Dirty Work (1998)

17% of critics liked it
(30 reviews)
64% of users liked it
(30,479 ratings)

Shortly after leaving the "Weekend Update" anchor slot on Saturday Night Live, Norm Macdonald resurfaced in this comedy about smart-aleck Mitch Weaver who teams with buddy Sam McKenna (Artie Lange of Mad TV). They open a revenge-for-hire business (Dirty Work Inc.) in order to raise $50,000 so Sam's… More Shortly after leaving the "Weekend Update" anchor slot on Saturday Night Live, Norm Macdonald resurfaced in this comedy about smart-aleck Mitch Weaver who teams with buddy Sam McKenna (Artie Lange of Mad TV). They open a revenge-for-hire business (Dirty Work Inc.) in order to raise $50,000 so Sam's father (Jack Warden) can get a heart transplant. After they bring down a dictatorial movie theater manager (Don Rickles), they next hire prostitutes to pose as dead bodies during an auto dealer's live TV commercial. Millionaire real-estate developer Travis Cole (Christopher McDonald) is bothered when Mitch and Sam interfere with his plan to wipe a woman's home out of existence. Cole hires Dirty Work to trash a building, so he can have it condemned. However, Cole doesn't own the building, and problems arise, mainly since the grandmother of Mitch's girlfriend lives in the building. The feud escalates. Cameos by Chevy Chase, the late Chris Farley, former child star Gary Coleman, Adam Sandler, and John Goodman. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 21 min.
Directed By: Bob Saget
Written By: Frank Sebastiano, Norm Macdonald, Fred Wolf
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 12, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Aug 15, 2001
Studio: MGM

Critic Reviews

Joe Leydon, Variety
The outrageousness isn't consistently sustained, and the pic tends to peter out somewhere around the two thirds mark.
, Globe and Mail
Tasteless? Oh, yeah.
David Kronke, Los Angeles Times
A tone-deaf, scattershot and dispiritingly cheesy affair with more groans than laughs.
Bob Graham, San Francisco Chronicle
A stupid lowdown vulgar comedy.
Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times
Don't bother to hang around for the outtakes. They're not funny either.
Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Occasionally funny, but all too often driven by the juvenile conviction that anything even remotely connected with homosexuality is riotously funny...
Phil Villarreal, Arizona Daily Star
A ribald flood of comic bliss.
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
Okay starring vehicle for Norm MacDonald, but you'd think he could do better.
James Rocchi, Netflix
: "Saturday Night Live" alum Norm Macdonald's feature debut ain't great, but he is.
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette
Why does Hollywood think that everyone who ever appeared on "Saturday Night Live" deserves a film career as a reward? What's the excuse for showcasing Norm Macdonald, a third-rate Dennis Miller knockoff whose delivery is slower than Priority Mail?
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...one of the least-funny comedies ever made.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...proves that a comedy doesn't need an R rating to be crude, rude, or stupid. Even an innocent PG-13 can do the trick.

Read all 12 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Lucas M

Terrible funny, but very silly and expendable. Rotten.
AJ V

I saw this on TV one day, but I didn't see all of it. There were some funny scenes, but for the most part I wasn't too entertained.
Tim S

A lot of fun.
danny d

i actually thought this was funny
Curtis L

Okay.
Steve B

I remember this as being hilarious. Did I dream that?
Michael G

Definitely better than I thought it would be.
Aaron N

It's hard not to laugh at most of this movie, so it's nice when I see it on tv every now and then.
Curt C

You have to enjoy Norm MacDonald's humor, but if you do, this is pretty hilarious.
Nate H

Well it picked up as it continued, but it was still pretty light on the laughs. The punchlines just didn't have much pop and you could tell it was helmed by an inexperienced director. Norm Macdonald was pretty mediocre for the first half, too. Who'd've thought Artie… More
Well it picked up as it continued, but it was still pretty light on the laughs. The punchlines just didn't have much pop and you could tell it was helmed by an inexperienced director. Norm Macdonald was pretty mediocre for the first half, too. Who'd've thought Artie Lange would be the most convincing actor?