Good Burger (Nostalgia Check)

For an entire generation of entertainment consumers, Nickelodeon’s All That acted as an introduction to sketch comedy and, in many ways, comedy in general. Created by Brian Robbins and Mike Tollin, All That was a rather ingenious creation; it generated comedy aimed squarely at young people without ever condescending to them. There was zero educational value to the show, and at times the humor got a tad risqué. (There were references to women’s underwear!) Also, let us not forget that the show’s cast was made up almost exclusively of young people. This mixture of elements created a viewing experience that felt like you were just hanging out with a bunch of funny friends, and that’s exactly what kids look for in their entertainment.

Looking back at All That today—specifically “Episode 216,” which was available for free on iTunes—it’s surprising how well it still holds up. Is it great sketch comedy? Not even close, but it’s not looking to be as ambitious as a Mr. Show or SNL at its best. It’s just looking to be a fun, silly time, and on that level it succeeds. The writing has one specific goal: just be ridiculous. No sketch was a better example of this mentality than “Vital Information,” in which Lori Beth Denberg simply sat behind a desk and spat out absurd life advice that had nothing to do with anything. This lasted about 30 seconds, and then on to the next sketch.

The most popular recurring sketch to come out of All That was undoubtedly “Good Burger,” in which an exceedingly dull fast food employee named Ed (Kel Mitchell) proceeded to screw everything up for about five minutes. It’s a simple concept, but Ed and his restaurant became so wildly popular that Nickelodeon decided to use this sketch to break into the motion picture business. This was the era when movies based on Saturday Night Live sketches were actually a good idea, and Nick took the risk and decided that there was enough of an audience out there for an entire feature film based on Ed and his hamburger-centric exploits. And thus, the motion picture Good Burger came to pass. It was the second film to be released under the Nickelodeon Movies banner after the Michelle Trachtenberg vehicle Harriet the Spy.

Robbins decided to direct the film himself, and it was the beginning of an auspicious film career that would eventually bring us The Perfect Score, Norbit, Meet Dave and the recent megabomb A Thousand Words. Good Burger follows the typical “film based on a television sketch” formula in that it takes the characters we know and love and simply has them butt heads against a cartoonish villain that threatens to destroy all they live for. Several All That cast members came along for the ride, though most of them are relegated to supporting parts or brief cameos. Denberg is even shoehorned in as a fast-talking customer that pops up for one scene and then is never heard from again.

The most important thing to come out of Good Burger was the comedic team of Mitchell and Kenan Thompson. Their sitcom Kenan & Kel began airing the shortly before this film was released, but by then it was clear that Nickelodeon knew what they had on their hands. Mitchell and Thompson have a really terrific dynamic, and even if both Good Burger and Kenan & Kel mostly cover the same beats it’s still a formula that works quite well. In short: Kenan is the smart, somewhat mischievous one while Kel is the naïve and stupid one. It’s interesting that the “straight man” half of the duo was the one that went on to a long Saturday Night Live career while the sillier half is mostly doing voice work and starring in The Asylum productions.

The only thing one needs to know about Mitchell’s Ed is that he is all about his job at Good Burger. In a delightful little touch, he never takes off his Good Burger hat throughout the entire film. He wakes up in his uniform, he showers in his uniform, and he goes to bed in his uniform. Meanwhile, Thompson’s Dexter is a high school student that goes cruising in his mom’s expensive car to begin his summer vacation. Everything is going great, until Ed rollerblades in front of his car and Dexter is forced to swerve and crash into his angry teacher Mr. Wheat (Sinbad). Dexter realizes he has to pay for all of the damage, and he is forced to get a summer job at Good Burger.

The real allure of Good Burger, however, lies just across the street. Our friendly little restaurant is threatened when a large burger joint called Mondo Burger opens just across the street. Not only is the building itself something out of Disney World, but the burgers themselves are about three times the size of a Good Burger. This restaurant is run by Kurt (Jan Schweiterman), a brat of a human being that strikingly resembles Sum41’s front man. Kurt is the product of a bygone era, when people actually said “stoked” and you could walk down the street with hair like that and not be made fun of.

