A Night at the Roxbury (Special Collector's Edition)
Seville/Warner Brothers
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It may have taken the Bubati Brothers seven years to graduate high school, but by now they've realized there's more to life than working in their father's silk plant store. Their goal is to get into L.A.'s #1 night spot--the elegant Roxbury Club--and become movers and shakers in today's happening nightclub scene. Steve and Doug are determined to prove that for the first time in their lives, they are really worth something. They set out to prove their manhood by going through the ultimate rite of passage, getting past the ropes and into the A-club--the Roxbury. Maybe this chance will lead to Steve and Doug someday, even, being able to run a club of their own. But their not on the Roxbury guest list, so they're stuck on the sidewalk until fate shines on them.

A Night at the Roxbury began as one of those lame Saturday Night Live skits that aired week after week because there was nothing better to put on at the time. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big Will Ferrell fan and I liked Chris Kattan at the time too, but the Bubati brothers existed because of not only one skit, but a single gag, a single metro-sexual head bob. Needless to say, when you take a silly, five-minute sketch and expand it to a feature your results aren't going to be any better.

The story follows the two clueless brothers as they scheme to get into the hottest clubs, open a club of their own and try to drum up a conversation with any girl they don't call "Mom." And that's about it. Each scene is more or less an excuse to have Ferrell (doing his best Owen Wilson impersonation) and Katton act as though disco didn't die in 1981. There's a couple of times when the awkwardness of the gag works, but most of the time it's about as funny as Sex and the City is to most men.

Like Coneheads, The Ladies Man, Superstar and even Wayne's World, A Night at the Roxybury is best viewed in its original five-minute skit form. A gag doesn't make a movie.

Video: How's it look?
The picture is in a sharp enhanced widescreen. Whether or not that's a good thing depends on your view of shiny suits because they sure are shiny.

Audio: How's it sound?
The 5.1 Surround soundtrack is another reverse blessing. Yes, it sounds great but that means the soundtrack of club tunes that were tired a decade ago are ultra loud and clear. There's also a French Surround track and a 2.0 English stereo track.

Extras: What additional goodies are included?

• "Score! Reliving A Night at the Roxbury" runs more than 20 minutes and is composed of a lot of cast and crew interviews that shed a little depth to the making of the film.
• "Roxbury Rags: Costume and Fashion Guide" looks at the club clothing and other various fashions (and anti-fashions) that run throughout the film.
• "Do That Dance" is a brief but interesting look at the movie's outrageous choreography.
• Night clubs in general are explored in the nine-minute featurette "Making the List".
• Previews for Blades of Glory and Norbit, as well as spotlights on Will Ferrell and Eddie Murphy DVDs.
• English subtitles.

Closing Thoughts
Fans of the original skit are likely to enjoy A Night at the Roxbury. For me, it was too much of a single joke that got tiresome about five minutes in. Also, this so-called "special edition" is nothing more than average as far as special features are concerned.


Review brought to you by our friend Ryan @ Movie-Views.com