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Michael Clarke Duncan, Kevin Heffernan, Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter ... see more see more... , Erik Stolhanske , Morgan Fairchild , Lance Henriksen , Vivica A. Fox , April Bowlby , Jeff Chase , Carla Gallo , Michael Yurchak , Nat Faxon , Jolie Martin , Cobie Smulders , Carrie Clifford , Will Forte , Rosalie Ward , Marc Evan Jackson , Dennis Gubbins , Sendhil Ramamurthy , Olivia Munn , Jim Gaffigan , Bobbi Sue Luther , Michael Merton , J.D. Walsh , James Grace , Alison Bower , Koji Kataoka , Smith Cho , Jim Rash , Elisabeth Noone , Melissa-Anne Davenport , Gillian Vigman , Michael Weaver , Sam Redford , Peter Gaulke , Rohit Sang , Richard Perello , Avi Rothman , Candace Smith , Philippe Brenninkmeyer , Tara Brenninkmeyer , Peter Navy Tuiasosopo

The Broken Lizard troupe is back with The Slammin' Salmon, a comedy revolving around a restaurant whose former heavyweight champion owner, Cleon Salmon (Michael Clarke Duncan), sets his waitstaff agai... read more read more...nst each other in a competition to see who can win the most tips, with the winner taking home a cash prize and the lowest earner winning a beatdown from the champ. Troupe member Kevin Heffernan makes his directorial debut with the picture, taking over the reigns from Jay Chandrasekhar, who directed all of Lizard's films up till this point. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Flixster Users

45% liked it

9,204 ratings

Critics

35% liked it

26 critics

R, 1 hr. 38 min.

Directed by: Kevin Heffernan

Release Date: December 11, 2009

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DVD Release Date: April 13, 2010

Stats: 700 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (700)

  • LoughnerWasLucid
    March 5, 2012
    LoughnerWasLucid
    Will Forte trampled by a bull right in front of a restaurant? LOLZ. i hate every character as well as every actor in this movie, except for the one who died. the one i hate the most is the fat manager. every manager in movies is either creepy, sexist, or fat. maybe im supposed to... read more hate managers in restaurant movies. well, i hate this one. he is fat.
  • MidnightMadwoman
    November 30, 2010
    MidnightMadwoman
    This movie reminds me a lot of Waiting... although it seems much less mean-spirited, somehow. The plot revolves around the wait staff of a restaurant who are pushed to sell-sell-sell to make up the money thier boss - the ex-heavyweight champ of the boxing world - lost in a bet to... read more the Yakuza. Michael Clarke Duncan is an absolute comedic genius, and brings a playful and somewhat childish menace to Cleon Salmon and his nuanced naivety. But everybody is great in this, and Kevin Heffernan appears to have a great flair for visual composition and colour. The script in this movie is hilarious, and each character is very human as an individual and very believable as part of a team. The actors and thus characters have great rapport with each other. Oh man, this movie is delightful. I don't always strike gold in the cheap movie bins at Blockbusters, but the movie gods did indeed smile upon me.
  • deano
    May 22, 2010
    deano
    More hilarious with the return of the Broken Lizard team since Beerfest who tries its hand at restaurant. This movie is sure to impressive. Indeed, it has all their hallmarks: amusing, witty, even absurd dialogue; hilarious ensemble scenes; wonderful characters/cameo perfo... read morermances; and incredibly funny blooper reels during the end credits.
    The performances made up for the "typical" writing and dialogue with some spot-on comedic performances. However, matched the hilarity of Michael Clarke Duncan as the Slammin' Salmon himself. His over-the-top madness was absolutely the shining element of this film and alone makes it worth watching.
  • DrZeek
    May 6, 2010
    DrZeek
    Rich: Dave, can I get a re-fire?
    Dave: What did you just say to me?
    Rich: The guy at table five wants it cooked a little bit more.
    Dave: No! They asked for it medium rare. It's perfect. If he wants it cooked more, tell him to go shove it up his ass.
    Rich: You want me to tell that... read more guy to cook this in his ass?
    Dave: Yeah, within the inside of his anus.

    A comedy from the Broken Lizard troupe that never quite comes together. There are a number of good laughs, and the guys all have solid chemistry together, as expected. However, the film is poorly made, with more jokes landing flat than succeeding. Still, a comedic performance from Michael Clarke Duncan can go a long way.

    Cleon Salmon: You know what ten grand feels like in your pocket? It feels like a third cock.

    The film mainly takes place during one long day, where a former heavy weight boxing champion, Cleon Salmon (Duncan) tasks his waiters to make a killing in profits for the night, because he lost a bet with Yakuza and owes big. Yep, that's the plot outline.

    The waiters consist of a number of different caricatures created by the Broken Lizard cast and also features a couple of women for good measure. Various shenanigans and crazy situations occur as the team tries to make a lot of money.

    A noticeable difference for this Broken Lizard feature has to do with its direction. The previous films were all directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, but this time Kevin Heffernan takes control, and his amateur ability shows. Its certainly not unwatchable, but balancing all the different types of comedy present here becomes a tough act, and the film certainly doesn't do a good job at holding that balance. The guys are also all clearly fans of their writing, which has hurt their other films in the past, and here it does them no favors when the jokes (especially running gags) just don't work well.

    Still, a lot of jokes do provide some fun moments, and I've already addressed how funny Duncan manages to be as the incompetent yet physically opposing owner.