And yet, Kurt’s motivations are the most fascinating part of the film. I don’t know about you, but I’d be all for the production of a prequel that explored Kurt’s elaborate back story. Thus far, I know one thing about him: his parents must be loaded. Outside of that there are so many questions to explore. He did not open Mondo Burger simply to become successful in the fast food industry. No, sir. If you watch this character throughout the film it becomes clear that his real objective is to destroy Good Burger and nothing else. If Mondo Burger is successful, great! But he is far more interested in how the chain across the street is doing. The only conclusion I can reach about Kurt is that Good Burger must have wronged him at some point during his childhood, but I cannot imagine how. What happened to you, Kurt? What is your Rosebud?

Good Burger’s saving grace is that, for the most part, it seems wholly aware of its own silliness. There’s not a whole lot of great acting going on, but the more Robbins turns it into a cartoon the more endearing it is. This is, strictly speaking, not a good movie. But I do believe it is a rather funny one, particularly when we’re just spending time with our two stars. Thompson and Mitchell have such incredible chemistry that it’s a shame they’re still not working together to this day. But hey, if Lorne Michaels comes a’calling, who among us is going to say no?

The film then takes a surprising turn in the final act, as our two heroes—along with Abe Vigoda, believe it or not—are sent to a mental hospital thanks to one of Kurt’s “connections.” They don’t stay there very long, but these scenes provide some welcome moments of strangeness that keep Good Burger from re-hashing the same jokes over and over. Freaks and Geeks’ Linda Cardellini even shows up as a patient in the mental hospital, and she appears to develop some genuine feelings for Ed. Unfortunately she isn’t around for long, as our band of misfits is able to escape thanks to an impromptu dance number set to Funkadelic’s “(Not Just) Knee Deep.” Featuring an appearance by George Clinton himself!

I would never argue that Good Burger is particularly strong filmmaking. (I don’t know if the awkward reaction shots above tipped that at all.) Yet there’s a relative boldness to it that a majority of family movies lack these days. At times the language in Good Burger can get a little salty, and the PG rating descriptor even includes “some sex-related humor!” As was the case with All That, Robbins wasn’t looking to condescend to children. He wanted to make something they’d enjoy that wasn’t necessarily squeaky-clean. It’s hard to imagine anyone making a family movie in 2012 that includes such a creepy trip to an insane asylum. Today there’s a very definite line between what is for adults and what is for children. Good Burger came out at a time when that line was still blurred.

In case you didn’t guess, the film ends with Kenan and Kel breaking into Mondo Burger and exposing Kurt’s illegal burger-making methods to the rest of the world. Good Burger was released to mixed-to-negative reviews and moderate box office success, and it wouldn’t be much longer before the Nickelodeon crew started to go their separate ways. Kenan & Kel lasted a couple more years, as did All That. (An attempt to revive the latter show in 2002 lasted a couple years before getting axed.) Robbins, as I mentioned before, went on to direct crappy family comedy after crappy family comedy, while Dan Schneider—All That producer, Good Burger writer, and actor who played Mr. Bailey the manager—has created several Nickelodeon shows and continues to be incredibly successful.

Outside of Thompson, not many members of the All That cast have been able to turn their work on the show into a long career. The only other examples of success I can think of are Amanda Bynes and Nick Cannon, though the former might be starting to fade rather quickly. There was never another attempt at turning an All That sketch into a feature film, but there probably wasn’t another popular character that could sustain 90 minutes of screen time. (My Vital Information spec script still sits sadly on my shelf. Christopher Nolan won’t return my calls.) Today, Good Burger works best as a ’90s time capsule that perfectly captures an entertainment sensation that meant so much to so many kids. It will mean nothing to anyone who grew up outside this very specific era.