The Kids In The Hall: Brain Candy

One of the greatest sketch comedy team has to be The Kids In The Hall. This Canadian troop invaded American airwaves in the late 80's on HBO, instantly gaining a following. In the early 90's, they made the transition from cable to network on CBS latenight, which was an uneasy fit. CBS cancelled it after one season. The next logical step was of course film which came in the form of 1996's Brain Candy.

The five players, Dave Foley, Mark McKinney, Scott Thompson, Bruce McCulloch, and Kevin McDoanld, play most of the characters in the movie. The story centers around Chris Cooper, McDonald, a scientist at Roritor Pharmacueticals who has invented a drug that could be the cure for depression. The head of the company Don Roritor, McKinney, is impressed and rushes the pill into production. It's an instant success, but it has a dangerous side effect.

Even though they have toured and even had a miniseries on IFC in 2010, this movie felt like a last hurrah for the guys. And what a way to go out. This is a very clever comedy and a great showcase for the troop. All five guys are really funny in it. Some of the best characters include McCulloch as gloomy rock star, a scientist who has invented a drug that gives drugs to ex girlfriends, and Cancer Boy, a kid with Cancer and little hope. Thompson as a closeted gay man who finds his groove while on the pill. And McKinney as the no nonsense Roritor, which was based on producer Lorne Michaels. Foley doesn't have as much screen time because he was shooting News Radio simultaneously.

It also has a great soundtrack that includes songs from They Might Be Giants, Pizzicato Five, Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, and McCulloch's character from the movie.

Paramount, the distributer, had issues with the Cancer Boy character and wanted it cut from the film.The guys fought hard to keep it in the movie and won the battle. But they might have lost the war. The group felt that was why Paramount didn't really market the movie, causing it to flop.

There was an alternate ending shot to the movie as well with Foley playing a radical who tries to put an end to the drug. I was lucky enough to see this and I think they went with the better ending. I would love to see a special edition of this movie come out on blu ray with the alternate ending on the special features. But since the dvd is out of print, I doubt that this will happen.

This is a really funny film that Kids In the Hall fans will really enjoy.