had Kevin McDonald who is my personal favorite in a very short cameo. Foley's character was supposed to be a remake of an old KITH character. I hope the KITH troupe makes more of these sorts of films its nice to see thier brand of comedy out there everyonce in a while.
Prince Lucifer -
Good Lord! As a Dave Foley fan, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say FUCK YOU YOU DUMB MOVIE COMPANY! Why in god's name would you think ANY movie that is made by a former KITH member would be ANYTHING like an Adam Sandler movie? WHY? Did they bother to watch the damn movie? DID THEY BOTHER TO EVEN WATCH ONE GODDAMNED SKIT FROM KITH? St. Peter, Paul and Mary! I will see this movie a lot if you just let me!
Uh! You just don't get it! -
My first glimpse of the "Kids" was late at night while my parents were flipping through channels and I saw Satan on HBO. Anyways, I stumbled upon that image later and came to realize the one they called Dave was my favorite performer. "On the subject of me..."
Ok, enough about me. I saw Dave on Conan one night and they showed a clip from the movie and I went on a desperate quest to find it. Thank god I'm going to Canada next week because if I can I'm going to buy the movie and put it in my "treasured" spot on the video rack next to the TV. About the Conan episode...Dave was really great about the whole Disney thing. He didn't act bitter, he just smiled that ironic smile of his and said a certain company wouldn't release the film. He was also funnier than Conan or his guests that night. If anyone saw it, they had Joy Behart(SP?) from the View (terrible show, just terrible!) and Dave was totally stealing the show from her just by saying one word as innocently as possible. ; ) -
If you want to respond to my piece through eMail, my address is as follows:
FreeRide_n@yahoo.com.
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"The Wrong Guy" is the funniest movie I had seen in a long time, the Climactic scene had me in stitches for days.
It is unfortunate that Disney won't take the plunge, but then the Mouse Company hasn't taken a chance since Walt got frozen. Let's face it, Disney isn't going to release something that is actualy good and original, not when they can make another remake of "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes". (Hey, isn't about time for the limited edition, special re-relase of the "Masterpiece of Crap" "The Shaggy D.A."?)
Oh the bright side, it's something us Canucks have over you Yanks. (Phase one of our invasion plan complete, we are ready for phase two "The Beachcomers movie"!)
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Apparently KITH are going to reunite and tour theatres across Canada. Supposedly new material in the works too. Yay
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It sounds great and I'd love to see it on the big screen. But it sounds like that ain't gonna happen. What I don't get is with all the straight to video movies in stores these days, and the increasing importance of rentals to a film's profitability, what the hell is keeping this out of the video market? It could be a cult classic if Disney gave it a chance, without the financial risk that comes from putting it in theaters. Or does that make too much sense?
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You know...I don't think Disney wants to be associated with this movie. Their loss. Why not give it to Miramax or sell it to some other company, eh? (Luv ya Canadians!) I'm sure it's not that simple, but worth a shot.
Straight to video movies are starting to scare me because not all of them are of poor quality, just in search of a quick buck. I sure as hell don't want to see the end of the film era come in MY lifetime and I have a lot of livin' to do still! Look what happened to pornos! If you don't know what I'm talking about, see BOOGIE NIGHTS...a great movie, BTW. -
My viewing of the movie was almost as James Bondsian as FreeRide's here. I had a friend up north who crossed the border rented the movie from Blockbuster in Canada and made me a bootleg copy. It's a hilarious film with huge tips of the hat to Hitchcock (my favorite director). I'm sorry it got lost in the Hollywood Pictures go belly up saga. Any chance Disney will just release it straight to video here? I love my bootleg, but I'm willing to pay money to buy a legal copy. I swear! Dave Foley is always good and his brief scene with fellow KITH, Kevin McDonald was great for me. They had that old magical comic timing down pat. One correction to FreeRide's review. It wasn't Nelson's father-in-law who was murdered, but Nelson's "soon-to-be" father-in-law. He was engaged to THE WRONG DAUGHTER!
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Hey, this movie has been out in Denmark (you know: that little spot on the map next to Sweden) for ages. At least half a year or maybe even more. Anyway: it
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.....and now I know why. It did a good job of putting me to sleeppppppppppppppppppp
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The Godfather,
That should actually be:
Sleeeeeeeeeeeeeep. Too many "p" give the impress that you spit when you talk. Either that, or you're a horse.
(shrug) -
The reason I chose a 'p' instead of an 'e' is because it's the last letter I hit as I fall asleeppppppppp. Otherwise, it would be sleeeeee....And no I'm not a horse, although being The Godfather there is a connection with a horse and sleep. Out.
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