Haydain Neale, 1970–2009
Transit City and Transit Cities
Peeve Patrol
Newsstand: November 23, 2009
The Making of a Medley
Toronto's extensive work on the silver screen reveals that, while we have the chameleonic ability to look like anywhere from New York City to Moscow, the disguise doesn't always hold up to scrutiny. Reel Toronto revels in digging up and displaying the films that attempt to mask, hide, or—in rare cases—proudly display our city.
This Norm MacDonald vehicle is not by any stretch of the imagination a good movie, but that doesn't mean it isn't funny. There's no real acting (Norm is Norm, which is just fine), it features some interesting cameos (Don Rickles, Chevy Chase, and a brilliant-but-on-death's-door Chris Farley), and (all together, now!), it was filmed on the streets of our fair city!
The "plot" basically involves Norm and bro Artie Lange creating a business where they get revenge on other people in creative (and funny!) ways. The office itself is in Bloor West Village, on Annette Street.
You can see its lovely, sun-dappled beauty even better here.
And here you can see it in full motion, with a little slice of Farley greatness.
Before the boys hit on their big idea they fail at a number of jobs. One of these is working for Don Rickles at the pre-reno Varsity Theatre.
In one particularly ribald scene, the boys drive by a line-up outside the Eglinton Theatre...
...and decide to moon 'em.
The bad guy is Chris MacDonald (playing basically the exact same great shtick he did as Shooter McGavin). The exterior of his corporate headquarters is the Canada Life building on University Avenue...
...and its lobby is, dontcha know it, the lobby of same.
This rousing scene was shot at picturesque Wycliffe College on the U of T campus...
...and this frat house is actually Zeta Psi, located not too far away, on St. George Street.
The finale takes place at an opera house and, as in Exotica, it's Osgoode Hall playing the exterior.
The interior, however, is the Elgin Theatre, which has hosted many film festival screenings...but not of this flick.
If that's still not enough local institutions for you how about appearances by media superstars like Dini Petty...
...and Gord Martineau?!
With all that going on, how bad can this movie possibly be?
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I totally agree- not the best movie, but easily one of the funniest.
Artie Lang is severely underrated. He pretty much made MAD TV for me.
Gord Martineau exclaiming "Son of a bitch bastard!" after getting hit on the head with a tape recorder is pretty damn hilarious.
I'm vaguely embarrassed to admit that I'm going to the Elgin Theatre tonight...for the opera. I hope no skunks are involved.
I have to respectfully disagree David. Dirty Work is hilarious, and that in itself makes it a good movie. Not a great movie, but definitely a good movie in my mind.
My favourite scene is Don Rickles in the movie theatre "So there you are tubby.. ahh.. like a bucket of lard on a bad day"
Thanks for posting this scene, I can watch it over and over and laugh every time.
Reel Toronto is definitely my favourite recurrent article on Torontoist.
This movie is hilarious and that first screen capture of Norm and Artie holding the fish made me laugh so hard my co-workers had to come look.
"I have to go lift weights... what?"
Mea culpa for the fans: I forgot I wanted to include a link to this great revisiting of the movie by the fine folk at the Onion AV club:
http://tinyurl.com/c8f3pr
If nothing else, it inspired me to lead with the fish picture...
Any idea what movie's being shot at Casa Loma? They had fake snow all over the place yesterday evening.
@Green Sulfur, we got a reader email asking as much this weekend, and the staff determined that it was almost certainly Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and, according to our own Ashley Carter, is "that fight scene with Lucas Lee."