MEN AT WORK (1990)
Label: MVD Rewind Collection
Region Code: A
Rating: PG-13
Duration: 98 Minutes 42 Seconds
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo with Optional English, French and Spanish Subtitles
Audio: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo with Optional English, French and Spanish Subtitles
Video: 1080p HD Widescreen (1.85:1)
Director: Emilio Estevez
Cast: Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Leslie Hope, Keith David. Dean Cameron, Cameron Dy
In the beachside town of Las Playas, CA garbagemen Carl (Charlie Sheen, The Boys Next Door) and James (Emilio Estevez, Repoman) are best-buds who daydream of opening their own surf shop someday, but in the meantime they're content to run their trash route half-assed and have a bunch fun along the way, at the expense of their often shit-covered co-workers Biff (Hawk Wolinski) and Frost (Geoffrey Blake, Young Guns), and the sanity of the people along their route where they regularly leave behind a trail of knocked-over trash cans while playing caucauphounous games of trash bowling in the alleys ways and high-fiving each other with trash cans lids. When they're not leaving behind a waste-strewn wave of destruction they're stopping off to catch some waves, admire the babes, and endure some not undeserved harassment from local bike cops Officer Mike (John Putch, Jaws 3-D) and Officer Jeff (Tommy Hinkley, The Terror Within).
In the beachside town of Las Playas, CA garbagemen Carl (Charlie Sheen, The Boys Next Door) and James (Emilio Estevez, Repoman) are best-buds who daydream of opening their own surf shop someday, but in the meantime they're content to run their trash route half-assed and have a bunch fun along the way, at the expense of their often shit-covered co-workers Biff (Hawk Wolinski) and Frost (Geoffrey Blake, Young Guns), and the sanity of the people along their route where they regularly leave behind a trail of knocked-over trash cans while playing caucauphounous games of trash bowling in the alleys ways and high-fiving each other with trash cans lids. When they're not leaving behind a waste-strewn wave of destruction they're stopping off to catch some waves, admire the babes, and endure some not undeserved harassment from local bike cops Officer Mike (John Putch, Jaws 3-D) and Officer Jeff (Tommy Hinkley, The Terror Within).
Their on-the-job shenanigans eventually get them reported to their boss who assigns his scary Vietnam vet brother-in-law Louis (Keith David, The Thing) to monitor the duo on their trash route. They're none too pleased by the chaperone and things get off to a rough start when they find the corpse of city councilman Jack Berger (Darrell Larson,
Futureworld) sealed up in an oil drum at one of their stops. Oddly, the night before Carl witnessed the victim having an argument with his assistant, Carl's neighbor Susan (Leslie Hope, Bruiser), while he was peeping Rear Window style with binoculars though his apartment window. He had taken it upon himself to retaliate by shooting him in the ass with a pellet gun from his apartment window. The guys were unaware however that moments later a couple of goons, Mario (John Lavachielli, The Rocketeer) and Luzinski (Cameron Dye, Valley Girl), who work for crooked local industrialist Maxwell Potterdam III (John Goetz, The Fly), showed up and strangled Berger to death, removing his body - but due to their ineptness misplaced the oil drum that they stuffed the body in.
Now if they had just called the cops things would have worked out fine, but believing that they're somehow implicated, due to the pellet gun incident, and with Louis distrusting the cops, they do all the wrong things and end up hiding the body Weekend At Bernie's style back at their apartment while attempting to get to the bottom of the murder, which eventually leads to them (not surpisingly) being fingered as the prime suspects whole being pursued by both the police and the hitmen - managing to kidnapping a pizza delivery guy (Dean Cameron, Summer School) aling the way,, which certainly doesn't help their case.
I've always loved the goofy charms of this flick, real life brothers Sheen and Estevez have great comedic chemistry and their slacker/prankster garbage guys are pretty likable. Arriving in 1990 it still feels very much in the vein of an absurd 80's comedy, it's oddball and chock full of hijinks and hilarity, and I think it still holds up. We also get a tasty soundtrack featuring UB40, Sly & Robbie, Black Uhuru, 2 Live Crew and Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers among others. If you're a fan of lightweight, goofball comedies along the lines of Weekend at Bernies and Summer School I have little doubt you'll love this.
Audio/Video: Men At Work (1990) arrives on Blu-ray from MVD Rewind Collection in 1080p HD widescreen (1.85:1). It's not advertised as a new scan so it is likely that this is the same scan as the previous Shout! Factory double-feature Blu-ray that paired it with Easy Money. The image is solid, it's probably an older HD master but still offers a solid visual presentation. Grain is present but not as finely resolved as a new master would have provided. Colors look accurate and are well-saturated, and there's modest depth and detail to the image. Audio comes by way of uncompressed English LPCM 2.0 stereo with optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. The track is clean and free of source related issues with decent stereo panning effects, dialogue is never a chore to discern.
The only disc extras are a selection of MVD Trailers including one for this film. The single-disc release arrives in a clear Viva Elite keepcase with a Reversible Sleeve of Artwork and a Original VHS Box “Replica” Limited Edition Slipcover that is available with the first pressing, which has the same artwork as the wrap but with faux shelf-wear look to it with VHS rental stickers plastered all over it. Inside there's a Collectible Mini-Poster with the same artwork as the wrap.
Special Features:
- High Definition (1080p) presentation of the main feature in 1.85:1 aspect ratio
- Audio: LPCM 2.0 Stereo
- Optional English, French and Spanish Subtitles
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- High Definition (1080p) presentation of the main feature in 1.85:1 aspect ratio
- Audio: LPCM 2.0 Stereo
- Optional English, French and Spanish Subtitles
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2 min)
- Trailers; Ski Patrol (2 min), Panther (2 min), Candian Bacon (2 min),
- Reversible Sleeve of Artwork
- Reversible Sleeve of Artwork
- Limited Edition Slipcover (First-Pressing Only)
- Collectible Mini-Poster
- Collectible Mini-Poster
Screenshots from the MVD Rewind Collection Blu-ray:
