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Corky Romano (October 11/01)

In a way, it's almost a good thing the abysmally bad Freddy Got Fingered was released. Now, no matter how bad a comedy may be, you can always think to yourself, "hey, at least it's not Freddy Got Fingered."

Saturday Night Live's Chris Kattan stars as the titular character, an eager wannabe veterinarian that comes from a mob family (except he doesn't know about his family's illicit activities). His father - and the mob boss - enlists Corky to go undercover into the FBI to discover what kind of evidence they have on them. Wacky hijinks ensue once Corky has infiltrated the Feds and slowly convinces everyone that he is a top agent.

As Corky, Kattan is good - although way over-the-top. This film is clearly his attempt to achieve what Jim Carrey did after the release of Ace Ventura - stardom as a comedic actor. While it does not seem, on the surface, that Kattan is anywhere close to as talented as Carrey, he does have charisma and his wide-eyed persona does enable him to create a likable character. Similarly, the rest of the surprisingly talented cast is good - if a little one-note. As the feared mob boss with a soft spot for Corky, Peter Falk essentially reprises his role from last summer's Made. Peter Berg and Chris Penn star as Corky's brothers, both of whom are prone to fits of random violence. They're good, but again, they're not exactly breaking any new ground (Penn has played this sort of a character many times; most notably in Reservoir Dogs).

But really, what it all comes down to is whether or not the film is funny. That really depends on your definition of what counts as humorous. Does the thought of Corky getting revenge on his brothers by farting in their faces tickle your funny bone? How about the proposed euthanasia of an obese cat? If those seem hilarious, you'll most likely find Corky Romano to be a laugh riot. This isn't to say there aren't any funny moments - there are a few throwaway gags that are chuckle-worthy (when Corky goes undercover as a neo-Nazi, he sports a tattoo that shows a menorah with a cross through it), but the majority of the jokes are obvious and crude.

Corky Romano isn't as bad as some other comedies as of late (yes Freddy Got Fingered, I am looking in your direction), but it's certainly not as good as the recently-released Zoolander.

out of

© David Nusair