So I Married an Axe Murderer

"So I Married an Axe Murderer" is a delightfully offbeat, inventive comedy I can see again and again, and laugh every time.

Mike Myers, in a dual role as the neurotic but romantic Charlie McKenzie and Charlie's cantankerous father, gives the best performance I've seen from him so far (I've yet to see the "Austin Powers" movies but I didn't especially care for "Wayne's World," maybe because I couldn't stand Dana Carvey or his character). Nancy Travis is quite good as Harriet, the seemingly perfect girlfriend who's got a secret. The supporting cast also does excellent work, especially Anthony LaPaglia as Charlie's policeman buddy Tony.

What makes this movie truly special isn't the principal story line -- the romance-mystery-suspense -- but the many wonderful bits of inspired lunacy/hilarity along the way. Among them: every scene involving the hero's cantankerous dad; Harriet's sister Rose persuading Charlie to stay for breakfast; Phil Hartman's cameo as a very intense tour guide at Alcatraz (this scene gets butchered when the movie is edited for TV, even non-premium cable; make sure you see the uncut version!); Charles Grodin as the surly driver of a vehicle commandeered by a cop; an episode involving a guy who works on the obituary page of a newspaper; the side-splitting scenes between Tony and his precinct captain (a very funny Alan Arkin). There are many such moments throughout the film, turning up in the most unexpected places. The dialogue is witty, and the humor is completely unpredictable and fresh.

The sad thing is that this is Mike Myers' lowest grossing film, which shows just what most people know. It's absolutely his best one though, with more likeable wit than the 2 Austin Powers pics and better characters and plot than the Waynes World movies.

Myers can only really do about 4 voices (Himself, Wayne, Austin and a Scotsman, which he's doing AGAIN in Shrek now) and he gets to show them all off here, which is actually great. He's great as his miserable dad, and the whole thing is just great fun, a really good film. Nancy Travis and Anthony LaPaglia as his insecure cop buddy support Myers well all the way through. Mike Myers and this movie just rule.

So I Married an Axe Murderer is a fantastic little movie, hilarious in places and solidly funny throughout. Mostly carried by the likability of the cast and their ability to carry off what is a very limited premise and make it funny. Mike Myers is superb as Charlie McKenzie a commitment phobe 20something who meets his ideal woman only to become convinced shes the deadly Mr's X. Assisted by the his friend who longs to be a cop in the mould of Starsky and Hutch, played by Anthony La Palgia, Charlie has to overcome his fears surely she can't be the deadly Mrs X can she? I would recommend this to any comedy fan and it can be a useful date movie a romantic comedy light on the slushy romance.

7/10

Mike Myers gives Waynes World a rest and delivers what I think is a better movie.... well better than Waynes World 2 anyway. It is a truly great movie with Mike playing a duel role, firstly as Charlie MacKenzie a young guy who is scared of commitment to women, then his dad Stuart MacKenzie a very funny Scotsman who could take the lead role in X Files with his ideas on Conspiracy. Nancy Travis stars as a butcher... Harriet, who ends up with Charlie..... A great movie that is very funny in the pre Austin Powers age, a 7 out of 10.

In this greatly under-rated film, Mike Myers plays a man scared of commitment, until that is he meets Harriet and they fall in love, but does she have a rather macabre secret?

This film flows wonderfully, carrying you along before you realise it, right until the end.

Some of the better comedic moments, though, come from the cameos, especially by Steven Wright and Charles Grodin, who is always wonderful, whatever film he is in, although the poetry scenes are quite funny too.

For some reason this film was not as successful as other Mike Myers' efforts such as the Wayne's Worlds, and it does appear that audiences prefer Myers in character than as himself, and indeed you will come out liking Myers better as his father than as his main role, but nevertheless a great movie!