Rating summary

Movie		0.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.0

Frank McKlusky, C.I. Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 5, 2018

In 2002, Jim Carrey wasn’t entirely interested in being the Jim Carrey audiences wanted him to be. By this time, he was branching out with dramas like “The Truman Show” and “Man on the Moon,” beginning to leave behind a career in broad comedies, requiring Hollywood to scramble like mad and find a new guy to make a proper big screen mess. The suits at Disney settled on Dave Sheridan, an unknown actor who generated some interest with turns in “Bubble Boy” and “Ghost World.” Sheridan wasn’t Carrey, but that wasn’t going to stop the Mouse House from trying to pull off a successful makeover, fitting Sheridan for a wacky character in “Frank McKlusky, C.I.” Carrey certainly made his share of duds, but he’s never been involved in something this atrocious, finding Sheridan lost at sea trying to make a DOA script (by Mark Perez) and clueless direction from Arlene Sanford resemble something functional. While there are plenty of curious additions to the movie (which offers a supporting cast that includes Dolly Parton and Chyna), there’s not nearly enough oddity to aid digestion of this cruelly unfunny disaster. It’s one thing to mimic a Carrey comedy, it’s another to completely misunderstand why people loved the star in the first place.

As a boy, Frank McKlusky (Dave Sheridan) wanted in on the family daredevil business, hoping to follow in the footsteps of his father, “Madman” McKlusky (Randy Quaid). When Madman is brutally injured and rendered a vegetable, Frank’s mother, Edith (Dolly Parton), refuses to allow her son to be touched by risk, raising him with extreme care. Avoiding danger, Frank goes into the insurance investigation business, partnered with Jimmy (Kevin Farley), setting out to crack the case of Scout Bayou (Enrico Colantoni), a possible scam artist confined to a wheelchair. In the midst of their investigation, Jimmy is murdered, leaving Frank and his new partner, Sharon (Cameron Richardson), to figure out who killed his friend, following clues left behind to various points of interest. Armed with Frank’s costumes and his own growing confidence, Frank infiltrates various businesses and sporting events in an effort to nail Scout for the crime.

It’s difficult to know where to begin with “Frank McKlusky,” a film even Disney wasn’t interested in having people see after it was completed, giving the effort a contractually obligated run in the south before tossing the feature on home video, where its obsession with slapstick could be appreciated by a younger or possibly inebriated audience. I can’t blame the studio for this decision, as everything about “Frank McKlusky” is awful, starting with hand-holding narration from the titular character that’s clearly been ordered up just to cover storytelling gaps created when the movie was shaved down to 77 minutes during post-production. Frank is a chatty fellow in the endeavor, happy to explain any and all scene motivations to keep viewers clear on narrative movement, which is exhausting to listen to.

When Frank isn’t explaining everything, he’s flopping around the frame, with Perez dreaming up different ways to test the character’s ability to spy on insurance scoundrels after the loss of his partner, who, in a truly unfortunate running gag, is used as an object of repulsion when it’s discovered that he lived his life as a closeted gay man. This plot turn clears the way for Sheridan to strut his stuff as Frank suits up in various costumes, giving the actor the spotlight to tear it up as a master of disguise. Sadly, once “Frank McKlusky” goes Ace Ventura, it never recovers, following the insurance hero into a Hanson concert to track Scout’s possibly destructive fandom. To get close to a gymnast inside the Staples Center, Frank becomes part of the Romanian team, banging his testicles while carrying the general appearance of maleness, which, because this is Eastern European gymnastics, nobody notices. Frank also suits up in a cheap jockey costume at a horse track, and, in the film’s worst scene (just kidding, every scene is the worst scene), Frank delves into blackface to become Mr. T, trying to pity fools as he chases Scout throughout the city, forcing him to confront his daredevil blood. As for Sharon, she’s stuck in skimpy hot pink attire for no reason other than to boost visual appeal, and there’s plenty of unintentional laughs watching poor Richardson trying to pull her skirt down as she acts, possibly unaware the camera is trained on her.

One would think the cast alone might save “Frank McKlusky,” but the general ambiance is more freak show than parade of stars, with supporting turns from Quaid (who plays comatose for 90% of his screen time), Parton, Andy Richter, Adam Carolla, George Lopez, Molly Sims, Pat O’Brien, Gary Owens, Emmanuel Lewis, Lou Ferrigno, Willie Tyler and Lester, R. Lee Ermey, Chad Everett, and Chyna (portraying Frank’s not-so-secret admirer at the office) only adding a sense of bewilderment to an already baffling endeavor. And to secure ugliness, Perez is determined to inject as much stereotype-based humor and fart and poop jokes as possible, which fail to pair comfortably with Sheridan’s parade of pratfalls and Physical Comedy 101 ideas.

And for maximum discomfort, there’s another running gag that celebrates the career of Scott Baio, who’s often mistaken for Scout Bayou. Perhaps 2018 isn’t the best year to dissect the idea of assigning the “Charles in Charge” star superhero celebrity status.

Frank McKlusky, C.I. Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) is another offering from the Disney vault, arriving on Blu-ray with an older scan. The results aren't punishment (just the movie is), but age is apparent throughout the viewing experience. Colors do fine, benefiting from the feature's bright palette, which favors a cartoon look with explosive blues and reds, while literal circus hues enter the film during the climax. Clothing is also loud, delivering more extreme looks at McKlusky's costumes. Greenery is satisfactory and skintones are natural. Detail isn't strong, fighting some baked-in filtering, but the particulars of outfits are available, and close-ups bring out basic skin textures. Distances are acceptable, preserving bigness to a few of the slapstick encounters. Delineation is adequate. Grain becomes blockiness at times. Source is in fine shape, without major stretches of damage.

Frank McKlusky, C.I. Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers a basic emphasis on dialogue exchanges, giving the silliness clarity, picking up on performance choices and thespian interest. Scoring supports satisfactorily, with decent instrumentation and volume. Sound effects are defined, giving the listening event proper emphasis. Atmospherics are basic, but crowd scenes carry expanse.

Frank McKlusky, C.I. Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Home Video Advertisement (:37, SD) is included.

Frank McKlusky, C.I. Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Frank McKlusky" doesn't have a brain in its head or a spring in its step. Sheridan isn't a match for Carrey, and he doesn't fight hard enough to do something unique with the part, content to follow the comedy guide rails laid down in front of him. The performance is abysmal, as is the film, which tries hard to be boisterous fun without thinking scenes through. Sanford doesn't know what she's doing here, but to be fair, nobody does, with the production throwing a Hail Mary pass with Dave Sheridan stardom, trying to be the movie that takes a nobody and turns him into a box office giant. It didn't work out that way, and there are 77 minutes worth of reasons why offered here, making for a most painful sit.