There are a bazillion talentless hacks out there who firmly believe they would have made it if only they got that first break. Then there are the talentless Biebers who somehow did make it.
It’s enough to make you sick.
Not Chad (Brendan Fraser), the clueless lead singer of garage grunge band The Lone Rangers, a trio with as much musical ability as they have band naming ability. With opportunity not knocking on the door, Chad decides to make things happen. He and his bandmates, brothers Rex (Steve Buscemi) and Pip (Adam Sandler), bumrush the local radio station with demo tape in hand, demanding only airplay.
Of course if this worked everyone would probably do it, but when the fake automatic weapons are deemed real by easily duped radio station staff, and furthermore the hijacking goes out live across the airwaves, the situation instantly develops legs and listeners from all over tune in.
Airheads is a light character driven comedy. It works because it keeps things light and spreads the load evenly. Chad’s dopey intensity, Rex’s wide eyed instability, and Pip’s lovable simplicity (one of the last times Adam Sandler kept things low key) are appealing, DJ ‘Ian the Shark’ (Joe Montenga) is the voice of reason as an apathetic yet almost sympathetic conduit between the band and the airwaves. And other small but effective roles are filled by David Arquette, Judd Nelson, Ernie Hudson and Michael McKean as radio station staffers.
Regrettably this was also a time when people still found Michael Richards’ Kramer-ish buffoonery amusing, and he Scrats his way though the least entertaining sequences in the film.
Despite his presence Airheads is frequently funny and ultimately enjoyable. It isn’t very deep, but it’s called Airheads, not ‘Einsteins’.
Final Rating – 7 / 10. Imagine the sequel potential with modern day Fraser, Sandler and Buscemi! Scary thought.
