The Long Dark Marathon of the Soul 2017 - Brain Candy (1996), directed by Kelly Makin

The Trailer
and
The Appropriate Tune: "Having An Average Weekend", by Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet

     Since the advent of television way back in dinosaur times, we’ve had sketch comedy shows. From the Colgate Comedy Hour to Key & Peele, these shows have not only entertained generations of people across the world, they’ve also been the jumping off point for some pop culture’s most beloved figures. Bill Murray, John Candy, at least three of the Wayans, the list goes on and on. However, even though there have been plenty of sketch comedies I have seen, and plenty I haven’t (why the hell can I never find The State anywhere), for my money the greatest of them all, the one that had me glued to the screen for every episode, was The Kids In The Hall. 

     Founded in 1984, The Kids In The Hall comedy troupe, composed of Dave Foley, Mark Mckinney, Bruce McCulloch, Scott Thompson and Kevin Macdonald, made its way onto the TV screens of the world (or at least those who had HBO) in 1989, thanks to the helping hand of Saturday Night Live mastermind Lorne Michaels. To say that The KITH was anything like SNL would have been a mistake however. Rather they were far more closely related to the work of Monty Python, taking the then-modern day Canada of the 80s and 90s and injecting it with a healthy dose of absurdity, and artfully combining relatable crass humor with high-concept ideas. Unlike Python however, whose greatest material centered around poking fun at the stuffy old remains of the British Empire, The Kids In The Hall were far more universal, riffing on yuppie business culture, angsty teens and everything in between. Not only that, but a lot of the appeal of The Kids In The Hall, at least in my opinion was The Kids themselves. Not only did they exude this combination of youth, wit and intellectualism (the alt-rock to The Young Ones’ punk, you might say), every member of the cast had several characters that they would continuously return to, like Scott Thompson’s Buddy Cole character or the secretaries, as well as frequent appearances on the show as themselves. It’s hard not to know the men of Monty Python, sure, but the focus of the FLying Circus is entirely on the atmosphere and the sketchcraft, not on the performers. When you watched Kids In The Hall on the other hand, you had a very clear idea of who Dave Foley was, what he was like as a person, what his characters tended to be like, and so on, along with the rest of the cast. You can’t help but become attached, I guess.

     Like Monty Python, The Kids In the Hall eventually graduated from television to film with Brain Candy, directed by Kelly Makin, who directed several episodes of the show as well as the shows Flashpoint and Queer as Folk. Kevin Mcdonald stars as Chris Cooper (and only one other role, in contrast to the rest of the fellows), a chemist working for a major pharmaceutical company who has developed a drug that chemically fixates a person’s mind on their happiest memory. With the antidote for depression in their hands Chris’ superiors are eager to push it out to the masses and the depressed masses are eager for a cure to their ills, as Chris gets swept away in the wave of success. Of course it’s hard to tell what a pill like Gleemonex could do to our society in the moment, the changes it would have on human nature, especially if it were, say, rushed out the door without being completely tested. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how things play out. I’m guessing comedically.

     Coming a year after the series had ended, Brain Candy collects some of The Kids’ favorite subjects into one convenient package. Corporations, rebellious youths, suburbia, gay culture, and a whole bunch of guys dressing up like ladies. Aside from a bit of colorful language and some ass shots, better special effects, and a kickass soundtrack, this is exactly what you got from the TV series stretched out to 140 minutes. Which is just about enough for me, considering I’m a huge fan of the show and these guys in general, and to see them together in something (relatively) new is a treat.

     Ironically, the largest criticism I have about Brain Candy is that The Kids In The Hall don’t go far enough. To return the Monty Python comparison, Monty Python’s Flying Circus was a fantastic series, but when Monty Python made the transition to film they didn’t stick to familiar territory (aside from that first one I guess). They explored! Transforming the Arthurian legend into a utter farce, Retelling the life and crucifixion of Christ with a guy who’s not Christ (complete with space battles), a musical comedy about EXISTENCE ITSELF, Monty Python took advantage of the medium of film few other comedians have, and it was a complete success on all fronts. What The Kids In The Hall have here is familiar, good for the fans who just want to see one last rodeo, but what I loved about the show is seeing how bizarre they’d go and confidence with which they did it. Brain Candy sees them playing it a bit too safe, a bit too close to the vest for the guys who devoted several sketches to Dave Foley pretending he had really heavy feet, and ultimately you’re left thinking to yourself ‘was that it?’. Also the lack of appearances from those iconic characters I mentioned before, while understandable from a narrative perspective, is still disappointing. If you’re going to go in new directions then go, if you’re going to play it safe then play, but don’t tease us with a few faces and then just leave us hanging. I didn’t even really like The Chicken Lady man, but I’ll take what I can get.

     If you didn’t like The Kids In The Hall when they were on TV, then Brain Candy isn’t likely to change your mind. If however you’ve never seen the show before, this might actually be a good way to test the waters. Gives you a taste of their style of comedy, their range of characters, with enough time to decide whether to make the commitment. Opinions of current fans will, as has been shown, vary. And if you’re asking yourself why this movie is on a Halloween list, try looking under the bed tonight. You just might find a Canadian staring back at you.