Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Slammin' Salmon Blu-ray Movie Review

The latest from Broken Lizard serves up a few hearty laughs and a decent Blu-ray presentation.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman April 7, 2010

I'm trying to pass it...anally.

A new Comedy classic? No. A painful reminder of how the once-proud genre has, since the days of Bill Murray and John Candy, lost its way? Fortunately not. A middle-of-the-road laugher that makes for a decent time-killer? Yes. Broken Lizard -- the same team responsible for the fan-favorite Super Troopers and the middling pictures Beerfest and Club Dread -- has once again written and starred in their latest effort, The Slammin' Salmon, the picture also directed by one of their own, Kevin Heffernan. A low-budget picture and without a wide theatrical release, The Slammin' Salmon is the sort of movie that's going to have to find a following on home video if it's to ultimately prove a success. The picture's good enough to earn some rentals, if would-be viewers can take the title and seemingly idiotic premise with a grain of salt. Broken Lizard fans will be all over it, but for those more casual viewers that think of "Broken Lizard" as a reptilian with a bum leg and not as a five-man comedy team, Michael Clarke Duncan and word-of-mouth will likely prove the only selling points for a movie that doesn't exactly have millions in marketing schemes to push it into every home around the world.

The five-second rule takes on new meaning in 'The Slammin' Salmon.'

Cleon "Slammin'" Salmon (Michael Clarke Duncan, Daredevil) is a former boxer-turned-restaurateur whose establishment, appropriately dubbed The Slammin' Salmon, offers patrons an upscale dining experience despite a scatterbrained wait staff. When Cleon -- known to his employees as "The Champ" -- finds himself in debt for $20,000, he challenges his manager, Rich Ferente (Kevin Heffernan), to raise the money in a single night of sales. Rich promises the restaurant's quirky wait staff a getaway to an elite spa as a reward for whoever brings in the most money. As the night draws on and the promised prizes become of a larger value, hilarity ensues as the staff -- including the med school student Tara (Cobie Smulders), the heavily medicated Nuts (Jay Chandrasekhar), the former television star Connor (Steve Lemme), the drunkard bus boy Donnie (Paul Soter), the bimbo blonde Mia (April Bowlby), and the guy with the long last name (Erik Stolhanske) -- must find new and ultra-creative ways to separate their customers from their money while making sure nobody else can claim to be the evening's top earner.

It would be easy to write this take on The Slammin' Salmon with plenty of fishy wordplay, but that would probably make most readers crabby, lead them into a floundering daze, and turn this review into the halibut of jokes around the Internet. OK, sorry. The Slammin' Salmon doesn't overindulge in such mackerel (last one, promise!), instead finding much of its humor in the world of zealous competition in the food service industry and the tit-for-tat game of one-upmanship among co-workers that inevitably comes into play when there's 10 large ones at stake. A movie that's built on stale and recycled gags nevertheless finds some genuine humor and more than a few honest-to-goodness laugh-out-loud moments, thanks not to the script but instead Broken Lizard's good sense of comedic timing and posturing, each member able to breathe some new life into old material and truly capture the spirit of what it is they're trying to do, which in all honesty isn't anything more than making people laugh. The movie never takes itself seriously, and combined with the fact that the picture was acted, written, and directed all by the same group of people, there's no middleman to get in the way of the creativity behind the material, either in front of or behind the camera. Nothing here is at all groundbreaking, but it's done with a sincerity -- even behind the wink-and-nod to the audience that says in every scene not to put too much thought into the movie -- that makes the The Slammin' Salmon more often than not an agreeable and, more importantly, funny time-waster.

The Slammin' Salmon's mostly vacuous gags prove the real meat-and-potatoes of the movie. The story is loose and not worth much of anything outside of serving as a frame in which to base the humor, and the characters -- while all suitably different one from another -- really aren't much more than vehicles through which to pump out the gags. That's not a criticism; it's more an observation, for it's not at all fair to pick apart a movie like this -- and one titled The Slammin' Salmon at that -- when it's perfectly clear that it isn't aiming for much more than the lowest common denominator. Fortunately, the Broken Lizard team has put more thought, care, and integrity into the picture than most others that try and crank out lowball, low-effort, nonsensical "comedy" (ah hem); that doesn't make it some mind-blowing picture that's threatening to redefine the genre, but it is a pleasant little picture that's not excessively dumb and at least warrants a watch. As noted earlier, the film's cast -- made of the Broken Lizard team and a few tagalongs -- proves one of its best assets, and Michael Clarke Duncan steals the show as a big, lumbering former boxer and current restaurant owner who's all braun and no brains. He embraces the role with everything he's got, and while his performance here is not on the same plane as his effort in The Green Mile that garnered him an Oscar nomination, his participation makes the movie a bit more palatable than it otherwise deserves to be.

