The Slammin' Salmon (2009)

Comedy troupe Broken Lizard return with The Slammin' Salmon. A comedy about a restaurant in Florida owned by an ex-boxing champion (played hilariously by Michael Clark Duncan) that needs to make $20,000 dollars in one night in order to save the business. In order to motivate the wait staff the owner puts up a prize of $10,000 dollars to be awarded to the top server. The result of this is a rat race of sorts with the staff in fierce competition with one another... supposedly hilarity ensues.

The Broken Lizard team has had a bit of a spotty run since their break out hit with 2001's Super Troopers. The troupe hasn't been able to recreate the success or hilarity of Super Troopers since. 2004's Club Dread had it's moments but those moments were few and far between, however i did quite enjoy their 2006 effort Beerfest although it goes without saying it was nowhere near the quality of Super Troopers.

If i had to rank this film with their previous efforts i would say Slammin' Salmon is better than Club Dread but not as good as Beerfest or Super Troopers. Not that the film is a complete waste of time, in fact it's quite enjoyable and if you enjoy rat race like films than you'll get a kick out of this one. It moves at a pretty quick pace and although many of the jokes miss the mark, some being too silly and some just being irrelevant, there are enough that hit it on the head to keep you watching.

Bonus points for Michael Clarke Duncan who could have carried this film on his own, as he's the source of the film's best material.

In summary, The Slammin' Salmon isn't a horrible comedy. It's a few points up from mediocre but if you're looking for something that takes on the frustrations of working in the service industry i suggest renting Waiting instead. More than anything The Slammin' Salmon is a hectic rat race-esque film that utilizes the setting of a busy high class restaurant to heighten the sense of insanity. The cast is terrific, including the non-members of Broken Lizard, and they all work rather well together. A fun ensemble comedy, albeit a little undercooked but you could do much worse than The Slammin' Salmon.