Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Strange Brew Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 3, 2016

Out of everything that emerged from the bottomless pit of brilliance that was “SCTV,” who could’ve guessed that the antics of two Canadian brothers who love beer and conversation would be the most enduring. Bob and Doug McKenzie quickly rose to popularity after their 1980 television debut, with actors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas embracing the opportunity to gather every Canadian stereotype around, dreaming up a public access show hosted by toque-wearing siblings who guzzled beer, cooked back bacon, and riffed on any topic that came to mind. Instead of blending into “SCTV,” the characters exploded in popularity, celebrated as pop culture heroes in the Great White North while beguiling American audiences unaccustomed to such culture-specific satire. Armed with “Ehs,” Moranis and Thomas managed to squeeze a successful album out of their newfound fame, while also offered a chance to direct their own feature. 1983’s “Strange Brew” is pure McKenzie madness, finding inventive ways to extend the appeal of the brothers, using a Shakespearean foundation to support this wildly hilarious odyssey into brewery shenanigans and world domination. There’s even a flying dog.

Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug McKenzie (Dave Thomas) are nitwit brothers looking to get by on a diet of beer and irresponsibility. Trying to score a free case of beer with a mouse-in-a-bottle scam, the brothers take their claims to the Elsinore Brewery, which is attached to the Royal Canadian Institute for the Mentally Insane. Inside, they meet Pam (Lynne Griffin), a young woman left in control of the brewery after the sudden death of her father, John. Hoping to entice Pam to hand over the company is Claude (Paul Dooley), her uncle and now father-in-law, who quickly married John’s widow. Claude is conspiring with Brewmeister Smith (Max von Sydow) to create a tainted beer intended to control the minds of consumers, testing the formula on Institute residents, who engage in violent hockey matches while under the influence. Stepping into the middle of the conflict, Bob and Doug navigate professional opportunities and legal woes, wandering through danger as they accidentally uncover a conspiracy.

While ideas from the “SCTV” years help to inspire the comedy of “Strange Brew,” the screenplay (credited to Moranis, Thomas, and Steve De Jarnatt) is actually an extended take on “Hamlet,” with Claude a duplicitous man rising in position after his brother’s death and his own marriage to Pam’s mother, John is a literal ghost in the machine, and most of the action takes place inside the Elsinore Brewery, which hosts a series of double-crosses and power plays. This dramatic regality supports “Strange Brew” through its habitual weirdness, finding the production having a ball staging Shakespearean references, perverting them with nods to Canadian culture, and broader humor that finds the McKenzies stumbling through the action without ever truly understanding what’s going on.

While the “SCTV” segments were primarily simplistic, improvised moments intended to play up the natural chemistry shared by Moranis and Thomas, “Strange Brew” does a commendable job giving the characters something to do. Although crafted with a limited budget, the screenplay is filled with incident and action, following the brothers as they inadvertently disrupt Smith’s diabolical plans during their quest to a score a free “two-four.” Bob and Doug take to the ice during Elsinore’s maniacal hockey matches, feeling the brute force of men controlled by toxic beer, puppeted by sounds from a synthesizer. They’re targeted for death when the brake line on their van is slashed during an unusual keg delivery. And they end up in the mental institution, showing more interest in fooling around with shock treatment than saving their own lives. While “Strange Brew” is careful with its plot (which grows wilder by the minute), it’s attentive to the core appeal of the McKenzies, keeping the lovable drunks on the go as they greet supporting characters and eventually become wrapped up in Pam’s sinister melodrama, partnering with Rosie (Angus MacInnes), an ex-hockey star who’s zombified by Smith’s formula. Moranis and Thomas are at the top of their game here, delivering facial-contorting silliness with desired emphasis, keeping the brothers appealing as they slip in and out of the plot. They’re also capable behind the camera, pulling amazingly robust comedic performances out of the cast, including von Sydow, who digs into his villainous role, managing false teeth and head-squishing intimidation with sublime enthusiasm. Dooley is also fantastic as the doofy co-conspirator, always threatening to sabotage the beer scheme through perpetually misguided confidence.

“Strange Brew” isn’t afraid to go big with its sense of humor, perhaps unsettling those expecting a more sedate recycling of “SCTV” highlights. The charm of the feature is its fearlessness, never wandering from its desire to entertain in a big, bad way, working through gags that involve the brothers’ demanding, beer-swilling father (voiced by Mel Blanc), a Chuck Norris-looking lawyer (Len Doncheff) who welcomes unwanted attention from the press with a martial arts display, and the family dog, Hosehead, who also loves to drink and maybe, just maybe, is a secret superhero. There are meta movie jokes as well, with the picture introduced by a drunk Leo the Lion before commencing a film-within-a-film segment that finds the McKenzies sharing their backyard production, “Mutants of 2051 A.D.”, with a decidedly contentious audience. Moranis and Thomas never miss a chance to inject some wackiness into the effort, keeping “Strange Brew” humming along as it tackles density of plot with delicious oddity and plenty of classic McKenzie-isms.

Strange Brew Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I recently had the opportunity to see "Strange Brew" projected in 35mm at a local revival house, figuring it would be the last chance to view the feature with a naturally filmic presentation. The Blu-ray (AVC encoded, 1.78:1 aspect ratio) arrives with a fresh scan, and, miraculously, treats the effort with a great deal of respect. Detail is excellent, reaching the limits of the original cinematography (focus issues are now easily spotted), picking up on subtleties of set decoration, locations, and Moranis's neck hair (a furry grooming border I've never noticed before). Textures are touchable on fabrics. Colors are nicely refreshed, gifting a slightly warmer viewing experience to fans, with deep primaries and rich blacks. Skintones are spot-on. Delineation is ideal, with nothing lost to solidification. Grain is competently managed. Source is in fine shape, with only sporadic speckling. While "Strange Brew" has enjoyed a long life on all home entertainment options, this Blu-ray brings the movie as close to its original presentation as it's likely to get. The Hoser-Rama process has been faithfully restored.

Strange Brew Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix also surprises with its freshness. "Strange Brew" isn't ever going to be a deep sonic event, but the track handles the elements with confidence, bringing an inherently sharp soundscape to Blu-ray with life. Dialogue exchanges are crisp and tight, with clarity that actually identifies some intentionally buried background lines, adding to the comedic potential of the effort. Music is big and loud, with soundtrack selections retaining instrumentation, while scoring supports the moment as intended, never steamrolling over the performances. Atmospherics are blunt but effective, and sound effects are sharp, identifying their oddity.

Strange Brew Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "The Animated Adventures of Bob and Doug McKenzie" (4:47, SD) is a 2002 trailer for a proposed series that would bring the "SCTV" characters into the new millennium (it eventually went into production in 2009), trying to revive the brand through flash animation. While the novelty of hearing Moranis and Thomas is almost enough to thrill, the project isn't a proper fit for the actors, with laughs minimal at best.

• "How to Stuff a Mouse into a Beer Bottle" (2:23, SD) is a short clip from "SCTV," featuring a premise that inspired the plot for "Strange Brew."

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:52, HD) is included.

Strange Brew Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There are laughs galore in "Strange Brew," but embracing the effort takes a special level of relaxation, as it can be a highly bizarre endeavor, teeming with non sequiturs and comedic impulsiveness. Thankfully, the feature's absurdity is always good-natured and imaginative, keeping "Strange Brew" light enough to support the misadventures of the McKenzie Brothers, with Moranis and Thomas securing a snowballing story that makes ideal use of the characters, their Canadian glow, and indefatigable interest in mischief.