This weekend you have some pretty weak movie options. When What to Expect When You’re Expecting is the best option you know it’s a bad week. I almost always hate comedies about being pregnant. The obvious exception is Knocked Up but that’s still one of my least favorite Apatow films. However I have always loved Home Fries. The Demented Dark Comedy starring a pregnant Drew Barrymore (as opposed to Riding in Cars with Boys which is a bland romantic comedy starring a pregnant Drew Barrymore)
Sally Jackson is in a pickle. She’s pregnant with the baby of Henry Montier. When she became pregnant she didn’t know that Henry was married. However Sally’s problems have just doubled. It seem’s Henry’s wife isn’t too happy with the affair and has her sons Angus (Jake Busey) and Dorian (Luke Wilson) ‘Scare Henry to death’ knowing about his heart condition.
However why flying their Helicopters (they’re pilots… I should mention that) their radio crosses frequencies with the local fast food burger joint. Angus becomes obsessed that the employees ‘heard too much’ and will report them to the police, meanwhile Henry’s ex-wife Beatrice (Catherine O’Hara) wants to find the girl Henry cheated on her with.
Dorian gets a job at the fast food place (where Sally happens to work) and slowly falls in love with Sally. Dorian pieces together that Sally is the girl Henry was cheating on Beatrice with. Knowing that Beatrice has driven Angus to murderous levels of revenge Dorian does everything in her power to keep the family from knowing.
The film did poorly in the box office and managed to get a minor 31% on rotten tomatoes. That being said the film is a fun dark comedy. Obviously everything feels a little too convenient but when you shut off your brain and enjoy the movie you stop caring.
Luke Wilson is an actor who always looks like he doesn’t care meanwhile Jake Busey is always such an over the top actor that the two of them arguing provides some legitamite laughs and interesting sequences.
Few romantic comedies would aim so hard towards the female demographic (like this film did) but provide a film about murder and infidelity. It’s not the best film in the world, nor is it one of the best films of 1998, but it’s a good entertaining film that is worth your time.
Matt Kelly also writes in his blog Pure Mattitude, Tweets, and hosts a podcast called The Saint Mort Show