Marlon Wayans admittedly does a lot of mugging in this farcical, frenetic comedy made by cult filmmaker Penelope Spheeris when she was cranking out one Hollywood comedy after another. Daryl Witherspoon (Wayans) is a Stratford student always desperately trying to raise money: for tuition, rent, *and* other things. Then he volunteers to test a revolutionary drug (which glows green, like the Re-Agent in "Re-Animator") that will greatly enhance his five senses. This will give him all the edge he needs in the cutthroat competition for a highly coveted junior analyst job with Smythe-Bates.
The humor in this amiable comedy *can* get outrageous, very crude, and over the top, but there's usually something to be said for good dumb humor. And "Senseless" does generate a fair amount of genuine guffaws; Wayans is hilarious. He knocks down all of the scenery whenever he's required to portray those disastrous side effects when he foolishly ups the dose of green stuff. But the story works also because his character is *relatable*. He doesn't come from money, but he's smart, knows his stuff, and works hard. You automatically root for him over somebody like snide, smarmy, sardonic competitor Scott Thorpe (David Spade, who by this point could play this kind of character in his sleep).
The supporting cast is fantastic, with Rip Torn great fun as a slick and confident corporate bigwig. Tamara Taylor is absolutely lovely and very appealing as Janice, the apple of Daryls' eye. Brad Dourif is a hoot as the owlish professor / scientist who came up with the drug; why hasn't he gotten more comedy roles over the years? Matthew Lillard is likewise amusing as the hockey-playing roommate and poetry student who treats his body like one giant pincushion. Other familiar faces like Debra Jo Rupp, John Ingle, Ernie Lively, Jenette Goldstein, Ken Lerner, Greg Grunberg, and Jeff Garlin also turn up. (By the way, that's hockey legend Grant Fuhr who doubles for Wayans in the hockey scenes.) There are two great cameo appearances, one by basketball star Patrick Ewing and one right at the end.
Overall "Senseless" rates as engaging nonsense for fans of 90s comedies. It's well-paced and moves to a lively score by the group Yello (of "Oh Yeah" fame).
Seven out of 10.
The humor in this amiable comedy *can* get outrageous, very crude, and over the top, but there's usually something to be said for good dumb humor. And "Senseless" does generate a fair amount of genuine guffaws; Wayans is hilarious. He knocks down all of the scenery whenever he's required to portray those disastrous side effects when he foolishly ups the dose of green stuff. But the story works also because his character is *relatable*. He doesn't come from money, but he's smart, knows his stuff, and works hard. You automatically root for him over somebody like snide, smarmy, sardonic competitor Scott Thorpe (David Spade, who by this point could play this kind of character in his sleep).
The supporting cast is fantastic, with Rip Torn great fun as a slick and confident corporate bigwig. Tamara Taylor is absolutely lovely and very appealing as Janice, the apple of Daryls' eye. Brad Dourif is a hoot as the owlish professor / scientist who came up with the drug; why hasn't he gotten more comedy roles over the years? Matthew Lillard is likewise amusing as the hockey-playing roommate and poetry student who treats his body like one giant pincushion. Other familiar faces like Debra Jo Rupp, John Ingle, Ernie Lively, Jenette Goldstein, Ken Lerner, Greg Grunberg, and Jeff Garlin also turn up. (By the way, that's hockey legend Grant Fuhr who doubles for Wayans in the hockey scenes.) There are two great cameo appearances, one by basketball star Patrick Ewing and one right at the end.
Overall "Senseless" rates as engaging nonsense for fans of 90s comedies. It's well-paced and moves to a lively score by the group Yello (of "Oh Yeah" fame).
Seven out of 10.