The Adventures of Ford Fairlane: Difference between revisions

''[[The Adventures of Ford Fairlane]]'' is a 1990 film and [[Billed Above the Title|star vehicle]] for [[The Eighties|80's]] [[Stand Up Comedy|comedian]] Andrew Dice Clay, who plays the eponymous Ford Fairlane. It's also notable for being an early work of Finnish director Renny Harlin and being [[Video Full of Film Clips|featured in the music video]] for Billy Idol's "Cradle of Love." It was not well received, tying for the [[Golden Raspberry Award]] with ''Ghosts Can't Do It'' the year of its release; Roger Ebert called it "loud, ugly and mean-spirited." Naturally, it didn't do well in the box office, although Clay has claimed this was the result of protestors getting it pulled from theatres after only one week.

 

 

[[Word of God|According to director Renny Harlin]] on his [[DVD Commentary|DVD commentary]], the script was originally written as a very standard [[Detective Drama|detective story]]. When Andrew Dice Clay was cast in the lead, changes were made to incorporate several of Clay's [[Stock Shticks|stand-up routines]]. This decision was probably an effort to boost box office numbers, as much of the audience probably consisted of [[Target Audience|people who were established fans of Clay]]. On the other hand, although Andrew Dice Clay was originally noticed for his celebrity impressions, his real fame came from his [[Refuge in Vulgarity|over-the-top vulgarity]], [[Refuge in Audacity|audacious sexism]], politically incorrect humor, and the inevitable controversy it created. This led to a lot of [[Hype Backlash|backlash]] against his work, especially from women's rights advocates. Among other things, he was [[Persona Non Grata|banned from MTV]], and his appearance on [[Saturday Night Live]], originally aired during a later time slot than usual, was boycotted by cast member Nora Dunn. By the time this movie was released, Andrew Dice Clay's comedy career was pretty much over. ''Ford Fairlane'' may or may not have been a last-ditch effort to revitalize his popularity, but it (and its failure) ultimately served as the final nail in the coffin.

 

* [[Accidental Public Confession]]: Type 3. During the climax of the movie, {{spoiler|Ford Fairlane lures antagonist Julian Grendel backstage, where the latter brags about the details of his evil scheme. Unbeknownst to him, Zuzu Petals is standing behind him with a microphone, and his flamboyant boasting is heard by the crowd.}}

* [[Actor Allusion]]: One of the lines from Ford Fairlane's narration says "I could have been a rock star, if only I wasn't banned from MTV."

* [[As Himself]]: MTV VJ Kurt Loder makes a [[The Cameo|very brief appearance.]]

* [[I Call Him Mr. Happy]]: Stanley. ''Like the power drill.''

* [[I Love the Dead]]: A variation happens when Ford has to hijack a hearse for a [[The Fun in Funeral|car chase in a cemetery]]. The corpse, a large-chested woman, slides into the passenger's seat, forcing Ford to struggle with her limp body as it leans and flops against him. He notices her cleavage and comments "Damn, baby--I hope you filled out some organ donor cards!" {{spoiler|Of course, he's [[Squick|visibly freaked out]] when the girl wakes up.}}

* [[Kavorka Man]]: While he's not exactly ugly, Ford Fairlane is crass, rude, and incredibly sexist. Yet, the hot young women are all over him.

* [[Large Ham]]: Andrew Dice Clay, throughout the entire movie. Gilbert Gottfried qualifies as well; if he didn't have such a small role, it might have led to outright [[Ham to Ham Combat]].

* [[Refuge in Vulgarity]]: Andrew Dice Clay rose to fame with this trope, and by extension, it's used frequently in this movie. This could be one of the reasons why the movie did so poorly.

* [[Twin Threesome Fantasy]]: Ford is so cool, he makes this a reality within the first ten minutes of the movie.

 

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