Strange Brew

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2:46

Strange Brew

PG

Released Aug 26, 1983

1h 30m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

75%

Tomatometer

24 Reviews

81%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In their quest for free beer, bumbling Canadian brothers Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug McKenzie (Dave Thomas) wind up working at the Elsinore Brewery. The hapless lads uncover a sinister mind-control plot spearheaded by Brewmeister Smith (Max von Sydow) and must stop the scheme, which also involves Uncle Claude (Paul Dooley), a member of the Elsinore family. As Bob and Doug try to prevent Smith from taking over the world, they also manage to drink plenty of their favorite sudsy beverage.

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Critics Consensus

Though lowbrow in intent and outcome, Strange Brew effectively mines laughs from its unique premise and likeable stars.

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Trevor Johnston

Time Out

The plotline (derived from Hamlet) soon goes flat.

Feb 9, 2006

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Janet Maslin

New York Times

The price of a ticket could buy enough beer for an experience at least as memorable as this one.

Rated: 2/5

Aug 30, 2004

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

[A] funny movie about a couple of Canadians who sit around and drink a lot.

Mar 10, 2003

Full Review

M.V. Moorhead

Less Hat, Moorhead

This very silly but sweet-natured and sometimes hilarious '80s curio deserves a bigger cult. I defy anyone to deny the ring of Shakespearean poetry in a line like "Gee, you're real nice. If I didn't have puke breath, I'd kiss you."

Apr 26, 2022

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Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

This is a silly, goofy, innocent comic classic.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 24, 2020

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Brian Costello

Common Sense Media

Classic '80s send-up of Canada; lots of beer drinking.

Rated: 4/5

Feb 21, 2018

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Rich S

Take off, eh? If you watched Strange Brew in 1983 and enjoyed it, like so many others (including critics) did, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the celluloid has not aged well. The only saving grace of this film are the memories of the early 1980s and the shenanigans of Canadians Bob and Doug McKenzie. The fear is that Strange Brew has been stuffed into a beer-keg-shaped time capsule and will be opened by people who will realize the Rick Moron-is truth about our society.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

01/11/25

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Gayle G

I always liked the skits on SCTV and the movie is like a cute and funny feature length Bob and Doug skit. Love it!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/19/24

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Audience Member

A comedy loosely based on works of Hamlet starring Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, and Max Von Sydow Bob and Doug Mackenzie are brothers dreaming of free beer They end up working for Elsinore Brewery Brewmeister Smith is the mastermind behind a scheme of mind-control via drugs prone to certain audio tones so it's up to both of them to stop him They drink plenty of their favorite beer in the meantime Both of them also end up saving Pam, a woman who is the sole heir to the beer company These characters pretty much embody the most obvious Canadian stereotype For a movie from a sketch comedy team it's quite silly Yet harmless given Moranis and Thomas are equivalents of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern So many silly things in here from an ice hockey rink in a beer factory to an overinflated man to a flying dog This ended up having a cult following which makes it one of the rare films based on sketches that gets a pass Nothing great but passable

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

08/28/23

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Omri F

The goofy humor and exaggerated Canadian accents keep it entertaining for a bit, but the jokes start to get repetitive and the accents get annoying

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/20/23

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StephenPaul C

LOL, the funniest 1.5 hours ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/05/23

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Brian B

Terrible movie, eh? Funny movie in the 80's but didn't age well.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

05/14/23

Full Review

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Rick Moranis

Director

Dave Thomas

Director

Dave Thomas

Doug McKenzie

Rick Moranis

Bob McKenzie

Max von Sydow

Brewmeister Smith

Paul Dooley

Claude Elsinore

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Strange Brew: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

In their quest for free beer, bumbling Canadian brothers Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug McKenzie (Dave Thomas) wind up working at the Elsinore Brewery. The hapless lads uncover a sinister mind-control plot spearheaded by Brewmeister Smith (Max von Sydow) and must stop the scheme, which also involves Uncle Claude (Paul Dooley), a member of the Elsinore family. As Bob and Doug try to prevent Smith from taking over the world, they also manage to drink plenty of their favorite sudsy beverage.

Director: Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas
Producer: Louis M. Silverstein
Screenwriter: Steve De Jarnatt, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, MGM/UA Home Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 26, 1983, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 14, 2014
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Mono, Stereo

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