There is a wide range in quality when it comes to Saturday Night Live spin-off movies, for every gem, there’s three subpar cash grabs. Wayne’s World is regarded as one of the best, if not THE best, movie to grow out of an SNL sketch.
Our protagonists Wayne and Garth are the prototypical 1990s metal heads, and as such, they love music. The film also reflects this by showing a deep respect and appreciation for music by having it interwoven into the film both as a way to advance the plot and as a catalyst for comedy.
Bohemian Rhapsody | Queen
Quite possibly the most relatable moment in film history (who hasn’t driven around town with their friends blasting their favorite song?), this sequence starts the movie off by immediately endearing the audience to our protagonists. I also appreciate how the filmmakers decided to play the song nearly in full, because this classic deserves to be heard.
Music Shop Sequence
I enjoy how this scene so effortlessly weaves music and comedy together. Three solid jokes are crammed into this short clip from the “May I Help You?” riff, Garth’s drum solo (showing off actor Dana Carvey’s actual drumming chops), and zero tolerance policy for “Stairway to Heaven” – (DENIED!).
Alice Cooper
Before this scene takes place, there is a nearly three minute performance from Alice Cooper. What could have easily been a shoehorned in performance to pad the runtime and get a Sony BMG client some easy publicity for their new single (and some may see it that way) is actually an extended set up for a killer joke in this scene. I consider Cooper’s live performance as a kind of primer course on his stage persona for those in the audience who may be unfamiliar with him. The performance serves to bring everyone in on the joke to come by creating this juxtaposition between the performer and the man.
There are too many great and hilarious moments to put in here, so I highly recommend you check out the film. It’s a swift 94 minutes and it’s choc full of little bits and one-liners your parents probably laughed at when the movie came out, and they still hold up surprisingly well today. In their words, it’s excellent!
What soundtrack should we highlight next week? Comment here or send suggestions to @WDBM!
