Rating: Not Rated
Starring:
Mikey Day as Charlie
Dominique Swain as Lori
Chris Kattan as Gabriel
Trevor Heins as Max
Nicki Clyne as Billie
Brittany Daniel as Kimberly
James Hong as Yamagashi
Teryl Rothery as Mrs. Gunderson
Greg Kean as Mr. Gunderson
Joey Kern as Kipp
Tracy Morgan as Darnell
Kate McClafferty as Emily Walkers
Kelly Dowdle as Charlotte
Bijou Phillips as Karelynn
Special Features:
Commentary by: Tracy Morgan & writer/director Neal Brennan
Deleted scenes
Bloopers & outtakes hosted by Neal Brennan & Joey Kern
Tracy Morgan: 7 minutes of ad libs
Joey Kern is Kipp Vanderhoff
Kipp Vanderhoff: A Nightmare of Condescending Laughter
Other Info:
Widescreen
Running Time: 93 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Do you prefer to wax on or wax off? Preacher won’t let you dance? Well then, put Baby in the corner and come on down, ’cause VH1 is bringing back more of the ’80s you love in its feature-length film, ‘Totally Awesome.’ The Gundersons have moved across the country and the kids Charlie, Lori and Max are trying their best to acclimate themselves into a new school and all kinds of dilemmas therein: the need to dance, the pitfalls of young love, the quest for popularity, scientific genius and of course the quirky but loveable Japanese gardener. ‘Totally Awesome’ takes all your favorite ’80s-flick mainstays and weaves them into the biggest and baddest plotline ever conceived. To say it is radical would be an understatement.”
“Totally Awesome” is not rated, but it contains nudity and language.
Mini-Review:
The best way to summarize “Totally Awesome” is to say it’s like a bad National Lampoon movie. They are very similar in humor, style, and story. And like a National Lampoon film, there are 10 lame jokes for every good one. The premise is good enough they attempt to parody almost every 80’s movie ever made. They include “Soul Man,” “Teen Wolf,” “Footloose,” “The Karate Kid,” and a bevy of others that have identical plotlines of a new kid trying to fit in at a hip new school. However, the final product would have been more appropriate for a half hour show than an hour and a half movie.
“Totally Awesome” does have a few shining moments. Tracy Morgan has an amusing cameo where he teaches Charlie how to act black (in a parody of “Soul Man”). He adds much needed life and humor into the story. Chris Kattan has a similar effect as Gabriel, the dancing janitor from the school. His incredibly lame dance moves offer plenty of laughs.
If you like stupid comedies and you grew up in the 80’s then “Totally Awesome” is for you. Everyone else is probably going to be less amused by the bad jokes, nostalgia, and obscure film references.
This DVD has a surprisingly large number of bonus features. You’ll find your standard commentary, deleted scenes, and blooper reel (hosted by the director). Also included is 7 minutes of ad libs by Tracey Morgan and what is quite possibly the most annoying bonus feature ever made several minutes straight of the lead snob character’s condescending laugh. If you watch it, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
