So
I Married an Axe Murderer (1993)
Rated R
Starring: Mike Myers, Nancy Travis, and
Anthony LaPaglia
Rating:

out
of

|
Mike Myers plays Charlie Mackenzie, a San Francisco poet who is having
a hard time finding the right woman to spend his time with. His friend,
Tony (Anthony LaPaglia), an undercover cop, says Charlie simply finds
excuses to get rid of the women he meets because he's afraid of making
a commitment. Charlie's world gets turned upside down when he meets Harriet
(Nancy Travis), a butcher, while buying some haggis for his Scottish parents. Charlie's father (also played
by Myers) is a lovably harsh lug who watches soccer games while drinking
Scottish ale and hurling insults at Charlie's
younger brother. Charlie's mother (Brenda Fricker) reads The Weekly World
News, a tabloid known for such stories as "Batboy Found on Island" and "I
Married Bigfoot." When she comes across a story about an axe-murdering
woman who kills her new husbands on their honeymoon, Charlie laughs at
it and tells her to read a paper that contains real stories based on facts.
Charlie and Harriet start seeing each other regularly and, eventually,
go to visit Charlie's parents. While there, Charlie comes across the tabloid
story again and draws some horrifying conclusions about Harriet. She seems
to match all of the descriptions regarding the axe murdering wife. Is
she or isn't she?
Myers' portrayal of the elder
Mackenzie is some of the best work he's done on-screen. His relentless
attacks on his own son's large head are
brutally funny. An uncredited Alan Arkin is pleasantly cast as Tony's
boss. Cameos by the late Phil Hartman, Charles Grodin and Stephen Wright
make for some great moments too. So, why is this film not a great comedy?
Well, it mainly has to do with the plot. The "is she or isn't she
the killer" plotline seems too inane for characters that seem to
be fairly intelligent people. It's a combination that is deadly to a film,
especially a comedy. If the characters seem to smart to perform as stupidly
as the script requires, it's frustrating to watch them and that's exactly
what happens in this film.
The overall mood of So
I Married an Axe Murderer isn't bad and the performances
are solid all around but it's just a shame that the movie's plot couldn't
match the quality of the cast it had to work with. Although Myers is better
known for his work in Wayne's World and Austin Powers -- both superior
films -- this movie is still worth a look if you liked him in those movies. Trivia: The
soundtrack includes a remake of the Bay City Rollers tune, "Saturday
Night", as performed by Ned's Atomic Dustbin. (Source: The
Internet Movie Database) |