Best Movies You Probably Haven't Seen: The Wrong Guy

It's quite possible that a lot of you have actually seen the movie I'm featuring this week. I had assumed it was a more well known film, but recent conversations have shown me not as much as I thought.

Now Showing:

The Wrong Guy (1997)
Netflix: Unavailable

Directed By: David Steinberg

Written By: Dave Foley, David Higgins, Jay Kogen

Starring:
Dave Foley (Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio), Jennifer Tilly (Bullets Over Broadway, Bride of Chucky), David Anthony Higggins (Malcolm in the Middle, Ellen), Joe Flaherty (SCTV, Freaks and Geeks), Colm Feore (Storm of the Century, Slings and Arrows)

The Gist:
Nelson Hibbert is doing everything he can to be promoted. Even going as far as to date the boss's daughter. But it's not enough. After being passed over he goes up to his boss's office to tell him off, only to find that he's been murdered. Not realizing a camera filmed the whole thing, Nelson fears he'll be hooked as the murderer. To get away, he embarks on a journey, always looking over his shoulder for the police who aren't following him and constantly running into the real murderer. A high farce to be sure.

Why You Should Watch It:
It's a zaney, often painfully, funny movie, filled with hilarious gags. Forget the fact that Dave Foley does a lot of crappy movies, here he's at his best, basically turning a KITH sketch into a full length film. Jennifer Tilly usually annoys me in films, but I even find her funny in this movie. And if that's not enough, there's a cameo from Barenaked Ladies as singing cops.

Why You Probably Haven't Seen It:
It's a Canadian film. It was in theaters up north, but the only release it got down in the states was to Video/DVD.

Scene To Savor:
There are a lot of great scenes, but if I had to choose one I would say where Colm Feore is carrying Dave Foley. That makes for some of my favorite dialog from the film, and lines that I still like to quote.

Comments:
It's a farce and very much like a KITH sketch, so it's not going to be to everyone's taste. In every such kind of movie where the jokes come at you a mile a minute, not every one is going to work, and there are some duds in the film. Thankfully they are outweighed by the good. I mean come on, one of the subplots features farmers threatening to close a bank! You know you're on to something good with that kind of brilliance.

Overall on a scale of missed gems: 4 out of 5