Mike Myers started off his acting career on SNL with beloved sketches with "Wayne's World" being the most popular. As how some comedy sketches or characters get their own films due to popular demand, Myers got his chance at bringing Wayne and his basement TV show to the big screen. Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar are two air-head friends who run a popular, public access show known as "Wayne's World". A producer from Chicago, Benjamin Oliver, sees potential from the show sponsoring Noah Vanderhoff, the owner of a popular arcade chain. As Benjamin signs a contract with Wayne and Garth, Wayne starts to fall in love with the beautiful Cassandra, the vocalist and bass player of the local band, Crucial Taunt, which Benjamin also seeks attraction with. Even though the plot sounds a bit convoluted at times, the story might as well be non-existent and only serves to have some narrative structure for the movie. It's really the tone and humour that overrides the film along with Wayne and Garth. There are so many jokes, scenarios and random moments that it offers a variety of laughs for any viewer. While the film has a somewhat conventional structure, Wayne or Garth could suddenly break the 4th wall and talk to the camera about what's going on. The humour can be subtle with Wayne moving towards Cassandra in a conventional way or absurd when Wayne and Cassandra partake in a "gratuitous sex scene". Throw in some sex jokes and a hilarious scene revolving Wayne and Garth speaking down against product placement while promoting product placement at the same time, you got yourself a comedy that not only has any restrictions in the humour, it's downright funny.
The characters of Wayne and Garth, played by Myers and Dana Carvey, aren't very unique at first. They almost come across as raunchier clones of Bill & Ted, even though the duo debuted a year earlier than the more family-friendly duo. Even if you manage to remove the extensive humour around them, Wayne and Garth are still very likeable. From Wayne's obsession of rock-and-roll and trying to impress Cassandra with Cantonese, to Garth's awkwardness and overall bizarre mindset, the duo feels both large in life, but somewhat realistic in a way. Tia Carrere as Cassandra mainly just serves as the love interest to Wayne in the "normal meets weird" kind of formula. Yes, you can debate how no one that attractive would give Wayne that easy of a chance to get together, but do you really care? If the viewer is already behind Wayne's back throughout the film, we can get behind the romance between him and Cassandra, which is honestly cute and wholesome in ways. Rob Lowe as Benjamin is simply perfect as the sleazy, successful yet manipulative producer who wants to both take the show and Cassandra off Wayne's hands. He's both charming and despicable and we all root for him to get his comeuppance. As for the side characters, they truly serve the role of background characters, but in a positive way. None of the side characters particularly have much of a personality, instead being more of a specific in-joke or gag, but the actors are clearly having fun hamming themselves up. From Vanderhoff's obliviousness for Wayne and Garth's disapproval, Wayne's mental ex-girlfriend Stacy, Russell's loyalty to Benjamin, Terry's uncomfortable lovingness to the men around him, and even cameos from Alice Cooper and Robert Patrick as the T-1000 all have fun moments and quirks, mainly Cooper's random knowledge of Milwaukee and the Algonquin people. Even though the acting is more on the hammier side, the characters are all fun to watch, with Wayne and Garth of course being the stars of the film.
Penelope Spheeris is probably best known for directing this film as well as revealing the toxic production and drama with Myers behind-the-scenes. Regardless of their fights or clashing viewpoints, Spheeris did a great job in making a movie surrounding these characters. She not only nails the limited production design and management of the modest budget, which is necessary for a movie about two poor guys making a cheap show out of the basement of Wayne's unseen parents, but I like how Spheeris portrays the reception and uniqueness of the "Wayne's World" show in the film. It's sort of like Wayne and Garth are in charge of a popular Youtube channel that they want to avoid giving up to greedy executives. I can totally imagine Myers and Carvey doing a reunion sketch of Wayne's World but updated for the current media landscape. Although we don't see much of the show itself, we get enough detail that Wayne's show is beloved for its unique personality and the energy of Wayne and Garth on-camera. Speaking of cameras, the cinematography by Theo van de Sande is really good, despite how seemingly flat it is. Although the film doesn't sport visually striking shots or sequences and resembles a low-budget TV show with obvious sets, it's how the camera plays the secret role of a character that exists only when the characters want it to exist. A scene can play out as normal, but the viewer only finds out that the camera is a character of that particular scene only when Wayne or Garth addresses it. It's not amazing camerawork per se, but it has great use in the context of the film. The score by J. Peter Robinson is probably the weakest link of the film as I can't recall any original score beats for the life of me, except the "Wayne's World" opening theme. As for the songs featured, the film offers not only "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen for the drive to the local doughnut stop and "Dream Weaver" by Gary Wright whenever Wayne gazes at Cassandra, but plenty of good covers by Carrere and Crucial Taunt. I think there might be one original song by the band, but I'm pretty sure they are mostly covers. There isn't much visual effects in the film, but there are mostly simple editing transitions or opticals. They are clearly phoney, but it's meant to be. Honestly, I'm surprised the film costed $20 million to be made, though it just might mainly consist of the various actors and cameos. The direction of Spheeris has a cheap, amateur appeal that works effectively at making the film feel as if Wayne & Garth made the film themselves.
"Wayne's World" is a prime example of a perfect transition from comedy sketch to feature film. Outside of a weak original score and a few familiar story beats, it offers what you'd expect coming from. From the over-the-top tone and ridiculous humour, Myers and Carvey being the loveable fools of Wayne and Garth, the cast having a total ball being the characters they are, the unique role the cinematography plays in the film thanks to de Sande's handiwork, the soundtrack of licensed songs makes a killer album, and the direction provided by Spheeris ensured that the film not only has an timeless feel with the portrayal of the fictional show, but puts effort into making the film feel as if the titular character was making the movie himself with the limited budget and resources. It's one of those comedies that feel very unique, mainly thanks to Myer's involvement and creation of the characters. Although the film inspired countless comedies and creators in many ways, it's the wacky original that deserves more recognition than it deserves.
Verdict: 9/10. A creative and zany comedy that is a one of a kind. Watch both this and the almost-as-good sequel for a night of laughs.
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