I first watched this comedy starring Chris Farley (as Mike Donnelly) a couple years ago. By that time, I had seen "Tommy Boy" and "Beverly Hills Ninja" (two other comedies starring Chris Farley), and after watching all three of these movies, I think I liked them all to some degree. However, after watching them all again recently, I think "Tommy Boy" is the only one that's really decent. "Black Sheep", the second of the three, is slightly better than BHN, but that doesn't mean it's very good.

Mike Donnelly is the younger brother of Al, who is running for Washington State Governor. Unfortunately, although Mike means well, he is very clumsy, and often unintentionally gets into trouble. This lowers the chances of Al winning the election, and it doesn't help that his opponent, Gov. Tracy, is exploiting Mike's uncouth tendencies by having pictures taken of him that make him look like a criminal! Al assigns Steve Dodds, one of his campaign aides, to make sure Mike doesn't cause any trouble during the election. Mike and Steve go to stay in a cabin in a rural area, and keeping Mike out of trouble turns out to be a difficult job for Steve. In addition to that, the two find that staying in this cabin isn't always easy.

As you can tell by the plot, Chris Farley plays a well-meaning but clumsy, uncouth loony, as usual. You can also expect a lot of slapstick from this movie. However, as much as I usually love slapstick, I can tell when it's done well and when it's not. Sadly, "Black Sheep" is a case of slapstick done poorly. The gags are usually very simple and often lame. For example, with Mike sleeping on the top bunk in the cabin and Steve sleeping on the bottom as the roof blows off during a storm, despite how long Mike lies there, putting a lot of weight on the mattress, it's so obvious that he will eventually fall on Steve, and when it happens, it's not funny. Now, some parts did make me smile or snicker slightly, such as Mike freaking out over the dogs chasing his truck, Steve whacking Mike repeatedly with a broom to try and kill a bat, and Al seeing his brother on TV at the rock-the-vote concert, making a fool of himself, but all this is not enough.

Like "Tommy Boy", Chris Farley and David Spade co-starred in this film, and it isn't surprising that many fans of the 1995 comedy have been disappointed by this 1996 follow-up. Personally, I don't think "Tommy Boy" is a masterpiece, but it's reasonable. "Black Sheep", however, while not quite as unfunny as "Beverly Hills Ninja", the Chris Farley movie that followed, is mediocre overall. It has been nearly ten years since Chris Farley's tragic death, but he made many people laugh during his career, and continues to do so today. The best thing to remember him for is probably the classic "Saturday Night Live" sketches he was in, but clearly, "Black Sheep" is not something to remember him for.

You need to take this film at face value. It is not trying to be clever. It is simply out and out slap stick routine stretched out through decently scripted film.

This films simple premise is to make you laugh. It certainly made me laugh. The over the top jokes, scenarios and pain really brought this to life as a silly belly laughfest.

Nice light hearted comedy offering a laugh to all ages. I think a no brainer comedy is a good thing to lift spirits and raise a smile.

I cant imagine anyone not finding this film funny in one way or another. If you like the comedy style of Jim Carey and movement of Lee Evans or Rowan Atkinson then I recommend you give this a go.

Enjoy

`Black Sheep'

In this basic rehash of `Tommy Boy,' an equally unimpressive comedy, David Spade plays an election aide who must watch over a candidate's brother, Chris Farley, a chubby, loudmouthed, obnoxious, loose cannon. If Farley gets in the spotlight for anything bad, like he usually does, the candidate's hopes for election are slim. So, Spade has the thankless task of hiding out with the fat man in a cabin somewhere in the middle of nowhere. But, of course, since this is a comedy, Farley gets away, and Spade, who cannot tell him why he's hiding him without hurting his feelings, drags along after Farley trying to convince him to come back...or something like that…

Despite being directed by `Wayne's World' director Penelope Spheeris, this film's very basic and juvenile comedy is nothing good. At all. The jokes (if you can call them that) almost all fall flat, and I rarely laughed.

David Spade's character is a bland, dull, lifeless and immobile creature who we could not care for one way or another, no matter how bad things get.

Chris Farley is just plain annoying, as always, with his off-the-wall antics and loudmouthed `jokes' that are more outbursts than anything else. I sometimes wonder if fellow `SNL' comedian Mike Myers was playing for more than just a disgusting character when he created Fat Basta^&… for `Austin Powers'?

`Black Sheep' is the kind of movie that no one is talking about the next day. It is utterly forgettable and very, very, VERY basic. It's not an awful comedy, mind you, because I have seen much worse; however, there is really nothing to recommend about `Black Sheep.'

People said Chris Farley was the next John Candy, but John Candy will never be matched. John Candy's comedic talent lay in true comedy. He could make us laugh while making us cry. Candy was a good – great – comedian. He had all the traits of a one-in-a-million kind of actor.

Farley, on the other hand, gained his laughs by making stupid outbursts, like `I bought a kite from a bald guy!' that are so odd that people laugh at not because they are funny, but because they are odd.

People should be glad that Farley died, because he would have worn out with America, just like David Spade did; unfortunately, even good `Saturday Night Live' comedians like Dana Carvey, Kevin Nealon (Hans and Franz) etc. are all dying out. It's too bad that comedians who are usually remembered for being great are people like Farley – annoying, loudmouthed slobs who hadn't an ounce of real comic talent in them.

I think that people should realize, in the future, that just because a comedian is fat he is NOT John Candy.

2/5 stars – basic comedy –

John Ulmer