    Broken Lizard fans may enjoy some of this, but its still a bit of a mess.

    Cleon Salmon: Who is Guy... Meatdrapes? What kind of name is that?
    Guy: It's, um, it's Metdrapedes, sir. It's Greek.
    Cleon Salmon: I think you're pronouncing it wrong. This says Meatdrapes.
    Guy: It's actually pronounced Metdrapedes.
    Cleon Salmon: Well, why doesn't it sound like that when I say it? Meatdrapes.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    April 27, 2010
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "Bring a bib, it's gonna get messy"

    The owner of a Miami restaurant indebted to the mob institutes a contest to see what waiter can earn the most money in one night.

    REVIEW

    The filmography of T... read morehe Broken Lizard comedy troupe is very much hit-or-miss. Their latest restaurant comedy The Slammin's Salmon is one of the troupe's true wins. Kevin Heffernan directs this heated contest at a high-profile Miami restaurant whose aim is to try to earn sufficient money to save the restaurant being used to pay off a gambling debt. Obviously, The Slammin' Salmon is not going to win any awards for creativity, yet the film has what it counts the most in comedies: it's very funny from start to finish. Similarly to Super Troopers and Beerfest, the humor can be described as situational and while some set-ups result in predictable outcomes, the majority of jokes is quite clever leading to even bigger laughs by the end. The characters are diverse enough to surprise us displaying near-perfect comic timing. Michael Clarke Duncan starring as an overbearing chief is a standout. His performance is so over-the-top that virtually irresistible. I wish every comedy was so immediate and apt in delivering laughs as The Slammin' Salmon.
  • Beefy
    April 18, 2010
    Beefy
    For me, it's Broken Lizard's funniest movie since Super Troopers. I giggled throughout, with some outright belly laughs, more than a few of which were supplied by the heretofore unknown comic genius of Michael Clarke Duncan.

    "Sucks to be you, Hiroshima."
  • ythelastman89
    April 15, 2010
    ythelastman89
    I really thought that this was everything waiting wanted to be but couldn't. The criticism of the restaurant business is done with subtlety and a lot more intelligent humor than you might expect. The characters are reminiscent of reality, but at the same time unique to themselves... read more. The plot is well done and executed perfectly, it's everything you could ask for in a comedy.
  • kiriyamakazou
    March 23, 2010
    kiriyamakazou
    I love Broken Lizard, and I always end up watching their films multiple times. It will be no different fro Slammin' Salmon. The plot is obvious, but it's simply there to set-up some jokes. Heffernan takes a shot at directing and he's talented enough to serve the script. Unlike ot... read moreher Broken Lizard films, the characters have an absolutely equal share of screen-time, there's no obvious protagonist. Cobie Smulders and Michael Clarke Duncan add some extra comedic chops, and it's nice to see some of the supporting regulars around. I have a feeling this will be a grower.
  • briandeguelle
    March 17, 2010
    briandeguelle
    Its a Broken Lizard film that should be enough said.You either love them or hate them. But this was pure comedy gold and had me in tears from the get go.There is crude humour and total slap stick to office here.There is touches of the movie "Waiting" but that because of the sett... read moreing. Its not there strongest movie but its more straight forward comedy and belong up there with there last one Beerfest. If you havent seen a broken lizard movie check this one at first, Its a great no brainer and a good way to enjoy hour and a half.
  • shiftyeyeddog
    March 12, 2010
    shiftyeyeddog
    Amusing, but probably Broken Lizard's weakest film. I'm not surprised it never got a theatrical release.

View All The Slammin' Salmon Reviews

Critic Reviews

Elizabeth Weitzman
December 11, 2009
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

Thirteen-year-old boys big enough to sneak into R-rated movies are presumably the prime audience for this witless comedy from the Broken Lizard troupe. Full Review

Neil Genzlinger
December 11, 2009
Neil Genzlinger, New York Times

It has its share of funny moments. But it also has its share of tired ones. Full Review

Michael O'Sullivan
December 11, 2009
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post

Much of the film's humor hovers around crotch level. If jokes about mental illness, terminal disease and sex with orangutans sound funny to you, go for it. Full Review

Kyle Smith
December 11, 2009
Kyle Smith, New York Post

This fratty National Lampoon-style comedy (written by and starring the Broken Lizard troupe of comics who made Beerfest and Super Troopers) is funny more often than not. Worth checking out on video. Full Review

David Hiltbrand
December 10, 2009
David Hiltbrand, Philadelphia Inquirer

You would think any movie with the word "salmon" in the title would have to be funny. Think again. Full Review

Ronnie Scheib
December 10, 2009
Ronnie Scheib, Variety

It is the presence of Duncan as a Mike Tyson-esque, malaprop-spouting ex-champion that, at least momentarily, lifts the pic out of its mediocrity. Full Review

Melissa Anderson
December 8, 2009
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice

Duncan's terrific timing and inspired Tracy Jordan-isms transform the dinner-theater vibe to dinner as theater. Full Review

Ethan Alter
December 7, 2009
Ethan Alter, Hollywood Reporter

Comedy troupe Broken Lizard returns with their fourth feature, which like its predecessors is funnier in concept than execution.

David Nusair
August 12, 2010
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

...sporadically funny yet hopelessly uneven... Full Review

Sean Axmaker
April 18, 2010
Sean Axmaker, MSN.com

... a warmed-over blend of bathroom humor, backstabbing shenanigans and humiliation. Full Review

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