Valkenvania - Die wunderbare Welt des Wahnsinns

This movie was great and enjoyable back in 1991 and still is so even today. There is just that something unique about the chemistry between comedians Dan Aykroyd, John Candy and Chevy Chase.

The story is about four upscale people whom are caught for traffic violations in Valkenvania and are brought for immediate sentencing before the eccentric judge Alvin Valkenheiser. And soon the day turns into a real nightmare.

While "Nothing But Trouble" is not the type of comedy that will split you open from excessive laughing, then there is just something Classic about the entire movie; be it the mood and absurdity of the story, the hilarious and outrageous characters, or the fact that Dan Aykroyd, John Candy and Chevy Chase were just a great combination, I do not know. But I do know that this movie is entertaining.

The movie does bear itself as watchable more than once. And if you are a fan of Dan Aykroyd, John Candy or Chevy Chase, then "Nothing But Trouble" is a must watch.

DAN AYKROYD is a comedy genius & legend & here he has directed his one & only movie & it's just so much fun!!! It got so much hate & yet it's just pure fun from a comedy genius!!! A crazy old man who Aykroyd plays, we have the other comedy king CHEVY CHASE who is always fun to watch & dan Aykroyds close buddy in real life is great here & we have the BRILLIANT JOHN CANDY who also is fantastic & a comic genius & an all round good cast & good characters. Aykroyd done a great job directing & his movie is a good fun & very inventive Comedy Thriller!!! Never follow critics just like & enjoy what you like, i do.

Now with that being said i do get that this is a bizarre & weird film as it sits between silly comedy & dark horror Thriller & it tried to get that "Beetlejuice" vibe going & in a way it did but obviously won't ever be a Classic like Tim Burtons Masterpiece.

Dan Aykroyd is a childhood hero of mine, i grew up watching him in the Classic "Ghostbusters films" & "Trading Places" & "Spies Like Us" & "Coneheads" & "Celtic Pride" & "My Stepmother Is an Alien" & "Dragnet" & "My Girl" & "The Great Outdoors" & others, it's safe to say Aykroyd is a guy that has always been there making me laugh through my childhood & teens & still today as a family man, i love Aykroyd!!!!

Aykroyd is a Genius as a writer, actor & of creative mind, i think he's the smartest of all the actors & his Classic work proves it.

For a first movie & a big studio production i think Aykroyd's Wacky & weird Horror-Comedy "Nothing But Trouble" is a misunderstood Cult Classic, it's supposed to be strange & freaky & bizarre, it came from the incredibly creative mind of a comic genius & it's alot of fun!!!

Aykroyd puts in a fantastic & manic performance here as the wacky old timer judge of his corrupted land, a monster of this nightmare like fantasy world that is dark but also ridiculously fun.

Chevy Chase is his sarcastic & silly self (Always loved Chase) & is in a good lead role & even Demi Moore is fine here & John Candy r.i.p is always a joy to see him being silly on screen, a great cast in fact.

The look is incredible with amazing cinematography by the best in the business DEAN CUNDY & the sets & production design is incredible, the detail of the set pieces is Amazing to look at, the mansion is beautiful & makes the film come off feeling like a big fun wild roller coaster ride.

Bizarre yes but still fun & very entertaining.

If your idea of a dark comedy is something like "Beetlejuice" or "Deathtrap" or "Heathers", then watch out. This one makes them look like Peewee's Playhouse.

You know how certain horror movies cross over into comedy? Like when Freddy Krueger says "Welcome to prime time b!tch!!" and slams a girl's head into the TV? Well, this is the opposite: comedy crossing over into horror. It gets pretty weird, and if you're not expecting it, it can be downright upsetting.

I think that's what makes so many people hate this movie. With an all-star comedic cast like it has, it promises to be a laugh riot like the DVD cover says. I was expecting something like "Ghostbusters" meets "Fletch" meets "Summer Rental". Instead it's more like "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" meets "Deliverance". In other words the comedy is very low-key, not quite enough to offset the disturbing story.

Dan Akroyd, who plays a sadistic murdering judge, is just plain frightening. John Candy, who plays the sympathetic policeman, gives the story an air of tragedy. Chevy Chase is his usual wisecracking self, but it can't compete with the horror & violence of the plot (being trapped in a hicktown house while people are getting brutally murdered all around you). You really have to be ready for it, otherwise you might end up traumatized. The "Bonestripper" scene will give lifelong nightmares to any kid under the age of 12, as well as impressionable adults.

But now that you've been warned, perhaps you'll be able to take it in stride. I'm not sure if writer Dan Akroyd intended this to be so nightmarish, but it sure is. Definitely a one-of-a-kind. NOT for young kids!!

Finally watched this movie last year after finding a DVD copy out in the wild.

My last attempt was in the late 90s when I was 13 years old and I caught an airing on TV. I was a huge fan of John Candy, Chevy Chase AND Dan Aykroyd, so I was pumped about this one, but it ended up being too weird for me and I tuned out after about 30 minutes.

This time however, I understood it much more and ended up really enjoying it from beginning to end. Chevy Chase is just killing it with the one-liners, John Candy stealing the show as a by-the-book cop AND his sister, and let's not forget Dan Aykroyd being the jack-of-all-trades as co-writer, producer, director and actor (also in a dual role, in heavy make-up no less).

Shame it bombed at the box-office, but I can understand why audiences didn't get it in '91, probably the same reason my 13-year-old self turned it off 30 minutes in: we weren't expecting those comedians we love so much to be in such a DARK comedy. It definitely was ahead of its time...

I can't help but wonder what Aykroyd's original cut was like, before any studio interference, and back when it was still titled "Valkenvania". He had planned for it to be more of a horror film with comedic elements, until Warner Bros demanded he make it a comedy with horror elements.

Either way, I enjoyed the final product, and recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.

A review by Jex Russell.

This is another underrated horror comedy from yesteryear. The movie is just weird and wonky. Dan Akroyd wrote, directed and stars along with Demi Moore ( G.I Jane), Chevy Chase (Fletch) and the late, great John Candy (Uncle Buck) in dual roles. The movie concerns a smarmy yuppie (Chase), the girl he's interested in (Moore) a couple of foreign rich kids and an I'll fated road trip where they are pulled over for running a stop sign and imprisoned by a strange judge and his ghoulish family. They spend the movie trying to escape wacky traps and death. The movie is weird, imaginative and bursting with creativity. Its definitely not for everyone it bombed with critics and audiences alike when it was initially released. But it's aged quite well and is definitely deserved of being a cult classic.

Budget: $40m Domestic Box Office: $8m Worldwide Box Office: $8m

3.75/5