Run Ronnie Run!

February 10, 2004

The heartwarming tale of the world’s most arrested man; I give you Run Ronnie Run!

Those of you familiar with the underappreciated HBO show Mr. Show are no doubt familiar with Ronnie Dobbs. For those of you who are not – here’s a quick summary. Back in the mid-90s, comedians David Cross and Bob Odenkirk were given their own sketch comedy show on HBO. Even though it was groundbreaking and frickin’ hilarious to boot, it got cancelled. David and Bob then got funding to make a major motion picture based on one of their funnier recurring characters, Ronnie Dobbs. Fate was not on their side, however, and the film was stuck in distribution hell for several years. Fate came back onboard this past September and Run Ronnie Run was released with little fanfare on an unsuspecting public.

I’ll tell you right now, it’s not as funny as Mr. Show. It’s not even as funny as Reno 911! It’s still really damn funny – and there’s mullets! Reality show executives are struggling to come up with a new concept. The reigning ratings winner, the cannibalistic Survivor-like show, Elimination Island, is unbeatable. Unbeatable until Ronnie gets his own show. And on this show, all he does is get arrested. Over and over again, all across the nation. Ronnie lives the life most rednecks dream of…that is, until he gets the death penalty for returning to his hometown.

The cameos are worth the price of rental alone. The KitH count is two – and while that’s a decent amount, the film could have used some Bruce McCulloch. Ronnie parties with Ben Stiller, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Jeff Goldblum joins the same cult as Ronnie. Mandy Patinkin stars in the musical version of Ronnie’s life, singing “Ya’ll are Brutalizing Me.” Jack Black has the best cameo by far, singing the classic chimney sweep ballad, “Kick Her in the Cunt.”

Go rent Run Ronnie Run! now. Don’t forget to watch the deleted scenes and extended music video (Ew, Girl, Ew!). And watch through the credits for some “injury outtakes.”