Strange Brew

"Something funny is brewing at Elsinore Castle..."

1983 1h 30m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 233

ComedyCrimeScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Something is rotten at the Elsinore Brewery. Bob and Doug McKenzie (as seen on SCTV) help the orphan Pam regain the brewery founded by her recently-deceased father. But to do so, they must confront the suspicious Brewmeister Smith and two teams of vicious hockey players.

“Something funny is brewing at Elsinore Castle...”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

YouTubeRent

Fandango At HomeRent

Spectrum On DemandRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Apple TV StoreBuy

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Dave Thomas
Doug McKenzie
Rick Moranis
Bob McKenzie
Max von Sydow
Brewmeister Smith
Paul Dooley
Claude Elsinore
Lynne Griffin
Pam Elsinore
Angus MacInnes
Jean LaRose
Roger Dunn
Beer Store Clerk
Tom Harvey
The Inspector

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Dave Thomas
Writers: Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, Steve De Jarnatt
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, Canada

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 48% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Canada.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Dave Thomas, shot by Steven Poster. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Charles Fox. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Patrick McMahon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Dave Thomas directs. Steven Poster behind the camera. Charles Fox scores. Patrick McMahon cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, Canada. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Earned back only 48% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
443 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
5International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Canada.
6Directed by Dave Thomas, shot by Steven Poster. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Charles Fox. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Patrick McMahon shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis and Max von Sydow carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Something funny is brewing at Elsinore Castle...".
11IMDB entry: tt0086373 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Steven Poster
Original score: Charles Fox
Editing: Patrick McMahon
Production design: David L. Snyder
Costume design: Larry S. Wells
Makeup / hair: Linda Gill
Runtime: 90 min · 1h 30m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $4,000,000
Box office: $1,913,389
Return: 48% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Strange Brew (1983)

Also by

Dave Thomas

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Filipe Manuel Neto2024-01-23
★ 3/10
A film so silly that you can't help but laugh. I don't think Shakespeare ever imagined that one of his most iconic works could be the clear inspiration for such a wildly comical film: in fact, the relationship between the film and “Hamlet” is obvious to anyone who has the plot and characters in mind. famous play by the English Bard. Here, we have two comical characters with an obsession with beer (who will probably be guaranteed entry, without explanation, into Alcoholics Anonymous) who go, completely inadvertently, to a brewery and stumble upon a Machiavellian scheme to remove the heiress from the company to the detriment of from an uncle. The film is complete nonsense from beginning to end, and it even seems painful to see how the two main characters go through so much without having any real idea of what is happening around them. They don't look drunk, but they look like they're on drugs all the time. The film is funny, you can't help but laugh... but at the same time it's not a film I would want to show to a teenage audience. After all, many of them already drink too much and smoke things they shouldn't... The cast includes several well-known names who seem to have embarked on this project for fun and not, exactly, for the expected financial return. This is the case of Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, who made several other films with the same characters and achieved some public recognition for it. I also liked seeing Max von Sydow, perhaps the most dense and professional actor present. I don't know Lynne Griffin, but I liked her work here and Paul Dooley was a laughable enough villain to not deserve our hate.

Production companies