Wayne's World (1992)

If you were to ask most people in my age group (I’m 39) what their favorite era of Saturday Night Live was, they would probably answer the early 1990s.  It was an era that, arguably, rivaled the original cast in terms of comedic talent (Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley, to name a few), many of whom went on the successful movie careers.   When Wayne’s World was released in 1992 it was not just a comedy – it was THE COMEDY! It was endlessly quoted in the classroom (“No way”) and practically everyone I knew owned a VHS copy of it.  A personal antidote:  My sister and I were once watching Wayne’s World on a Saturday, when she received a phone call from a friend ….who was also watching Wayne’s World and practically in sync with our viewing.  What can I say? I grew up in Port Washington, Wisconsin and there is very little to do there. 

There are only two SNL skits that have been successfully adapted into full length movies, The Blues Brothers and Wayne’s World.  The Blues Brothers successfully adapted the SNL skit into a fun musical – comedy, while Wayne’s World is one of the most offbeat movies ever released by a studio.  The premise of this skit revolved around two metal heads, Wayne and Garth, who have a public access show that is filmed in the basement of Wayne’s parents’ house.  The two of them would discuss random topics (“Babe of the week”) and occasionally have a guest star.  It was an incredibly popular skit and it was only inevitable that SNL would try to spin that into a movie.    

The reason Wayne’s World work so well (while SNL comedies have failed) is because it is completely unpredictable to a first time viewer.  Sure, the basic plot line isn’t anything new – Will Wayne and Garth sell out?  A TV producer, Benjamin, buys the rights to their TV show for ten thousand dollars and then proceeds to make it more commercial friendly. In their contract, it is stipulated that the boys must give their sponsor – Noah Vanderhoff, the owner of an arcade chain – a weekly spot on their television show.  Wayne is annoyed by this, even though he signed the contract, and rebels by making fun of Noah during the first televised show – he writes insults on the back of the question cards he read offs, while Noah remains oblivious to the whole thing.  This doesn’t sit well with Benjamin, who then fires Wayne for his insubordination.  To make matters even worse, Benjamin also has his sights set on Wayne’s girlfriend, Cassandra.  It’s now up to Wayne and Garth to save their show, and Cassandra, from Benjamin’s slimy grip.  

The opening to a movie is extremely important; it‘s when the audience decides whether or not they want to continue watching the story.  In my humble opinion Wayne’s World has one the strongest openings of all time, because it perfectly sets up the characters. The movie opens with Benjamin and an attractive woman in bed together, watching television.  The woman flips through the channels and then stumbles up “Wayne’s World.”  She tells Benjamin that this show is popular with the local youth and this gives Benjamin an idea. He calls up his assistant and arranges a meeting for Noah Vanderhoff.  This short scene not only sets up the plot, but it gives us a nice look into Benjamin’s character – while his girlfriend views “Wayne’s World” as light entertainment, Benjamin sees it as a potential property that he can exploit.  Even in the midst of love making, he still can’t shake off his business like attitude. Having gotten that little bit of exposition out of the way, the movie then cuts to Wayne and Garth, and we spend the next twenty minutes seeing the world through their eyes. Wayne and Garth, like most of the working class, absolutely live for the weekend.  After they have finished their Friday show, they then go about their usual Friday night ritual – they drive around town (while head banging to “Bohemian Rhapsody), stop by the local doughnut shop where they interact with the locals, and then finally hang out at their favorite club, Gasworks, where all the local heavy metal bands play.   

The reason why Wayne’s World resonated with a young audience is that it is completely relatable – this is essentially what most high school and college students do on the weekends.  Even more refreshingly, this way of life is portrayed in an affectionate, irony free manner. When Wayne and Garth are hanging out at Gasworks, there is never an instance where the filmmakers feel they are above this type of setting. The main reason, I believe, for this affectionate portrayal is that director Penelope Spheeris was no stranger to the heavy metal scene; in fact, she made a series of documentaries about the subject (The Decline of Western Civilization trilogy).  She was extremely familiar with the types of characters that are depicted onscreen during the Gasworks segments.   If someone like Tina Fey would have made Wayne’s World, it would have been  dripping with condescension – in Fey’s version Benjamin would be the eye rolling protagonists who is too sophisticated for places like Gasworks. Wayne’s World was made in an era when Hollywood still had an affinity for the working class instead of the contempt that has taken over the industry in modern times. 

