Jim Emerson Movies
Arguably the least successful of the many feature film spin-offs of Saturday Night Live television sketch characters, this comedy barely won a quick theatrical release. Julia Sweeney stars as the titular Pat Riley, an obnoxious, drooling nerd of mind-boggling androgyny. Pat is also a bit of a klutz, which leads to his/her dismissal from a range of workplaces, including a sushi bar and the United States Postal Service. As a next door neighbor, Kyle (Charles Rocket), becomes obsessed with distinguishing Pat's gender, even to the point of seducing Pat and stealing his/her diary, things begin looking up for the plucky hero/heroine. Pat meets a significant other, the equally sexless "Chris" (Dave Foley), gets engaged, and wins fame and success as a frank radio talk-show host. The real-life rock band Ween also plays a significant role in Pat's misadventures, casting him/her in a rock video after catching Pat's cringe-inducing musical performance on the TV show "America's Creepiest People." Despite a rumored rewrite of the script by Sweeney's hip longtime friend Quentin Tarantino, the film was considered one of the year's biggest turkeys. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Sweeney, Dave Foley, (more)
With an off-beat sense of humor that appeals to a certain age group, no matter what their chronological years may be, this action spoof seems poised to become a cult item. Awesome Lotus (Loraine Masterson) is a karate champ with a sidekick named Tofu Caca (Peter Schuyler). Tofu is also a martial arts expert, despite the fact he's blind, deaf, and mute, but when the bathing cap he always wears comes off in a fight, he can suddenly see -- and sing opera! Awesome herself waxes philosophic with Asian-flavored sayings as she pursues a nasty Nazi who is killing off fashion models because his beloved hound dog was done in by silkworms. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
