Good Burger is a 1997 comedy film directed by Brian Robbins and starring Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson, Sinbad, Shar Jackson, Abe Vigoda, George Clinton, and Jan Schweiterman. Carmen Electra and NBA player Shaquille O'Neal also make brief cameo appearances in the movie. It was the second film to be marketed under the Nickelodeon name.
| Good Burger | |
|---|---|
| File:Good burger.jpg Promotional Poster For Good Burger | |
| Directed by | Brian Robbins |
| Produced by | Mike Tollin |
| Starring | Kel Mitchell Kenan Thompson Sinbad Abe Vigoda Shar Jackson Dan Schneider Ron Lester Jan Schweiterman Josh Server |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release dates | July 25,1997 |
Running time | 103 min. |
| Language | English |
Plot
Template:Spoiler The plot concerns the exploits of Ed (Kel Mitchell), Good Burger employee and Dexter (Kenan Thompson), a high-schooler who just started working at Good Burger to pay off the debt of a car accident. When a new burger resturant opens up across the street, Mondo Burger, the Good Burger employees must try to save the restaruant from being run out of business. The movie was based on the popular Good Burger skit, in which Kel plays the infamous Ed, a not-so bright cashier at a fast food restaurant. After trying to compete with the large resturant across the street by creating a secret sauce, Kenan and Kel's characters find out that Mondo Burger's beef is somehow unnatural. They go undercover, and reveal an even more illegal scheme within the Mondo Burger. The main characters in the movie use a vehicle known as the "Burgermobile" (the Burgermobile is based on an AMC Pacer; the vehicle has also been part of the art car community). The same AMC Pacer was used in Wayne's World and Wayne's World 2 as the Mirthmobile.
The Good Burger catch phrase is:
- "Welcome to Good Burger, home of the Good Burger, can I take your order? (and in Ed's case)...haa..."
The film was released by Paramount Pictures and was rated PG in both the US and UK. This movie was set in the quiet fictional Florida city of Brierdale.
Themes
Despite its kid oriented appearance, Good Burger has a variety of adult-oriented themes.
- The movie vehemently advocates economic monopolies, and decries competition several times.
- Sex appeal as a woman's way to advance up the corporate ladder.
- The negative effects of the fast food industry.
- The draw of the California "dudebro" archetype on society.
- Ed seems to portray the stereotypical stoner (although obviously not explicitly referred to).
Retro references
Several homages to 1970s media have been made in Good Burger. Notable occurrences include:
- An AMC Pacer is used as the Burgermobile.
- Shaft is spoofed with the Shaft Theme at the beginning of the movie.
- George Clinton makes a cameo appearance and his song "(Not Just) Knee Deep" plays in the movie.
- A 1970s Cadillac gets smashed up while the ice cream truck is evading the insane asylum truck.
- A sampled version of "Do Fries Go With That Shake" is played at the beginning of the movie.
- A cover version of "Roxanne" by The Police was played in the movie.
Songs in movie:
- "Do Fries Go With That Shake?" by George Clinton
- "Man" by The Presidents of the United States of America
- "All I Want" by 702
- "(Not Just) Knee Deep" by George Clinton
- "We're All Dudes" by Less Than Jake featuring Kel Mitchell
- "Roxanne" by The Police
- "That's The Way (It's Goin' Down)" by Mint Condition
- "I'll Be There For You" by Tracie Spencer
- "(Not The) Greatest Rapper" by 1000 Clowns
- "Friends" by Warren G, Snoop Dogg, and Nate Dogg
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Kel Mitchell | Ed |
| Kenan Thompson | Dexter Reed |
| Sinbad | Mr. Wheat |
| Abe Vigoda | Otis |
| Shar Jackson | Monique |
| Dan Schneider | Mr. Baily |
| Ron Lester | Spatch |
| Jan Schweiterman | Kurt Bozwell |
| Josh Server | Fizz |
| Linda Cardellini | Heather |
| Shaquille O'Neal | Himself |
| Robert Wuhl | Angry Customer |
| Carmen Electra | Roxanne (uncredited) |
| Marques Houston | Jake |
Trivia
- The ___location of Good Burger and Mondo Burger were filmed at West Covina, California.
- During a cavity search of the character Quagmire from Family Guy, a copy of the Good Burger movie is found.
- In the family guy episode He's Too Sexy for His Fat which is about Chris trying to loose weight Good Burger is referenced when Cleveland claims that his brother Broderick performed liposuction on actress Nell Carter and used the excess fat to “make the two kids from Good Burger"
- At the end of the movie the crazy girl (Heather) is shown at the end cheering for Ed so she lied about not escaping.
Box Office
The film was released on July 25, 1997 and had a budget of $9,000,000. It opened in 5th place with $7,058,333 and in total, the film earned $23,712,993 in the US & Canada alone, making a tidy profit.
External link
- Good Burger at IMDb