There is an interesting dynamic between Wayne and Garth – by default, Wayne is the more “adult” of the two. Wayne is fairly immature but he can interact in social and even business settings.  Cassandra maybe out of Wayne’s league but that doesn’t dissuade him from asking her out. He still harbors some guilt over his obsessive  ex-girlfriend Stacy, who stalks him relentlessly but doesn’t allow it to derail his life.  When he does realize that Benjamin is exploiting his intellectual property, Wayne does take a stand (albeit in very juvenile way) and gets fired for his insubordination.  Garth has a childlike innocence about him and can hardly function whenever Wayne isn’t around; on the rare occasion when Benjamin attempts to talk to Garth alone it proves to be extremely awkward.  While Wayne has enough confidence to ask Cassandra out, Garth is crippled by his shyness – he has a crush on an attractive blonde woman but he can’t build up the courage to talk to her.  Garth views the world in a childish manner; at one point he asks Wayne if he ever was attracted to Bugs Bunny in drag. Wayne, naturally, laughs at the question, but it is clear that Garth is serious.  

Wayne is also fairly self centered in regards to Garth, when he gets fired/walks out on the show, it never occurs to him how it will affect Garth.  Even though the show is called “Wayne’s World,” Benjamin decides to carry on without the star and Garth is left all alone on set, and has a near meltdown on the air.  Garth calls Wayne out over his selfish behavior but Wayne doesn’t want to hear any of it and walks away.  However, like all solid friendships the two of them bury the hatchet and then come up with a plan that will not only get their show back but will help out Cassandra, as well.  Their plan is to do a show from their basement, have Cassandra perform a few numbers, and hope that it will get her band signed to a major record label.  They do have an ace in the hole – their going to use satellites to redirect the TV signal into the limo of a major record producer, Frankie Sharpe. Thankfully, Sharp’s bodyguard (whom they met at the Alice Cooper concert) gave them all the required information regarding his boss.  Other than the whole “plotting to get their show back” I think most people can relate to this friendship – we’ve all been there before.  

This plot is basically just a frame work for Mike Myers to hang some crazy ideas on.   It is a movie that sets up certain tropes (Wayne falling in love with a girl) and then turns them on their heard.  For instance, practically every romantic comedy has a scene where they two leads bond – it can either be charming or cringe worthy depending on the talent involved.  Myers gets passed this stumbling block by having Wayne and his love interest, rock goddess Cassandra, talking in Cantonese (her native language) while subtitles appear onscreen to translate what they are saying to each other.   This scene is not only funny, but it is also pretty convincing – Cassandra is charmed that Wayne took the time to learn her native language and instantly connects with him. Wayne’s first interaction with her was a bit awkward, so he makes an actual effort to impress her the second time around.   This is one of the aspects I like about Wayne’s World; he actually has to work to get the girl of his dreams.  In their first scene together, Wayne is completely transfixed by her but she kind of just brushes him off.  She recognizes him from his public access TV show but she is more concerned about getting money from her manager and doesn’t have time to chat. Yet, rather than be demoralized by this failed interaction, Wayne becomes more determined to win Cassandra over, so he takes the time to learn her native language.  Even though Wayne’s World is a silly comedy, these tiny detail gives it an air of credibility.  

 The funniest moment is when Wayne and Garth go backstage to meet Alice Cooper.  A lesser movie would have our heroes taking part in a wild party; instead the scene quickly turns into Alice Cooper giving a lecture on the history of Milwaukee. Wayne asks Alice Cooper if he comes to Milwaukee often and the rock legend goes on fact filled rant about the city.  Wayne and Garth can only stare on awkwardly; what else can they do in this situation? 

As teenager, it is easy to loathe the character of Benjamin. He is, after all, a yuppie prick who wants to ruin the “purity” of Wayne’s public access show.  His attempts to commercialize it are also a bit extreme - he gives it a more polished theme song (instead of Wayne and Garth rocking in the basement) and even gets an announcer; Wayne and Garth are completely taken aback by both of these additions.  It is also true that he insists that they give a weekly spot to their sponsor, but other than that they are still allowed to create the content they like.  In modern day terms it would be on par with a Youtuber deciding on whether or not they want to monetize their video by running ads.  As annoying as these ads might be, they permit the Youtuber to keep on creating the content they want (provided they are not flagged, or demonetized for political reasons).  As annoying as it is for Wayne and Garth to give Noah a spot on their show, it is his sponsorship that allows for them to create whatever content their heart desires (provided their show isn’t cancelled). Sure, it is kind of loathsome that Benjamin attempts to steal Cassandra for Wayne, but let’s not forget that it’s only because Wayne vouches for him in the first place that she gives Benjamin the time of day.  When Benjamin approaches Cassandra about producing a music video for her band, she is extremely skeptical. It’s only after her talk with Wayne, and Wayne giving Benjamin his seal of approval, that Cassandra goes through with the deal

