Wayne's World

Penelope Spheeris, USA, 1992, 95 minutes

Well, urm, let's be honest. This is a film about two middle-aged guys who pretend to be teen geek metalheads Wayne and Garth, and present their own public access TV show, complete with catchphrases of the sort that become unbelievably irritating if you don't appreciate them. Doesn't actually sound all that appealing, does it?

Nevertheless, Wayne's World manages to succeed in its own cute way. They shoot, they score. Good work, my friends. Excellent. It derives from cult sketches on the US show "Saturday Night Live" (recently extracted for showing on BBC2) and survives the transition to movie-length by clever manipulation of cinema conventions and at least half a plot.

What story there is concerns Rob Lowe as, well, himself really, buying Wayne's show for a network and sanitising it beyond all value. Wayne and Garth's friendship is severely tested and all threatens to come apart at the seams. This is framed in the everyday events of headbanging and babe-chasing. Alice Cooper also appears, also being particularly convincing as himself.

Aargh, this is painful to write about. Conclusion: Wayne's World is very funny, and may change your grasp of the English language forever. If you do come to see it, leave your critical faculties at the door and get up to go when the end credits start. Not!

Review by Gavin Inglis
Taken from EUFS Programme 1992-93