Free Enterprise (Widescreen)

 

 

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I'll admit I never saw the original cut of this 1999 cult indy classic. All I've seen is this recut version, and I am pleased to bits over it. Not knowing what to expect, I popped the movie into the DVD player. I was immediately inundated with sci-fi and pop culture references to make Kevin Smith wet the bed. Anyone born in the 70's will understand. Yet, this is not cheesily done (see: Fanboys), this is lovingly done. From re-enactments of Logan's Run ("Run, runner!") to geekouts over Wrath Of Khan laserdiscs, and incorporating Terminator quotes into every day life, if you're a sci-fi geek, you will never find a more wretched hive...sorry, got carried away there. Throw in Swingers influences for the late 20's crowd in the late 90's and you have a pretty entertaining film.

Eric McCormack is a struggling writer (his latest screenplay, Brady Killer, is pretty much junk) and Rafer Weigel (who?) is a film editor for a tiny studio, making movies like Beach Babe Bingo Fiesta. Their lives consist of trying to score, geeking out over Star Trek ("only original, only classic"), and in Rafer's case, paying the bills without hawking his Trek goods. Their lives take a turn for the interesting when they are browsing books and run into...William Shatner (browsing porn), as played by William Shatner.

This is, in my own humble geek-opinion, Shatner's best movie. At times he plays himself understatedly dark, other times with panache, and outrageously at others. Most of all, Shatner's Shatner is whacko. A lonely whacko, but also out-of-his-tree whacko, as if every story you ever heard about him was true. He is working on his own film project, a little epic. William Shatner and Williams Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. A musical version. 6 hours long. 3 intermissions. With Shatner playing all the parts. Except Calpurnia. He was thinking about getting Sharon Stone for that part.

Shatner, as great as he is, is only the background for this lovingly made film. He appears in childhood dream sequences, and he pops up unexpectedly when the characters need to confess their problems to what essentially amounts to a friendly, lonely stranger. Our main characters are going through their own late-20's problems, mostly with women, and just as funny and outrageous as anything from Clerks (I or II). The performances are adequate, certainly not Oscar-worthy, but damned if McCormack doesn't do the best Shatner monologue that I've ever seen.

This is not a complex story, but it is a warm one and is infinitely re-watchable. I pull it off the shelves every few months to enjoy and geek out. I can't say the same thing about Fanboys.

DVD bonus features are pure awesomeness at warp 9. My favourite was a pilot for a series that was never picked up, but damn, it should have been. The makers of Free Enterprise came up with a pilot where they just discuss science fiction news and films over drinks in a bar with special guests. Chase Masterson (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) appears in this pilot. It's kind of like that show that Jon Favreau had where he just hangs out at dinner with his friends. Shoulda woulda coulda been a series. I would have watched it, and so would you.

Pickup Free Enterprise if you:
a) are a Shatner fan
b) love Kevin Smith films
c) think Han shot first.

5 stars. An indispensible part of my movie library.

I didnt know my whole family will enjoy free enterprise :) But its a good thing. When I bought my Free Enterprise DVD on its release date yesterday I thought I would be the only one watching it. Little did I know .. after playing it fr 20 mins .. my whole family is there watching and enjoying it with me :D Thats super i didnt know i will be able to find a movie that we all like. Coz my parents and brother of course watches diff kind of movies .. ANyways, great choice! Hope you guys can enjoy a family movie night like me :D Cant go wrong with Free Enterprise

This film tells the story of a group of young men who are obsessed with sci-fi in general and Star Trek in particular. Oneof them is having an identity crisis as he approaches his thirtieth birthday (he dreams he's the hero of Logan's Run). One of them is having trouble with his girlfriend and his job. The best performance in the film is by William Shatner, playing himself. He has an obsession with making a rap musical version of'Julius Caesar', and sends up himself and 'Star Trek' hilariously. My favourite line in the film is where the one who's approaching thirty, who is Jewish, is fondling a German girl and she pushes him away. "Considering what your people did to my people during WW2" he observes "I wouldn't have thought a little mild breast fondling was too much reparation to make." This is a very funny film.

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3.0 out of 5 stars 3 1/2 stars-A smartly done send up of pop culture!
June of /99 saw the original US release of Free Enterprise.This special two disc edition was released in 2005 with added additional footage to the original version. Read more

Published on Nov 20 2009 by Robert Badgley

5.0 out of 5 stars Your either going to love it or just go ... huh?
It will be like a geek bomb went off in your living room. If you were a fan of the Logans Run TV series, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica and dozens of other mandatory stations of... Read more

Published on July 7 2004 by R. Whitelaw

4.0 out of 5 stars The ULTIMATE Sci-Fi Fan's Movie! Hysterical!
This flick is - without a doubt - the best movie made for (and by) sci-fi fans. Nothing else compares. Read more

Published on Mar 5 2004 by wilsonfrontier

5.0 out of 5 stars The Free Enterprise.... system, not the Starship Enterprise
It's a pun. I watched this movie, expecting something more along the lines of 'Galaxy Quest.' The beginning is a bit slow, packed with a dizzying array of sci-fi references and... Read more

Published on Jan 3 2004 by Nameless Faceless User

3.0 out of 5 stars affectionate and funny but overlong
Two middle-aged LA Trekkies have trouble finding love until they begin to take some advice from their idol William Shatner and let love in. Read more

Published on Nov 22 2003 by audrey

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious! Shatner has a great sense of humor!
This is mostly a dialog-driven film, laden with science-fiction in-jokes, and it will be a delight for any die-hard Trekkie or Star Wars fan. Read more

Published on Nov 6 2003 by skunktrain

4.0 out of 5 stars Geeks like me...
I loved this movie. Other spoofs are great, don't get me wrong; Galaxy Quest was awsome, and Trekkies was a little disturbing to be honest, but *this* movie got me where I lived... Read more

Published on April 8 2003 by Shaddyr

1.0 out of 5 stars Not Funny, Not Funny at all.
If you like Marvel Comics. If You like Star Trek. If you hate it when someone calls you a geek because you spend too much time in these and other fictional universes as shown in... Read more

Published on Dec 11 2002 by Joe Mac Guy

4.0 out of 5 stars Great fun for Trek lovers
A great movie, full of laughs for people who love Star Trek and who don't take it so seriously that they can't laugh at themselves and the show. Read more

Published on Sep 26 2002 by bguy

4.0 out of 5 stars Pure Sci-Fi/Swingers Comic Genius
This movie blew me away with how sharp and witty the dialogue was. Best of all, it was aimed towards people who enjoy sci-fi, home theaters, and going to toy stores despite being... Read more

Published on Aug 30 2002

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