Strange Brew
Two beer-loving Canadian slackers blunder into a bizarre brewery conspiracy while helping its rightful heir reclaim her family business.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- silly
- casual group viewing
- cult comedy night
What critics said
Critics generally found the film uneven but appreciated its unique premise, surreal humor, and the likable comic chemistry of its stars.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The McKenzie brothers' beer-fueled antics coexist with an outlandish brewery conspiracy and playful genre conventions.
Bob and Doug are depicted as English-Canadian working-class dimwits who stumble into a dangerous brewery plot.
The Elsinore Brewery becomes the site of a scheme involving its inheritance, suspicious management, and vicious hockey players.
The brewery inheritance plot and character relationships loosely echo Shakespeare's Hamlet while transforming them into lowbrow comedy.
Films like Strange Brew, and why
The Kentucky Fried Movie
absurd lowbrow comedy, eccentric performances, and surreal genre parody
Used Cars
cult comedy built around offbeat characters, ridiculous criminal schemes, and irreverent humor
The Blues Brothers
surreal working-class comedy with broad physical gags and unconventional genre blending
Movie Details
- Directors
- Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis
- Release Date
- 1983-08-26
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.0 / 10 (231)
Cast
- Dave Thomas
- Rick Moranis
- Max von Sydow
- Paul Dooley
- Lynne Griffin
- Angus MacInnes
- Roger Dunn
- Tom Harvey
- Mel Blanc
- Len Doncheff
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Strange Brew about?
- Two beer-loving Canadian slackers blunder into a bizarre brewery conspiracy while helping its rightful heir reclaim her family business.
- What is Strange Brew like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Strange Brew as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Strange Brew violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Strange Brew as mild.
- What did critics think of Strange Brew?
- Critics generally found the film uneven but appreciated its unique premise, surreal humor, and the likable comic chemistry of its stars.
- Which films are like Strange Brew?
- Films with a similar feel include The Kentucky Fried Movie, Used Cars, and The Blues Brothers.
- How long is Strange Brew?
- Strange Brew runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch Strange Brew?
- In United States, Strange Brew is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand.
