Kids in the Hall - Brain Candy

Amazon.com

Moviegoers never caught on to its brilliance, but Brain Candy is a smart, outrageously inventive vehicle for Canada's most irreverent comedy troupe. The subtly subversive plot is about society's ongoing search for the perfect "happy drug," and the Kids inhabit a multitude of costumes and characters as they celebrate--and lament--the invention of "Gleemonex," the ultimate antidepressant, which locks users into their happiest memories... and subsequently renders them comatose. No worries for the Roritor Chemical Company; they don't care much about side effects! With rampant riffs on heavy-metal doomsayers, closeted gay husbands (resulting in Scott Thompson's hilarious coming-out musical), blissed-out grandmothers, and all varieties of corporate greed-mongers, Brain Candy is almost too hip for its own good, combining Pythonesque ingenuity with cutting social satire. As a comedic experiment it's hit-and-miss, but with the cross-dressing Kids running the show, it's likely to leave you laughing out loud. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Hilarious.......2007-08-16

This is one crazy movie. I know that if you liked the 'Kids in the Hall' series on cable then you'll love this movie. The same whacked out type characters in the cable series are brought to life and hilariously performed by these funny guys. The story line is inteligent and too funny for words. A must own for comedy fans.

Entertaining and funny.......2007-04-11

This is a well-done movie, funny with overall dark tones. Although the Kids in the hall did tens of sketches, it wasn't guaranteed that their art would do well in a film. It does however, and the mixture of individual scenes blends well with the main story, with many funny passages and dialogues. So have a look at it, those of you who like the KITH type of humour.

great movie.......2007-03-09

If you like kids in the hall this is their best work! The more you watch it the more funny it gets

Maybe We're All Depressed Because This Film is Right..........2007-02-24

The Kids in the Hall have always been reliable in having incredibly sharp aim when throwing stones at the establishment and here they surprise even me with their pinpoint accuracy. In "Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy" they throw the gloves off to expose pharmaceutical industry as the cutthroat zoo that it is. Just being brave enough to call attention to the fact that there is a difference between clinical depression and "I Just Got Kicked to the Curb" depression is impressive. But they go further than that, showing depression to be something that isn't all bad because nobody would really want to live in a world where neighbors prance up and down the street singing about how gay they are, or in one where rock stars don't have a problem in the world so they are stuck singing Sesame Street-esque lullabies. I've battled depression a few times myself, and never once did I swallow one of those thought quenching pills.

The Kids in the Hall have many targets here, and they are all deserving. Corporate life in general is first on the list. The CEO is an infantile idiot who surrounds himself with Yes Men who spend their days trying to match the carpet to the color of the boss' socks. Anybody who were to wander into their boardroom would find quite the sight indeed. The problems being discussed is not whether the drug is safe but rather what color it should be. The head of marketing is under the impression that he is some sort of idol ("So I'm driving around in my $62,000 car"). And said wanderer would be ridiculed for being too intelligent. I took extra enjoyment out of watching the cop scene, as they proclaim victory ("We always win") even though they only caught one of the dozens of perps that they were after. People in general are also called out, rightfully so, for being too fixated on happiness and for what makes them happy.

I will admit that in my case they were probably preaching to the choir. I already know these things. But in a country who still believes in "Support our Troops" and "Greed is Good" it can only help to point out that, in fact, the military is kinda gay and corpos are a stand in for Satan. The comedy here is hit and miss, but considering that sketch comedy is mostly miss and miss I would say that they are ahead of the curve. The ending gets a little too silly, especially with when people become paralyzed within their own happiness. But that allows them to go through and show us their happiest moments which was quite hysterical. If you have seen the TV show before you know what to expect in the acting department. Honorable mention goes to Bruce McCulloch and his portrayal of Cisco the twitchy, heartless marketing guy. I recommend this film for everybody, but mostly for those of you who have wondered about the difference between illegal and prescription medication. The difference of course being that illegal drugs can't go on trash TV to promote itself. The film has a worldview that is right on. Too much leftist cinema today is somber and depressing, this one at least makes you laugh while making you depressed, and then reminds you that depression is a good thing anyways. ***1/2

Possibly the most depressing comedy ever made.......2007-01-30

The Kids in the Hall were ahead of their time in their first feature (1996) with their pointed satirizing of the (still) current psychiatric drug craze. "Brain Candy" sews together various vignettes of dysfunctional people (all portrayed by KITH in different costumes) and centers them around a group of scientists at Roritor Pharmaceuticals who are developing Gleemonex, the ultimate anti-depressant. Gleemonex chemically guides patients to their happiest moment, and allows them to re-experience that moment's feeling forever. Chemically. As one of the scientists puts it: "Gleemonex makes you feel like it's 72 degrees in your head. All the time."

The drug is a huge success, but tensions rise between the scientists and marketing department when some of the initial test patients become so caught up replaying their happiest memory they become comatose.

The premise of "Brain Candy" is very similar to Hirokazu ("Nobody Knows") Kore-eda's 1988 film "After Life." In that film, social workers at a purgatory-ish way station assist the recently deceased with creating short films of their happiest memories, which will be replayed for eternity. "After Life" is an emotionally enriching, empowering film -- mainly because the characters are already dead; their lives and freedom on earth haven't been stolen and replaced. Chemically. I recommend watching the two films together sometime.

I'm not sure what my final position on psychiatric drugs will be. I'm pretty certain no amount of talking will calm down someone who's just had a psychotic break, but I do think our society tends to rely too much on pills for long-term solutions, which makes "Brain Candy" fairly important viewing for those considering dealing with medicine, even if the film is generally silly and obnoxious. Personally, I see psychiatric drugs as a cast with talk therapy as an aid to properly set the bone. Though sometimes I feel like William Hurt in "Accidental Tourist" when my girlfriend insists I take my medicine when I lose my temper.

Anyway, there were two endings shot for "Brain Candy." The filmmakers opted for the more upbeat one (though the film is still a downer overall.) I wish Paramount would release a special edition with the alternate ending, as well as some other cut scenes, including one featuring Janeane Garofalo. Until they do, you'll have to track down a bootleg from a fan.

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