‘Home Fries’ (1998) Review

Home Fries Synopsis: Pregnant Sally unknowingly falls for the stepson of the deceased father of her baby and has to deal with his homicidal family.

A very pregnant Sally would like her married boyfriend to do the right thing and tell his wife about them, but he doesn’t seem too eager. One evening, he’s scared to death – literally- by his stepsons, Dorian and Angus, in a National Guard helicopter. When they realize Sally and her co-workers may have overheard the murder on their work headsets, Dorian takes a job at the burger joint to find out what Sally knows, but soon falls for her himself.

I worked at a movie theater when this film was released, but I never got around to watching it, which is odd because I really adore Drew Barrymore. But it’s currently available to stream on HBO Max, so I thought…why not? And then, after the movie ended, I thought… why?

Okay, so it’s not a terrible movie, but it was written by Vince Gilligan (The X-Files, Breaking Bad), so I expected more than what it was. Clearly, it’s meant to be a dark comedy, but it never fully commits to the darkness. There is also a distinct lack of character development, so it’s difficult to care about what happens to them.

I will say that the cast is pretty darn good and is the only reason I didn’t hate it. Barrymore is earnest and affable, as the pregnant Sally and Luke Wilson is really likable, as Dorian is the only member of his family with a conscience. Jake Busey plays Dorian’s brother, Angus… a young man with violent mommy issues, and that mommy happens to be Catherine O’Hara, who, quite simply, is magnificent in everything she does. Shelley Duvall shows up as Sally’s mother, but sadly, I feel she should have had more to do than deal with her alcoholic husband.

Maybe that’s why Home Fries was so disappointing. It completely wastes its talent. Considering the subject matter, it’s tonally confused and not as funny as it should be. The romance between Sally and Dorian never entirely takes off either, which is a shame because Barrymore and Wilson have lovely chemistry on-screen.

After the movie ended, I was just left thinking about the point. What was it? What kind of movie was Home Fries supposed to be? Dark comedies can be fantastic. Dark romantic comedies? Yes, please… give me more of them! But sadly, Home Fries just missed the mark completely. I’m giving it 1.5 stars for the cast alone because they were all pretty good with what little they had to work with.

Watched: 04/14/2022
Notable Song: Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing by Chris Isaak