Strange Brew

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Screening Suggestions

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Going way back to before even I was born, there was a sketch comedy show called 'SCTV' (or 'Second City Television') that ran from 1976 to 1981. This was a proudly Canadian show that boasted such names in their early days as Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis, Catherine O'Hara, the wonderful John Candy (RIP), and this film's stars, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas.

While some of these names may not seem familiar to the younger ones reading this, you'd probably be able to recognize most, if not all of them to see them. This show was sort of Canada's answer to 'SNL', and without either, I might not have my beloved 'Ghostbusters'.

Anyway, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas would create two TV host characters named Bob and Doug McKenzie. The pair hosts 'The Great White North', and essentially created the original Canadian stereotype. Almost everything ends with "eh", they love their beer and donuts, they use terms like "hoser", and almost became the pride of Canada for a little while - two authentic Canadians making fun of Canadians? What could be better? These two basically owned the Canadian stereotype until 'South Park' came along and put a whole new spin on it.

It all starts basically enough as another one of their famous skits where they show a theatrical audience a really poorly made movie. The audience gets angry, and the plot eventually gets going after the two have to make an escape from their own movie screening. Upon getting home, they stick a little mouse inside an empty beer bottle in an attempt to get some free Elsinor beer. The Beer Store, however, tells them to complain to the higher-ups. They do so and get slapped with jobs, inspecting bottles for mice, among other things.

What they don't know, however, is what the evil Brewmeister Smith (Max von Sydow) has planned - essentially a takeover using mind control drugs in their bottled beer. The formula gets tested on mental patients and is evidently a success. Meanwhile, there's also a murder plot involving the original brewery owner, John Elsinore (the death), his daughter, Pam (Lynne Griffin), and her Uncle Claude (Paul Dooley). This basically, of course, all comes down to the McKenzie brothers stopping Brewmeister Smith before he can distribute his mind control beer.

I should probably point out that this was made in 1983, and I do have a certain bias towards it considering a bunch of things about it - it's something I saw when I was a kid, a lot of the filming was done around my home town, and it's almost authentically Canadian. To help, it does not take itself seriously one iota. I could see some of the younger audience having trouble with it nowadays, but this really speaks to us Canadian kids of the 80s. It's still pretty fun, so grab yourself a beer and drink-along to this fun-filled Canadian classic, eh.

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