Nina Siemaszko in Airheads (1994)

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Okay, what we have here is a great cast, a not too foul premise and a really really bad case of execution. I mean, shit, it's Adam Sandler, it's Steve Buscemi, it's Encino Man, it's the dude from Spinal Tap... So what went wrong? Well, just about everything. The producers clearly figured that if they made a movie about "rock and row-all" that the mindless teens would "dig" it without looking too deeply but I guess the mindless teens might have had the last laugh.

Of course, at the same time this guff was released, the "teens' were watching smart films like Heathers and Clerks, so faced with competition that was clearly smarter, funnier and better, Airheads sank like a stone into the realm of Sunday afternoon cable TV. Just as it deserved to. The amazing thing is though, Michael Lehmann, the director of this hokum, also directed Heathers. I guess everyone has a stinker in them.

Then again, he also directed Hudson Hawk. And Meet the Applegates. Maybe everyone has one non-stinker in them.

So the deal is, a rock band that nobody cares about decides it needs to take extreme measures to get heard by a record exec, so they sneak into a radio station and pretend they're packing heat. Word gets out, the cops surround the building, Sandler gets laid, some smarmy guys get their asses kicked, Chris Farley says two lines, big rockin' blow-out concert, end.

Sandler, to his credit, is funny in this role. This is a good thing, since Buscemi is not. Brendan Fraser is trying too hard throughout and seems to think this is a drama, the support cast are a little too into their "rock and row-all" personas (Joe Mantegna especially) and the whole ending just plods along like a lobotomized homeless guy with no pants.

It does have it's moments but I felt very ripped off that they were all shown in the trailer. If you're a Sandler fan, you have to see it just to say you've seen everything he's ever done. Then of course you'd go out to a bell tower with a rifle and slay countless people in the streets below, all the while crying at the cruel hand life dealt you.

But if you're no Sandler fan, there's nothing here for you but the soft, sweet knowledge that everything will be okay. Go rent Clerks and rejoice in mental health.

Nudity Report: Although nobody gets naked (even when Hollywood is making movies about subversive rock’n’roll elements, they still want that kid-friendly PG-13 rating), there’s still plenty of curves to look at in this lame-o comedy. The miss Wild Orchid II herself, Nina Siemaszko, makes an appearance as the girl who falls for Adam Sandler’s charms. Added to the film’s appeal is Amy Locane, playing Fraser’s bitchy yet awesome looking girlfriend. As she generally makes the life of her man miserable, she also shows up in a nice little thong. You’ll want to backhand her, while at the same time doggy-styling her… what’s up with that?

Ratings: Berardinelli: 2/4, Apollo Guide: 60/100, IMDB: 5.3/10, Amazon: 4.1/5, OZ: 2/5 - Occasional laughs don’t make up for the spaces in between.

Box Office: The film turned in an ordinary, yet not horrible considering, $5.3m across North America. It’s probably made four times that on video where Sandler fans are always giving it another chance.

Versions: TV/VHS/LASERDISC/DVD – Not a bad DVD considering what the film is, the region 1 release of Airheads includes two music videos, TV spots, a featurette and the trailer, as well as a widescreen format. The Laserdisc is letterboxed, with no features. As for the TV version, if badly dubbed curse replacements are your thing, you’ll have a blast.


Written by: OZ