The Slammin' Salmon
Encyclopedia
The Slammin' Salmon is a 2009 film by Broken Lizard
. The film is about the owner of a restaurant initiating a contest to see which of his waiters can earn the most money in a single night, with a prize of $10,000. The loser receives a "beat down" by the owner, Cleon Salmon, a former heavyweight boxer (played by Michael Clarke Duncan
). Kevin Heffernan directed the film; it was his first time directing a Broken Lizard film. Salmon was filmed in 25 days at the beginning of 2008.
) is a former world heavyweight boxing
champion who retired to open a sports-themed restaurant in Miami. His antics lead to his owing $20,000 to the head of the Japanese Yakuza
; needing to come up with the money in one night, he challenges the wait staff to sell more food than they have ever sold, with the top waiter receiving $10,000 in cash and the lowest waiter getting a "broken ribs sandwich
" courtesy of the Champ. Comic escapades ensue as the staff try to one-up each other and win the prize while avoiding a beating.
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on January 17, 2009. It was released to limited theaters in the US on December 11, 2009. On April 13, 2010, the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray.
reports that 36 percent of selected critics gave the film a positive review, based upon a sample of 25, with an average score of 4.9 out of 10. Neil Genzlinger
of the New York Times praised Duncan's performance, but noted that many of the jokes in the movie are tired and old. Michael O'Sullivan, writing for the Washington Post, noted that the film engages in "lowbrow insults and slapsticky shenanigans" and that its humor "hovers around crotch level."
Broken Lizard
Broken Lizard is an American comedy troupe, consisting of five friends, best known for its films, including Super Troopers and Beerfest. Its five members are Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. They collaborate on the screen-writing, acting and...
. The film is about the owner of a restaurant initiating a contest to see which of his waiters can earn the most money in a single night, with a prize of $10,000. The loser receives a "beat down" by the owner, Cleon Salmon, a former heavyweight boxer (played by Michael Clarke Duncan
Michael Clarke Duncan
Michael Clarke Duncan is an American actor, best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in The Green Mile, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.- Early life :...
). Kevin Heffernan directed the film; it was his first time directing a Broken Lizard film. Salmon was filmed in 25 days at the beginning of 2008.
Plot
"Slammin" Cleon Salmon (Michael Clarke DuncanMichael Clarke Duncan
Michael Clarke Duncan is an American actor, best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in The Green Mile, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.- Early life :...
) is a former world heavyweight boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
champion who retired to open a sports-themed restaurant in Miami. His antics lead to his owing $20,000 to the head of the Japanese Yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
; needing to come up with the money in one night, he challenges the wait staff to sell more food than they have ever sold, with the top waiter receiving $10,000 in cash and the lowest waiter getting a "broken ribs sandwich
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
" courtesy of the Champ. Comic escapades ensue as the staff try to one-up each other and win the prize while avoiding a beating.
Cast
Staff- Michael Clarke DuncanMichael Clarke DuncanMichael Clarke Duncan is an American actor, best known for his breakout role as John Coffey in The Green Mile, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe.- Early life :...
- Cleon "Slammin'" Salmon, the owner of the restaurant - Jay ChandrasekharJay ChandrasekharJayanth Jambulingam "Jay" Chandrasekhar is a Tamil American actor, comedian, writer, and film director with the comedy team Broken Lizard.-Life and career:...
- Nuts/Zongo - Kevin Heffernan- Rich
- Steve LemmeSteve LemmeSteven "Steve" Lemme is an American actor, writer, and producer, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. He attended The Dalton School, a high school in New York, but after one year transferred to Fountain Valley School in Colorado, graduating in 1987. He attended Colgate...
- Connor - Paul SoterPaul SoterPaul Soter is an American actor, writer, and director, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. As a child, he lived in Sacramento, Anchorage, Phoenix, and Denver. He graduated from Colgate University and was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity...
- Donnie Kinogie/Dave Kinogie - Erik StolhanskeErik StolhanskeErik Stolhanske is an American actor, writer, and producer, and one of the members of the Broken Lizard comedy group. He graduated from Breck School, then Colgate University. At Colgate he was part of the troupe Charred Goosebeak, which included the others of Broken Lizard.He is a member of Beta...
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- Mia
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- Hispanic Customer - Jeff ChaseJeff ChaseJeff Chase is an American film and television actor.Chase was born Jeffrey L. Sniffen in Paterson, New Jersey. He married Kimberly Chase on January 5, 1991, and now lives in Clermont, Florida. Chase has one son, Cory Chase, born in 1998...
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- Translator - Jim RashJim RashJim Rash was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and is an American actor, comedian and screenwriter.His most noticeable appearance was when he portrayed Mr Grayson/Stitches, a sidekick to the supervillain 'Royal Pain' in the 2005 film Sky High and as the recurring characters Fenton on That '70s Show...
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Release
The movie premiered at the Slamdance Film FestivalSlamdance Film Festival
As a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
on January 17, 2009. It was released to limited theaters in the US on December 11, 2009. On April 13, 2010, the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray.
Reception
The film has received mixed to negative reviews. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 36 percent of selected critics gave the film a positive review, based upon a sample of 25, with an average score of 4.9 out of 10. Neil Genzlinger
Neil Genzlinger
Neil Genzlinger is an American playwright, editor, book reviewer, and theatre and television critic. He frequently writes for The New York Times, where he is a copy editor....
of the New York Times praised Duncan's performance, but noted that many of the jokes in the movie are tired and old. Michael O'Sullivan, writing for the Washington Post, noted that the film engages in "lowbrow insults and slapsticky shenanigans" and that its humor "hovers around crotch level."