Starring: Chris Elliott, Ritch Brinkley, James Gammon, Brian Doyle-Murray, Brion James, Melora Walters, I.M. Hobson, Bob Elliott, Jim Cummings, David Letterman, Ann Magnuson, Russ Tamblyn, Ricki Lake, Mike Starr, Andy Richter, Alfred Molina,
Review: Spoiled rich kid Nathanial Mayweather (Chris Elliott) is headed to Hawaii to take over his father's high-end hotel chain, but he accidentally gets lost at sea with a group of salty sailors (Ritch Brinkley, James Gammon, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Brion James). But when his shipmates get fed-up with this brat's bothersome behavior they set a course for the oddest of sea-going shenanigans as they attempt to turn this fancy boy into a Cabin Boy.
Every once in a while a movie comes along that is so fascinatingly bizarre that it sticks with you for decades and when you revisit it you are still baffled and confused, but undeniably entertained. This is that movie.
Cabin Boy is so odd that I think when I initially saw it, back in the mid-'90s, I probably thought, "What the hell was that!", but in a good way. This fantasy comedy has to be seen to be believed. It's got an annoying man-child for a protagonist, a giant, a blue-skinned, six-armed sailor pleasuring goddess, David Letterman as a sock-monkey salesman, a Shark Man, a humanoid figurehead on the bow of the ship, and Andy Richter - and that's just the stuff that I can remember off the top of my head. This imaginative comedy is jam-packed full of interesting bits and concepts that it's a shame that they don't really add up to too much.
Now don't get me wrong, I love this movie! It makes me laugh on how funny and weird it is, but it's not too good of a movie. It feels like a bunch of sketches strung together. Some work, some don't. There's no real drive to the story and at 80 minutes it feels too slowly paced. When you watch the trailer you get a sense of high comedic energy, but the movie doesn't. The trailer also contains most of the best jokes, and lines of dialogue, in Cabin Boy including: "These pipes are clean!"
Chris Elliott is just a naturally funny guy. Here he is so aggravating and annoying that he makes me laugh. As Nathanial he says some of the cruelest, dumbest, and snarkiest things to many of the characters that you can't help but laugh and despise him simultaneously. The 4 salty sea dogs stuck with Elliott's silver spooned idiot are all fun and silly, too! Plus, you have Mike Starr, Ann Magnuson, Russ Tamblyn, and a cameo by Alfred Molina.
Originally, Cabin Boy was intended to be directed by Tim Burton, but ultimately he was just a producer on the film; he left to make Ed Wood (1994). As you watch the movie you can see why this was intended to be for Burton. The fantastical creatures, elaborate sets, the costumes, and so on, all scream "Tim Burton-esque!" And this is key in the unfortunate reality that director Adam Resnick and co-writer Chris Elliott had a very tough time keeping their heads above water during the production. But it's a testament to the pair that they were able to create a movie that's so true to them and their comic sensibilities, plus over time it's become a cult classic to legions of fans.
The other odd thing I noticed in my recent re-watch was just how cheap the backdrops are when scene take place aboard the deck of the ship, aka The Filthy Whore. You always feel that you're on a set in a water tank. I'm not sure if that's what they were going for to give it an artificial look, but it just distracted me. Plus, in overhead shots, you see the bottom of the tank and how the ship and a small raft are fastened down. You think something like that would be noticed during filming.
But, regardless of all its flaws, Cabin Boy is silly fun that will almost certainly annoy and anger general audiences.It's definitely for the cult classic crowd, drunken sailors, and those that are in need watch something so unconventional that you'll question on how this thing got made in the first place.
I really do enjoy this movie for what it is, but it always leaves me wanting it to be better. So it doesn't quite sink to the bottom like so many critics and viewers have said in the past, but It's a shipwreck nonetheless.