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Men at Work (1990 film)

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Men at Work
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEmilio Estevez
Written byEmilio Estevez
Produced byCassian Elwes
StarringCharlie Sheen
Emilio Estevez
Leslie Hope
Keith David
Dean Cameron
John Getz
CinematographyTim Suhrstedt
Edited byCraig Bassett
Music byStewart Copeland
Distributed byTriumph Releasing Corporation
Release date
August 24, 1990 (USA)
Running time
98 min.
CountryUSA
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUnknown
Box office$16,247,964 (USA)

Men at Work is a 1990 American action comedy film written and directed by Emilio Estevez, and starring Estevez and his real life brother Charlie Sheen.

Plot

Carl Taylor (Sheen) and James St. James (Estevez) are a pair of troublemaking garbagemen who dream of owning a surf shop. The two uncover an illegal toxic dumping operation in their own city, Las Playas. The movie begins with the pair collecting trash as they usually do, by tossing garbage cans in the street and making noise that disturbs the residents. One of the local cops hassles them frequently, but Carl and James seem to have gotten used to this treatment.

After work, the pair spies on a woman living across the street with a telescope; they discover that she is being mistreated by a man who is with her. Determined to right the wrong, Carl shoots the man in the rear with a pellet gun. He and James both hide and laugh. Shortly afterwards, the man - a local politician named Jack Berger - is strangled and ends up found the next day by Carl and James in a yellow can. They decide that turning in the body would implicate themselves, as they had shot him earlier.

Carl and James ask the advice of crazed Vietnam War vet Louis Fedders (Keith David), who helps them to stash the body. Carl goes over to meet Susan Wilkins (Leslie Hope), the woman who they saw with Berger the night before. Louis ends up exacerbating the situation when he kidnaps a pizza delivery man who sees him with the body.

James, Louis, and the pizza man end up leaving the apartment to follow Carl and Susan, but they are pulled over by the cops from earlier in the movie. Louis, however, uses the pellet gun to get them out of trouble. Meanwhile, Carl and Susan are discovered by the hitmen who had killed Berger. The couple are eventually stuffed into cans and set to be disposed of in a lake that serves as an illegal toxic dump for a local businessman, Maxwell Potterdam III, who was also the man who had Berger killed.

Carl and Susan manage to escape from the cans and reunite with the others. The group fights the toxic dump workers and brings down Potterdam.

Cast

Production

The original screenplay was tentatively titled Clear Intent and slated to star another Brat Packer alongside Estevez.[1] The majority of the movie was shot in Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach in California.

Reception

The film was not critically well-received, earning only a 35% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[2] Considering its relatively small production budget, Men at Work did well in theaters, grossing $16,247,964 USD, $3,184,311 of that within the first week.[3]

Soundtrack

Men at Work (Rhino/Wea, July 18, 1990)

  1. "Wear You to the Ball" - UB40
  2. "Super Cool" - Sly & Robbie
  3. "Big Pink House" - Tyrants in Therapy
  4. "Feeling Good" - Pressure Drop
  5. "Back to Back" - Blood Brothers
  6. "Take Heed" - Black Uhuru
  7. "Here and Beyond" - Sly & Robbie
  8. "Truthful" - Blood Brothers
  9. "Reggae Ambassador" - Third World
  10. "Give a Little Love" - Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers
  11. "Playas Dawn" - Stewart Copeland
  12. "Pink Panther No. 23" - Stewart Copeland

References

  1. ^ Blum, David (1985-06-10). "Hollywood's Brat Pack". New York Magazine: 45.
  2. ^ Men at Work at Rotten Tomatoes
  3. ^ Men at Work at Box Office Mojo
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