Strange Brew

Part of the special series LOOSELY HAMLET

Bob McKenzie: This movie was shot in 3B – three beers – and it looks good, eh?

Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug McKenzie (Dave Thomas), two lovable slackers, stumble by chance into a conspiracy surrounding the historic brewery of Helsingør. What begins as a harmless quest for free beer turns into an adventure that contains a surprising number of elements from the structure of Hamlet: a dead father, a power-hungry uncle, a threatened daughter, and a realm thrown out of balance.

As the brothers try to uncover the intrigues, they bumble through situations they barely understand, yet handle with unwavering good nature. The comedy arises from the contrast between the magnitude of the drama and the protagonists’ complete inability to recognize it as such. Precisely this gap creates a charming parody that remains remarkably faithful to the core of the tragedy.