For the life of me, I can't figure out who might want to watch this movie. I mean, let's face it, we're all pretty familiar with Chris Elliot's pseudo absurdist comedy and it just isn't funny. He had a Fox TV sit-com that miraculously lasted a couple of seasons (What was it called? - Anyone?) and he worked on "Saturday Night Live" for a bit. But surely Elliot's best work was with late night TV's David Letterman during his early days on NBC. Here Elliot would pop up sporadically and play very well off of Letterman. Maybe they worked so well together because the esoteric Elliot made Letterman look far less goofy than he actually is.

Anyway, with this background, it's hard to imagine anyone giving Elliot and his buddy Adam Resnick, who also worked on the sit-com, the money to do a feature film. Especially if they saw the script or concept. How could you sell this as anything but a tax write-off? Some how, Tim Burton got suckered in. He co-produces here.

Letterman, for his part, pays off what must be an old poker bet by appearing in a cameo here. It's the only truly humorous moment in the film. Letterman ad-libs with his usual jabs at Elliot's expense. It's amusing and fans of the TV host will surely enjoy it.

The only other fun to be squeezed out of the stupidity that is "Cabin Boy" comes from recognizing stars in cameos. Russ Tamblyn ("West Side Story," TV's "Twin Peaks") shows up several times in a role that, luckily, requires no lines. Alfred Molina ("Enchanted April," "Prick Up Your Ears"), who like Letterman wisely goes uncredited here, also has a small cameo as a school teacher. Ann Magnuson has a bit part and Bob Elliot, Chris' dad and a part of the famous Bob and Ray team of yesteryear, also has a cameo as, what else, Chris' dad. Meanwhile, Brian Doyle-Murray (Bill's brother who was also in Elliot's sit-com) has a big part as does Conan O'Brien's sidekick Andy Richter. The real surprise here is when the final credits reveal that Ricki Lake has had a few scenes in the film. You don't recognize her so I won't spoil it for you.

Anyway, on to the plot. "Cabin Boy" is nonsense about Elliot playing a rich smart-ass, called a "Fancy Lad" here, who graduates prep school and is set to make his way to Hawaii and a wealthy father's nepotism. Along the way, he ends up in a lowly fisherman's boat, ala "Captain's Courageous," and has an adventure on "The Filthy Whore" (the boat) with it's crew. It's pretty standard stuff that was handled with much more humor (and with much less time) on a "Saturday Night Live" skit in the early days with John Belushi.

If "Jason and the Argonauts" holds a special place in your heart, than you might enjoy the absurdist homage we get mid-way through the film here. There's even a nod to the perennial TV Xmas fave "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer." But, with 6 special effects labs in tow, the visual trickery is really nothing to gawk at. It is only slightly better than average.

"Cabin Boy" has no reason to be. The money used to make this film would have been better spent on more diamonds for Elizabeth Taylor. Still, I suppose somewhere in the universe there is one Chris Elliot fan who is eternally delighted to have this video in his collection. And then, of course, theres the joy it brought to Chris himself...

Note: Story by Elliot and Resnick. Scripted and Directed by Resnick. Director of Photography is Steve Yaconelli. Music by Steve Bartek.

Also with Ritch Brinkley, James Gammon, Brian James and Melora Walters.

Letterman used a clip from his cameo here to develop a funny bit which was surely the "highlight of the night" when he hosted the Oscar presentation in 1995.

Review written in 1995

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