Jiminy Glick in Lalawood

Martin Short combining his original, quirky, humor using a David Lynch backdrop really hit the spot for me, as I am a huge fan of both personalities. I was pleasantly surprised by the seamless transition from T.V. Glick to Cinema Glick, and witnessing Glick's family come to life. I think I'll have to watch the film again to fully appreciate the lines and subtleties of the "Euro-trash" character. His improvisation was totally random but somehow made comedic sense in its absurdities. I would speculate that if a person hasn't already seen 'Primetime Glick' and laughed at Glick in his original form, one might not "get" the humor, and understand why Short would conceive such a seemingly absurd plot.

Oh, and I love that Christine Willes appeared in the first sequence - where did she come from??!!

Jimminy Glick is a funny TV show in my opinion based on the few episodes of it I have seen. But this movie was unbelievably pathetic. The guy playing the foreign boyfriend/producer character was so over the top it was pathetic. Marin Short was okay but Jan Hooks was wasted as his wife. The kids were pointless. The only reason I give this 2 instead of 1 out of 10 are the few kind-of-sort-of funny moments that happen while he is interviewing real celebrities. They seem like genuine improvised funny moments, and the extras at the end of the movie while the credits happen (outtakes from these interviews) were also pretty funny. I think that's the real problem with the movie. The reason the TV show is often so funny is because of these unscripted interviews where he and the celebrities make each other laugh. When you put him in a movie with a script and plot it's not funny, at least this movie isn't funny, maybe if the script or idea for the movie were funny at all.... I just hope there is no sequel.

This is not a mainstream comedy, it's a Canadian thing, ehh. A lot of in-jokes and offbeat humor. If you are not familiar with the Jiminy Glick character, you will not get a lot of the humor. Watching it was like watching the old SCTV skits/movies that Short did back in the day in Toronto. I will admit, I laughed 10X harder the 2nd time I saw it, because you do pick up more stuff and lines. This plot for this movie was a favorite vehicle on SCTV back in the 1980s, mixing different movies together to make one confused and painfully funny movie. Sometimes, the plot would get so contrived that even the characters were confused, but that is the point. The David Lynch impersonation is timeless, coupled with The Shining references, Matthew and Modine, etc. and so many other story-lines. This comedy style is not for everybody, nor is Martin Short, but I love him and I LOVED THIS MOVIE! Better each time you see it.

...and get ready to laugh you Glick off! This movie is an instant comedy classic! "Jiminy Glick Goes to La-La Wood" is one of those underrated nuggets that deserves cult status. 'KEIFER! KEIFER! KEIFER! KEIFER!" I had never been a Martin Short fan ("Clifford" anyone?) but I always found Jiminy Glick painfully funny. Fire one up and get ready to roll off the couch in convulsive laughter as Martin Short brings his greatest character of all time to the big screen. Jan Hooks has some of the best lines in the movie (The "purse" line will bring tears to your eyes), and naming his kids "Matthew" and "Modine" is simply genius. Don't rent this movie, BUY IT - and file it between "Dumb and Dumber" and "The Man With Two Brains". This movie is funny! Be sure to watch the deleted scenes as well - the interviews with Steve Martin and Kurt Russell are hysterical, and the scenes in the car with Jan Hooks are gut-busting. Ad this one to your collection today!

I've rated this an 8 because even though it has trying sections, if you're a Glick nut like me, it's worth waiting (or on disc, fast forwarding past them) to reach the good stuff. The man Martin Short describes as a moron with power leaves his home in Butte, Montana and takes wife Dixie and two of their boys up to Toronto for the big film fest. And once there, the laughs really kick into high gear. Jiminy sleeps through a big ticket premiere, then writes a bogus rave review and, as only Glick could, lands a prized sit down television interview with it's reclusive star!

Short does double duty as Glick and director David Lynch, an uncanny imitation that holds the silly plot together with his recounting of the parallel Lana Turner / Johnny Stompanato scandal that forever changed the life of her daughter, Cheryl Crane. Elizabeth Perkins and my favourite, Linda Cardellini, star as a celebrity mother and her child who have the unfortunate lowlife producer Andre (played by the great John Michael Higgins) in their world like a sleazy time bomb waiting to go off. At least, his vulgar mouth is constantly ready for yet another wicked and disgusting remark.

Glick's "hard hitting" segments with Steve Martin and Kurt Russell are truly funny and the send ups of festival behaviour are probably closer to the truth than industry publicists would care to admit. If Short ever makes a sequel, let's hope there are flashbacks that give Higgins and Cardellini a chance to further flesh out their characters' lives and careers. I need a Glick fix!