Airheads (1994)

"Who'd win a wrestling match, Lemmy or God?" "Ha, trick question."
"Lemmy is God." - Brendan Fraiser and Steve Buscemi

Heavy-metal humor ain't easy as proven by the air-headed AIRHEADS, a
good-to-bad-to-almost-unwatchable comedy about an unsigned band (Brendan
Fraiser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler) that raids a radio station to
get their demo played.

Hip helmer Michael Lehmann and writer Rich Wilkes target the MTV metal
crowd and, if nothing else, get the costumes and dialogue right.  Best
exchange:

        "69 copies of Moby Dick."
        "The book or the movie?"
        "They made a book out of it?"

What's missing, though, are any real references to the genre. Oh, sure,
there's a cameo from Mr. Kilmister and a couple cracks about both Vince
Neil and Ozzy.  As well as a call-in in from Beavis and Butthead.  But
the real meat-- the tunes, man, the tunes-- is missing.  Come on, a
cover of Van Halen's "I'm the One" by Four Non Blondes?

Play some Sabbath, dude!

Three stooges Brendan Fraiser, Steve Buscemi, and Adam Sandler are all
extra-appealing.  And costars Joe Mantegna (jock) and Michael McKean
(PD) both emerge unscathed from the plot-from-hell.  But steer clear of
Mich- ael Richards, Judd Nelson, and Chris Farley.  They're not worthy.
And for the definite send-up of the genre, pay a call on Penelope
Spheeris and her documentary THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION PART
II:  THE METAL YEARS.  It rocks.  (Rated "PG-13"/90 min.)

Grade: C-

Copyright 1994 by Michael J. Legeros