Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) sent up the family guy, the respectable sinning of the Beverly Hills rich, and the debt the Chinese pay to their ancestral prophecy, all for a few laughs.<\/p>\n
These subtleties centered in the negative, which is unsurprising, for a trashy comedy from the 90\u2019s.<\/p>\n
For all its send up of Beverly Hills, Beverly Hills Ninja still celebrates the Hollywood machine by delivering a Chris Farley comedy vehicle, which nevertheless is stupefying. Apart from the few laughs at the beginning.<\/p>\n
Should we celebrate the Hollywood machine because of a Chris Farley vehicle made to please? Nah. The movie\u2019s pathetic.<\/p>\n
The subtleties are revealing in a plot that\u2019s threadbare. Basically, the story is about a long awaited one, but who may not be the one.<\/p>\n
Haru was washed ashore and raised by ninjas, but is clumsy, however well-intentioned. Surely not the one.<\/p>\n
When Haru\u2019s on a mission to save a woman, an accomplished ninja must help him out, shadowing him. We\u2019re supposed to laugh, but don\u2019t.<\/p>\n
First subtlety. The family guy, probably from Middle America, is shown as a bit of a bully. This happens when the guy\u2019s son is alarmed by taking Haru too literally. What Haru is reported to have said winds him up with a punch in the face from the family guy.<\/p>\n
Second subtlety. Beverly Hills is a lavish place for respectable sinning. Dressed in swank and driving porches, carried with cool detachment, the counterfeiters could embezzle under your nose.<\/p>\n
Third subtlety is sending up or poking fun at ancestral prophecy. The long awaited hero may be a bumbling idiot. \u00a0Think Inspector Clouseau (from The Pink Panther) in ninja gear\u2014which makes him also dangerous. Ancestors deserve more respect, now.<\/p>\n
* star (out of * * * * * stars)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) sent up the family guy, the respectable sinning of the Beverly Hills rich, and the debt the Chinese pay to their ancestral prophecy, all for a few laughs. These subtleties centered in the negative, which is unsurprising, for a trashy comedy from the 90\u2019s. For all its send up of Beverly…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":602,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,321],"tags":[22,311,8,9,7,245],"class_list":["post-1913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-comedies","category-family","tag-comedy","tag-family","tag-film","tag-film-reviews","tag-movies","tag-themes"],"yoast_head":"\n