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Black Sheep (1996)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
2 February 1996 (USA) moreTagline:
There's one in every family.Plot:
A gubernatorial candidate hires a wormy special assistant whose only job is to make sure the candidate's well-meaning but incompetent brother doesn't ruin the election. full summary | add synopsisNewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Birthday Bash: Impossible Missions, Punch-Outs And Red Carpet Antics Are Causes For Celebration (From MTV Movies Blog. 29 June 2009, 7:00 AM, PDT)
Black Sheep - Blu-ray Review
(From Monsters and Critics. 27 May 2009, 8:35 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
Quite possibly the late Chris Farley's funniest movie. more (80 total)US TV Schedule:
| Thur. Nov. 19 | 7:30 AM | HBO |
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Chris Farley | ... | Mike Donnelly | |
| David Spade | ... | Steve Dodds | |
| Tim Matheson | ... | Al Donnelly | |
| Christine Ebersole | ... | Governor Tracy | |
| Gary Busey | ... | Drake Sabitch | |
| Grant Heslov | ... | Robbie Mieghem | |
| Timothy Carhart | ... | Roger Kovary | |
| Bruce McGill | ... | Neuschwander | |
| Michael Patrick Carter | ... | Scott Colleary | |
| Boyd Banks | ... | Clyde Spinoza | |
| David St. James | ... | Motorcycle Cop | |
| Skip O'Brien | ... | State Trooper | |
| Branden R. Morgan | ... | Fan | |
| 'Gypsy' Spheeris | ... | Pocket Pool Lady | |
| John Ashker | ... | Jim Blaine |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for crude language and humor, drug-related material and sexual innuendo.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
87 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
DolbyCertification:
Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Denmark:16 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #33985) | Iceland:LFun Stuff
Trivia:
At the Governor's Press conference, the television stations attending are real Seattle TV stations: KING-TV, KCPQ-TV, and KOMO-TV. KOMO even went as far a actually being on location and loaning equipment for the shoot. They have done this before and since: Harry and the Hendersons (1987) and Life or Something Like It (2002) moreGoofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Mike suggests to Scott that they go to park every day to practice throwing, we hear Scott reply "Sure", but he is smiling at his grandmother without moving his mouth. moreSoundtrack:
Lord Is a Monkey moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (80 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Black Sheep (1996)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Rectum joke | aprocaccio |
| Funniest Scene | matthewdski21-2 |
| The Bat | her_majesty_zoe |
| did you see this in thearters? | madapod |
| 'I just don't want to die' | eriste |
| spades view on movie | pastabakeboy |
Recommendations
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| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section |
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Black Sheep is one of the two films in which Chris Farley stars alongside the constant sarcasm of David Spade (the other being Tommy Boy, which is almost as funny), and the results are childish but endlessly amusing. Farley plays Mike Donnelly, the younger and nuttier brother of Al Donnelly, who is campaigning to be governor of Washington. Mike's seemingly constant screw-ups, which cause serious havoc during his brother's campaign, provide for the majority of the comedy in the film. There can be no mistake that this is entirely slapstick comedy, but it succeeds very well because Farley can pull it off so well. The hopelessly geeky Spade balances out Farley's hyper-activity with his collected but nerdy performance, leaving us with an odd couple that could be called a slightly less mature version of that of the late Walter Matthou and the later Jack Lemmon (a moment of silence for Matthou, Lemmon, and Farley, would be in order about now ).
It is strange that such an immature film could deal so extensively with a relatively serious subject as politics and still manage to keep the slapstick successful, especially since there are moments of real emotion in the film. Gary Busey appears in a small but very effective and amusing role as Sgt. Drake Savage, a military-minded guy who ultimately seems to have a heart of gold. The interactions between him and Spade are some of the funniest moments in the film, along with the constant humor that seems to always be emanating from Farley. The cabin scene with Mike and Steve (Spade) is especially amusing ("I got dibs on top bunk!").
I am not going to attempt to say that Black Sheep is a truly intellectual film, nor is there anything particularly amazing about the script or direction, but the comedy is excellent, there can be no mistake about that. I mean, Tommy Boy and other movies, like Major Payne, are no cerebral workouts either, but the comedy is there. That's the reason to watch these movies, and to their credit, you can tell that just by looking at the cover. You probably won't learn anything or see the portrayal of many serious issues in a movie like Black Sheep, but you will laugh heartily and you will remember it for that.