The Groove Tube
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Movie Reviews of The Groove Tube
Movie Review: Groove Tube
Summary: 5 Stars
What can you say? If you grew up in the 60's or on the tail end and know the times it is a funny spin on Americana.Movie Review: Still-funny sketch comedy offers slice of the psychedelic 70's
Summary: 4 Stars
This highly influential, all-but-forgotten sketch comedy flick worked great as a drive-in movie back in 1974, when I and my friends watched it as teenagers in my smoke-filled Plymouth. I wondered if it would still hold up when I saw it recently, and happily it does, for the most part. OK, let's get this out of the way: "The Groove Tube" has plenty of stoner humor, bouncing boobs and subversive gags, so if you're bothered by such things, have the kids skip this one. It can be crude, and feels today like an R-rated version of early Saturday Night Live. But this scattershot send-up of TV is still very funny. The sketches, as someone noted, offer a range of styles, from subtle satire to broad physical humor. Some skits hold up better than others, of course; times change. I now find the first full-length skit, "Koko the Clown," (in which a bizzare TV clown reads literary-type porn to the kiddies watching at home) a bit too creepy. While it's funny for awhile, I don't much like it now. But if you dont care for Koko, stick with it, because the rest of the flick hits far more than it misses. Like early SNL, the numerous fake commercials are mostly hilarious. A Public Service Announcement about VD is a real killer, especially the first time you see it. And "Groove Tube" kicks off with a deliriously entertaining intro about a hitchhiker, set to "Move on Up;" this one is a real classic and is quintessentially 1970's. For baby boomers there's other nostalgia, such as the off-the-wall Watergate Hearings segment, dubbed with scat-singing voice-overs. The film's extended sketch, "The Dealers," seems a little anachronistic in 2011 and runs out of gas towards the end. But it offers some good stoner humor, with at least one very funny scene in which a couple of hapless drug dealers (played by principle writers and stars Ken Shapiro and Richard Belzer) start stuffing their mouths with pot at the sound of a police siren. If you get the giggles from Cheech and Chong, or the Wayans brothers, grab some munchies and enjoy this sketch with some of your buds.
For a "small" movie, "Groove Tube" was clearly influential. Later cinematic attempts to mimic it weren't very successful. The much-hyped "Tunnelvision," for instance, followed this one into theaters but disappeared quickly, as it's writers didn't seem to understand that "Groove Tube" wasn't ONLY about being tasteless. Having, say, a super-foul-mouthed Archie Bunker clone isn't funny unless you give him something funny to say or do, which Shapiro and Belzer seem to realize. The more obscure but similar "Mondo Video" was far better than "Tunnelvision," but lacked the razor-sharp writing you see here in, for instance, the gross but spot-on "Uranus Corporation" mock commercials, or the very funny Ken-and-Barbie take-off. "Groove Tube" almost certainly helped pave the way for Saturday Night Live, and even features Chevy Chase in a couple small bits.
Over-all, this film - particularly the stoner humor - may not play as well in conformist, corporate 2011 as it did in anything-goes 1974. On the other hand, you might enjoy its unapologetic lack of the "Just Say No" or "Drink Responsibly" preachiness so prevelant on TV today. My teenage kids thought "Groove Tube" was hysterical, and again, there's humor for most tastes here. The flick isn't very long and just flies by, with only one or two slow parts. In fact, with just a few exceptions, I'm amazed how well this reefer-scented relic of the psychedelic 70's holds up in 2011.
Movie Review: I guess, you had to be there...
Summary: 4 Stars
Is this a GREAT movie? Um , Citizen Kane it is NOT. Is the humor PC? Ah, no... Well then, is it a funny movie anyway? Well, frankly...that depends on when you were born and where you were when it came out. Much like Kentucky Fried Movie this takes a jab at several topics "of it's day." If you happened to be around in 1970's USA, then you either saw this movie at the theater or wished you had... (And 1970's USA cannot be stressed enough.)
Like KFM, some of the jokes have lost their edge... Not because they're not funny, but because they are time/era specific. If you remember the TV and movies of the early to mid 70's it's a funny movie. If you have no experience with those...well, it may well prove a little flat. Hmmm, perhaps a lot flat. Yeah, it's dated in many parts but then maybe that's a product of overzealous PC run rampent as much as it is somewhat dated sophomoric humor...
Bottom (snicker) line: If you were at least 11-12 (minimum) when it came out (and had cool parents!) then go ahead and buy it...along with Kentucky Fried Movie, invite a bunch of your "old" friends over and have a blast. OTOH, if the 70's happened WAAAAY before your time...find somebody "older" that owns it AND can explain some of the jokes. ;-) (That goes for both this and KFM.)
All in all it's a funny movie that doesn't pretend to be anything more than a bunch of stupid skits. If you can live with that...and it's somewhat dated humor, then go for it.
FWIW. I think Kentucky Fried Movie is a bit better, but what the heck...owning both is well worth it.
Movie Review: "What the hell is that puppet thing?...Oh, sweet Jesus!"
Summary: 4 Stars
THE GROOVE TUBE has been on my wish list of movies to own since I first saw it as a child. I guess I was around 12 at the time of my first viewing and the grainy quality of the video transfer gave the flick a kid of "forbiden fruit" quality. Upon finding it again all these years later I was surprised how well the thing holds up. Some of the stuff is pretty dated-that "Dealers" routine goes on for waaaaaay too long (although I must admit the punchline is just weird enough to make it worthwhile). Shapiro ends up with a highly influencial and successful film at the end of the day. Many of the skits are laugh out loud funny and give the audience enough credit to catch a D.H. Lawrence joke. There is a good bit of talent and creativity that went into this. Plus it was the first and one of the best of those "short attention span comedies" made so popular by the Zucker Bros... And this sucker is going to have a longer shelf life than that stinker. Mark my words your kids ain't gonna find that referential piece o' poop too funny in the coming years! But this one might just stick around. Don't expect it to turn up on Turner Classic Movies anytime soon. There are too many bush shots.Movie Review: This is a classic
Summary: 4 Stars
I will defend this movie.
Sure, it's low budget. Undoubtedly, it's crude and vulgar. At times, it's just brilliant satire. Nonetheless, "The Groove Tube" maintains a very consistent level of humor. Often times, it's just downright outrageous, and I cry. And, it's all done without a large Hollywood budget or concerns for political correctness which nows infests American society. Hell, back then political correctness was just being conceived. There's an abortion I would have happily supported.
Thirty years later, the humor is still relevant. The humor is still cutting edge. Nothing is sacred. I can only imagine the outrage, if this film were to be released today. Planned Parenthood would be screaming for litigation.
I will admit two things. The drug dealer sequence is boring; it just doesn't fit in and hurts the flow of the film. Secondly, I have sat in a room of people and was the only one laughing hysterically.
It's a little bit National Lampoon and a little bit Saturday Night Live at it's prime.