MovieFreak.com - Good Burger DVD Review

Starring: Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson, Abe Vigoda
Director: Brian Robbins

Can fast food dudes Ed (Kel Mitchell) and Dexter (Kenan Thompson) battle big business? That's the order of the day when Mondo Burger's high-tech hamburger haven opens across the street from the tiny Good Burger diner. Catch up with the gags as Ed and Dexter scramble to save their jobs and stop Mondo Burger's bid for fast-food domination!

Where Kenan and Kel are now I don’t know, but back in 1997 they starred in the popular Nickelodeon series All That. Good Burger is inspired from that show and it turns out the film is not that bad.

Written by Dan Schneider and Kevin Kopelow & Heath Seifert, Good Burger tells a very simple story that’s fun enough to watch. The script is not that great, but it has its moments. Dialogue is sometimes a little boring (especially the Mondo Burger scenes). The script has a good structure, but the whole “demented hills” thing at the end is weak. Basically, what happens is that before Ed and Dexter can save Good Burger from poisoning their customers (unintentionally, of course, as Mondo Burger are the proprietors) they have to spend the night at a mental institution. If you’ve read the synopsis above, you know what the film is about. However, there’s more to it than just the story.

The comedy is important here, because that’s what the film plays to. Kenan and Kel handle the material quite well, despite the silliness of most of it. Jokes are not toilet-based, if you know what I mean, but instead they play to misunderstanding of words. Kel Mitchell’s Ed seems like he’s a little behind everyone else as he sometimes acts a little more stupid than he should, but in the end it makes for a funny performance. Kenan Thompson’s Dexter is the brain, if you will. He makes all the decisions and so forth, but turns in a very good performance as well. Basically, both play their roles straight and they have chemistry, an important factor here, and it makes the film come together.

Shaquille O’Neal makes a cameo appearance playing himself, enjoying the good taste of a good burger. George Clinton is in this flick, too. The bigger cameo, if you can call it that, is Sinbad as Dexter’s teacher. Sinbad’s character is big on his Afro and shows up in a couple of scenes with some good energy, but his role is really nothing to be excited about. First and foremost, however, is the star power of Abe Vigoda. He has since appeared in a few cameos on Late Night with Conan O’Brien. I don’t know if he has any star power at all, but his is the only name in the credits on the DVDs back cover. Either way, he proves to be a fun addition to the cast. Brian Robbins also does a good job directing the material. A chase scene towards the end is handled rather nicely.

Essentially, Good Burger is harmless fun. It tends to be silly more than often, but that’s okay. It’s Nickelodeon. However, I doubt the film is for everyone. People may find it stupid and silly. Well, it is, kind of, but that’s the point. It’s not great and it’s not terrible. At 95 minutes, Good Burger should give everyone at least something to laugh about.

Good Burger is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. The print is not totally clean, but looks better than ever, especially if you compare it to the picture quality of the VHS. Scratches and dirt showed up more than often. The color palette is handled quite nicely as there are a lot of vibrant colors in the film. Color detail is sharp, but not consistent. There’s one night scene in the film and I think the dark tones and black level looked all right. Overall, Good Burger looks fine.

Good Burger is available in English 5.1 Surround and Dolby Surround. The track sounds well and it’s an average presentation. I mean, what can we expect from a film like this? Dialog is clear and easy to understand. Stewart Copeland provides a score that’s quite good and it’s all over the track. I didn’t find any evidence of actual surround usage, but I might’ve missed one or two instances. However, Good Burger is not the most audio-driven film and therefore there’s not much to accentuate in terms of sound effects (except for the popping of ketchup and other good stuff).

There are no extras, not even the film’s theatrical trailer. You can select to view the film with optional English subtitles. The DVD’s menus are not animated. The 95-minute feature is organized into twenty chapters.

I’d love to taste one of those good burgers right about now, but at least I have the film to keep me hungry. Okay, that might sound a little weird, but you know, I’ve seen the film more than a few times by now (before getting the DVD). Good Burger is innocent fun and has some good moments. If you’re in for entertainment, give this one a look from the video store.

THE MOVIE	7
THE VIDEO	7
THE AUDIO	6
THE EXTRAS	0
OVERALL (not an average)	5