Strange Brew

Play trailer

2:46

Strange Brew

PG

Released Aug 26, 1983

1h 30m

Comedy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

Trevor Johnston

Time Out

The plotline (derived from Hamlet) soon goes flat.

Feb 9, 2006

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

This is a silly, goofy, innocent comic classic.

Rated: 3.5/4.0

Sep 24, 2020

Full Review

Brian Costello

Common Sense Media

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

Rated: 4/5

Feb 21, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Jonathan N

Really very hard to watch. Did not enjoy it and turned it off after 20 min. Did it improve? I will never know!

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/01/25

Full Review

mark g

A 1980s classic! If you grew up watching SCTV, this was the holy grail. Thomas and Moranis are let lose to be Bob and Doug, legendary characters. Joining them are legends Paul Dooley and Max von Sydow. Love this film!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/01/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Funny in 1.5 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring directors Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas as Canadian characters Doug and Bob, that are funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/30/25

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

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

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Rick Moranis

Director

Dave Thomas

Director

Dave Thomas

Doug McKenzie

Rick Moranis

Bob McKenzie

Max von Sydow

Brewmeister Smith

Paul Dooley

Claude Elsinore

Spaceballs

52%

83%

Spaceballs

Watchlist

Travels With My Aunt

50%

46%

Travels With My Aunt

Watchlist

The Sunshine Boys

69%

72%

The Sunshine Boys

Watchlist

The Pink Panther

21%

51%

The Pink Panther

Watchlist

Yellowbeard

22%

63%

Yellowbeard

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Strange Brew: Trailer 1

2:46

View more videos

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now