It is not so much morality as it personal philosophies  that separate Wayne and Benjamin - Wayne views “Wayne’s World” as his baby, while Benjamin sees it only as a product to make money off of. When Wayne was producing the show from his parents basement he didn’t really have to worry about expenses or ratings (it was public access, after all) and even as the star of a local television show, he still doesn’t have to worry about these things. Benjamin, on the other hand, is the one that has to worry about the finances and keeping the sponsor happy. If Noah pulls his sponsorship, then everyone is out of a job.  Basically, Benjamin is the one that has to assure everything runs smoothly and if an employee fails at their job, well he has no choice but to let them go.  Again, this is something I have only recently considered.  

In his review of the film, Leonard Maltin described Rob Lowe’s performance as “dull.” However, I think that is the point. Benjamin isn’t really a villain; he is just an ambitious young man.  He is completely at home when it comes to boardroom meetings and other business settings, but is at a loss when it comes to dealing with the common man.  He sticks out like sore thumb at the local club Wayne and Garth hang out at. After Cassandra has finished performing her set, Benjamin tells her multiple that her music was great. This is a world that is completely foreign to him and he comes off as a total square.  In the more comfy settings of his lavish penthouse, he is able to impress Cassandra with his knowledge of China and other subjects; this entire exchange makes Wayne feel rather insecure.  

It also helps that Tia Carrere is absolutely credible as a rock goddess.  This may seem like a small thing, but there are many movie actress who, while they have a strong screen presence, are absolutely lacking when it comes to stage presence. In her rock n’ roll numbers, Carrere absolutely owns the stage (and screen).  She has an extremely lively presence and her renditions of classics like Jimi Hendrix’s “Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire” and Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz” are fun and energetic.  Just compare Carrere’s stage presence to that of Justine Bateman and Julia Roberts in the bland rock comedy, Satisfaction, and you will notice a huge disparity. Their song numbers are completely stiff and awkward.  They wouldn’t even make it as karaoke singers, let alone a full fledged rock band.  Carrere has no such hangs up (probably because she is trained singer) and projects confidence whenever she is called to sing.  The nice thing about Cassandra is that  she doesn’t tolerate anyone’s bullshit – when Wayne hints that her video shoot is result her sleeping with Benjamin, she rightfully takes offense and kicks him out.  Later when it becomes abundantly clear to her that Benjamin is making a pass at her, she walks out on him and takes a roll of the dice with Wayne (even though Benjamin is the “sure thing.”)  While Wayne and Garth are the focus of the story, it is refreshing to see that Cassandra maintains her independent spirit.  She loves Wayne, but also has a life of her own.  It is also nice that Wayne realizes he’s done wrong by her and wants to make it up to her  – even if it comes in form of a convoluted plan that has a small chance of succeeding.

What has become of the mainstream comedy? The last time a full fledged, live action comedy cracked the yearly top 10 box office was in 2012 (Seth MacFarlane’s Ted).  Sadly, the current cinematic landscape has been littered with so many super hero movies and franchise reboots that original comedies have been pretty much sideline by the studios.  In 1992, four of the year's top ten grosser were live action comedies (Home Alone 2, Sister Act, Wayne’s World, and A League of Their Own), while the only super hero movie in the mix was Tim Burton’s underrated Batman Returns.  Boy, have the times changed!

Credits
Cast: Mike Myers (Wayne), Dana Carvey (Garth), Tia Carrere (Cassandra), Rob Lowe (Benjamin), Brian Doyle – Murray (Noah Vanderhoff), Kurt Fuller (Russell), Colleen Camp (Mrs. Vanderhoff), Lara Flynn Boyle (Stacy), Michael DeLuise (Alan), Dan Bell (Neil), Lee Tergesen (Terry), Sean Sullivan (Phil), Donna Dixon (Dream woman), Frederick Coffin (Officer Koharski), Meat Loaf (Tiny), Chris Farley (Security Guard), Alice Cooper (Himself), Mike Hagerty (Davy), Ione Skye (Elyse), Ed O’ Neill (Glen – Mikita’s Manager), Frank DiLeo (Frankie ‘Mr. Big’ Sharp), Robert Patrick (Bad Cop).

Director: Penelope Spheeris
Screenplay: Mike Myers, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner.
Running Time:  95 min.