Dumb Humor Is Good Fun In ‘Good Burger’
TV’s Nickelodeon network has made quite a name for itself marketing goop, teen angst and classic shows to a new generation of couch potatoes.
Its first branch-out into films - a forgettable adaptation of the successful Louise Fitzhugh novels about a pre-adolescent snoop named “Harriet the Spy” - didn’t bode well for the network’s fledgling move from little screen to big.
Fortunately, its follow-up, “Good Burger,” promises to leave a better taste in your mouth. Like “Saturday Night Live’s” “Coneheads, Wayne’s World” and “Blues Brothers” spinoffs, “Burger” got its start as a recurring sketch on the successful kid variety show “All That.”
The bit’s lasting appeal comes mostly from actor Kel Mitchell’s on-target reading of a dim bulb named Ed, whose life revolves around the third-rate fast food-dump Good Burger. Mitchell’s moron is dumb and dumber than anything Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels have cooked up.
He is also the perfect match for the hipper Kenan Thompson, another “All That” vet known for his big-guy roles in “D2: The Mighty Ducks” and “Heavyweights.”
The two become unlikely allies when Thompson has a fender-bender with his high-school teacher (Sinbad) and is forced to land a summer job at Good Burger to pay for the damage.
His chances look pretty slim when the floundering burger joint is challenged by Mondo Burger, a slick new fast-food palace opening across the street.
All hope appears lost when customers flock there in droves - that is, until the bone-headed Ed unwittingly introduces Good Burger to his delicious Secret Sauce. It leads to a burger battle that escalates beyond anything McDonald’s and Burger King have served up.
“Good Burger” is an affable, goofy-kid comedy that should appeal to youngsters without insulting the intelligence of their parents.
xxxx “Good Burger” Locations: East Sprague, Lyons, Coeur d’Alene Cinemas, Post Falls Cinema Six. Credits: Directed by Brian Robbins; starring Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Sinbad, Abe Vigoda, Shar Jackson. Running time: 1:34 Rating: PG