Run Ronnie Run

Run Ronnie Run

Ronnie Dobbs is the most arrested man in America. That’s the joke behind a hilarious skit from American sketch-TV-with-a-difference Mr. Show. A COPS like show keeps stumbling upon Dobbs again, and again. No matter which state they travel to, there’s white-trash Ronnie, shirtless and drunk, threatening his wife and causing commotion, and luckily for them, filling their show week after week. It’s a pisser of a skit, but a great skit does not a film make.

This is a bit painful to watch, especially for someone who is such a fan of these guys. I love David Cross in Arrested Development, and Bob Odenkirk’s stuff in The Ben Stiller Show is funnier than the more notorious comedians, and together they make Mr. Show a frequently brilliant experience.

The gags I laughed at were mainly ones recycled straight from the original skit and stretched out until they snapped, or the few amusing cameos they managed to get – Stiller, Jeff Goldblum, the South Park guys, and Mandy Patinkin – who appears as Ronnie on the Broadway show based on his life singing the hysterically funny “Y’all are brutalising me” song from the series.

There are actually quite a few other piss-funny lines hidden away here, but you’ve really got to sit patiently through the lame subplots, and lamer new characters to find them. Its like they took the great skit material they already had and just lazily chucked in some bad filler they thought up on the spot to beef it out to feature length. It is interesting that Cross and Odenkirk not only had a falling out over this film, but both have furiously disowned it, claiming studio interference or some shit. Really fellas, this was doomed from the start.

If you’re a fan of Mr. Show, or either of these comedians then stay the fuck away, lest your memories of their better efforts be tarnished. On the other hand, Run, Ronnie, Run is at least a little better than some shit, and I recommend it for people who really don’t expect much from their comedy. Who knows, if you reach Ronnie Dobbs levels of intoxication you may actually really enjoy it.