The Slammin' Salmon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

On the menu at The Slammin' Salmon is a tasty 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer that's sure to satisfy most any appetite. This image is stable and clear with no bothersome blemishes and a light layer of grain. The picture is abundantly colorful with blues the dominant hue. Bright blue shades make up both the wait staff uniforms and the restaurant's booths, though most every shade in the book makes an appearance, too, notably in the form of Mia's bright red burn marks, multi-colored fruits and vegetables seen in the restaurant's steely walk-in refrigerator, or Cleon's salmon-colored sports coat. Though fine detail and absolute clarity appear rather high in clothing or the stone-like textures of the restaurant's walls and booths, the image can look a bit flat overall, and faces sometimes lack much more than cursory definition, taking on a slightly smooth texture. Black levels are stable, but flesh tones often veer towards the red end of the spectrum. The Slammin' Salmon looks fairly good; it lacks a true film-like texture and won't be mistaken for The Lovely Bones, but this colorful transfer holds up well from beginning to end.

The Slammin' Salmon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Slammin' Salmon serves a PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack that goes nicely with the well-done 1080p picture quality. This low-budget Comedy doesn't exactly sport the most immersive or convincing track on the market, but for a dialogue-driven movie, there's little room to complain. Fidelity is solid, and there's a noticeable difference in heft and absolute clarity between the PCM track and the included lossy Dolby Digital mix. Music is clearly delivered throughout with no discernible hiccups, and it enjoys a noticeable back-channel presence in conjunction with the more robust cues. Discrete sound effects aren't plentiful, but those of a more prominent pronouncement -- for instance a ringing bell -- play with an honest realism. The track isn't awash in realistic atmospherics; rarely is there a definitive sense of immersion, even when the restaurant is at its busiest. Only minor background effects such as chatty patrons or clanking dinnerware make their presences known, but there's just not much to them. Fortunately, the track's cornerstone element, its dialogue reproduction, never wavers. Overall, this PCM track delivers a good presentation that's on par with what one would reasonably expect of a movie such as this. It's perfectly suitable for the material but never does anything of note to make a lasting sonic impression.

The Slammin' Salmon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Slammin' Salmon cooks up a few extras for this Blu-ray release. First up are two commentary tracks, the first featuring Writer/Director Kevin Heffernan and Writer/Actor Steve Lemme. The track is free-flowing and informative, technical but not boring, the participants sharing a fine array of insights into the actors, the story, the look, and the construction of the picture. There's no lack of effort here; Heffernan and Lemme never stop to catch their breath and show just how enthusiastic they are for their craft in this track. The other three members of Broken Lizard -- Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske -- man track two. This commentary is on par with the first; it's easy to get into, informative, not too technical, but of good overall value. It never wanders too far from pertinent information but it also features some lighter moments that keep things interesting and fun. Broken Lizard fans will want to spend time with both of these tracks. Hellish Kitchen: Art Imitates Restaurant Life (1080i, 6:51) features the Broken Lizard troupe sharing their thoughts and memories on the restaurant business. Also included is the film's trailer (1080p, 2:34) and an easter egg found under the listing for the trailer (1080i, 0:42).

The Slammin' Salmon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Slammin' Salmon isn't a modern classic, but it's a passable, even slightly-above-average, Comedy that manages to find some humor in a string of old jokes. The picture's low-budget nature, (almost) singular set, and bland costuming don't hurt the movie, either, thanks to Broken Lizard's ability to squeeze just enough LPM's (laughs per minute) from the material and keep things moving at a steady and honest pace. Michael Clarke Duncan steals the show as the restaurant's lame-brained owner, but the rest of the cast is good, too, particularly the members of the five-man Broken Lizard troupe. Fans of their previous work and style will get a kick out of this one. This Blu-ray release from Starz/Anchor Bay serves up a palatable presentation. While the video and audio qualities won't dazzle, they nevertheless serve the material well, and the included supplements, too, are suitable for the quality and style of movie they accompany. The Slammin' Salmon is best enjoyed as a rental.