Movie Review: Larry the Cable Guy, Health Inspector

This film, err movie, is unreviewable. Honestly, how do you review something like this? I'm not saying I didn't like it, it has a certain flatulent charm. I am also not saying it is good, that would be a lie. What am I trying to say? I do not know.

By now I am sure that most of you have at least heard of Larry the Cable Guy, the comedian known for the tag line "Git-R-Done," and part of the Blue Collar Comedy crew with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Ron White. He is crude, rude, and, at times, hilarious. This movie just translates him to the big screen, or rather, it puts him on the big screen. The movie plays out like an extended skit from the television show.

Take the standard mismatched buddy cop movie. You know the drill. Take a renegade cop, a guy who plays by his own rules, saddle him with a straight-laced rookie partner, and put them on a seemingly unsurmountable mission. Of course, things will go bad, the chief will give a big speech, fire the hero, who then has to take matters into his own hands to save the day. There you have it, that is the story for this movie, well change cop to health inspector. I'm sorry if I spoiled it for anyone.

Health Inspector plays like a collection of skits, a circus of one liners with Larry as the ringmaster. He travels the town cracking down on health code infractions and leaving flatulence in his wake. All is going well until he is faced with a rash of poisonings at 5 star restaurants. Will he be able to stop the serial poisoner?

The cracks are thrown fast and furious, some of them stick and some of them fall to floor twitching in the throes of bad joke death. Fortunately, Larry has enough crass charm to carry the movie. While the plot is recycled from countless other films, it is a fun diversion.

Health Inspector is not meant to be high art, and anyone who views it through strictly critical eye filters, you are bound to be disappointed. It knows what it is, a crude low brow comedy vehicle, and it succeeds at that. It was a fun diversion on a Saturday night. If you would rather see a film built on ideas, see V for Vendetta instead. This movie is about fart jokes, crude, politically incorrect one liners, and just to be stupid.

Joining Larry for this romp through the rude and crude is a decent cast. There is Tony Hale, of Arrested Development fame, as the handicapped competition, and Tom Wilson, Biff from the Back to the Future Trilogy, as his boss. His partner is played by Iris Bahr (a former sergeant in the Israeli military). Larry even gets a love interest, in the form of Megyn Price from Grounded for Life. Rounding out the supporting cast is Joe Pantoliano as the mayor, M. T. Gunn (hehe).

Bottomline. Not a classic by any stretch, not even a good movie, but there is enough to laugh at that it is not a complete waste. The best way to judge this kind of movie is if it makes you laugh out loud, and this did, on a few occasions. If you are in the mood for stupid comedy, maybe you had a rough week of work, or just been kind of blue, this could just snap you out of it.

Mildly Recommended.


Categories: MovieReview, Movies, Reviews, Comedy