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Free Enterprise | Year: 1999 Classification: Comedy Actors/Actresses: - Eric Mccormack - Rafer Weigel - William Shatner The funniest movie ever made by s-f fans, for s-f fans! Be careful what you wish for! Mark and Robert, two long-time Star Trek fans, have suffered most of their lives for their love of their favorite television program. Back in school, their classmates beat them up for their devotion to the fictional Captain Kirk and the actor who played him. Now, approaching their dreaded thirtieth birthdays, the two wannabe filmmakers (and devoted collectors of action figures) still don't fit in. Neither can maintain a relationship with a girlfriend. Could it have something to do with the fact that nearly everything they say contains some reference to "Star Trek" or other science-fiction classics? Certainly not! Still, when Mark and Robert chance to meet actor William Shatner in a Los Angeles bookstore, they're in for a rude awakening. To their horror, they find their idol is a womanizing egomaniac whose dream is to play all the parts in a one-man musical production of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar." (All the parts, except that he wants Sharon Stone to play Calpurnia. Or if Sharon isn't available, then maybe Heather Locklear.) "Free Enterprise" is a modest, independently-produced romantic comedy, written by science-fiction film columnist Mark Altman and film editor Robert Meyer Burnett (who also directed), both of whom fiercely deny that the film is in any way autobiographical. Their love of Star Trek and science fiction film is evident in every scene of this quirky, sometimes bizarre tale, which seems to have been made without any cooperation (or interference) from Paramount Studios. William Shatner shows himself to be a heretofore unsuspected comic genius who takes delight in poking fun at his public image. And his rap music version of Marc Antony's "Et tu, Brute" speech had me laughing so hard that I'll have to watch the movie again just to see if I missed anything. Although "mainstream" viewers will certainly enjoy the film's comedic plot, hardcore science fiction fans will take special delight in "Free Enterprise"'s many subtle (and not-so-subtle) in-jokes. My personal favorite was Shatner's botched pick-up line, delivered to a beautiful woman, a classic Kirk speech from "Conscience of the King." (Oddly enough, it didn't work anywhere near as well for Shatner as it did for Kirk.) On the other hand, I didn't notice (until a friend pointed out to me) that all the drinks in a bar were green, which seems to be a clever reference to Scotty's immortal "it's green" line. Other gags include references to such fan favorites as "Logan's Run," "Star Wars," "Planet of the Apes," "Wonder Woman," and even "Buckaroo Banzai." Even the end titles are full of tiny jokes buried in the credits. The DVD version has a beautiful letterbox transfer and lots of great behind-the-scenes material in the supplement. Especially interesting is the commentary track, as well as an alternate caption track that footnotes the sources of many of the film's delightful in-jokes. Unlike a recent "documentary" that tries to portray A very needed film I love watching old science fiction movies. I love quoting my favorite parts from these movies. This is not a star trek film. This is not a William Shatner film. This is a film about people like me. The film is basically about a group of 4 or so friends, who are science fiction junkies. It talks about their jobs, their girlfriends, and their obsession with science fiction memorabilia and movies. They bump into Shatner, who turns out to be pretty messed up, and they discuss Shatner's obsession with the play Julius Caesar. Trek fans, be warned-Bill Shatner's appearance is minimal. This film was very needed, mostly to help people like me understand that I'm not losing my mind. This is a constant danger if you quote, revel in, and fantasize about too much science fiction. The main characters of this film do exactly that. And, even though they are not the most likeable people, they are likeable enough, and reasonably complex characters. I loved the incessant references to various science fiction shows and movies. Logan's Run could possibly be the best Sci-Fi movie of all time, and there were just about as many references to each of Logan's Run, Star Trek, and Star Wars. However, there are references to dozens of other science fiction movies. As a final note, I always enjoy movies like this that use a vast vocabulary. Comedy of the sci-fi obsessed This film tells the story of a group of young men who are obsessed with sci-fi in general and Star Trek in particular. Oneof them is having an identity crisis as he approaches his thirtieth birthday (he dreams he's the hero of Logan's Run). One of them is having trouble with his girlfriend and his job. The best performance in the film is by William Shatner, playing himself. He has an obsession with making a rap musical version of'Julius Caesar', and sends up himself and 'Star Trek' hilariously. My favourite line in the film is where the one who's approaching thirty, who is Jewish, is fondling a German girl and she pushes him away. "Considering what your people did to my people during WW2" he observes "I wouldn't have thought a little mild breast fondling was too much reparation to make." This is a very funny film. Buy Free Enterprise at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Free Enterprise Search with the Priority Search Engine on Free Enterprise This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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