Review: Rifftrax Live!: Miami Connection

Distributor: Fathom Events

Cast: Micheal J Nelson, Kevin Murphy, Bill Corbett

Genre: Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Since 2009, Rifftrax has partnered with Fathom Events to perform RIfftrax Live! events at movie theaters around the country, where the guys riff on a movie in front of a live studio audience, as well as broadcast live to theaters around the country. On October 1st, the crew did a live riff of Miami Connection as part three in a series of live riffs of four of the worst movies ever, the preceding two being The Room and Sharknado 2: The Second One (Check out our review!). This series is affectionately titled “The Crappening.”

Content Guide

Language:  There are few stray curse words, especially towards the end of the show, but it does not go beyond the a-word and s-word.

Violence: Mostly just poorly done tae kwon do action until you get closer to the end of the movie, where there’s some fake blood and a decapitation.

Sexual Content: Nothing beyond some jokes implying some bad intentions towards a young boy.

Alcohol/Drug Use: Single instance of one of the characters drinking a beer.

Overall, I’d rate it at about PG-13, and I’d hazard a guess that most fans of Rifftrax/MST3K are adults.

Presentation

Mystery Science Theater 3000, or MST3K, was a much beloved TV show that started in the late 80s. It won multiple awards during its multi-channel run and developed a huge nerd following. And I know nothing else about it. At least, I didn’t until I got the opportunity to attend a RIfftrax Live event and watch the boys do their thing in real time. But before I get into that, if you’re like me, then you have no idea what Rifftrax is, so let’s talk a little history.

Beginning in 1988 on a local station, MST3K had quite the framing device. Two scientists launched a janitor into space and force him to watch B-movies in an effort to find out which is the worst, and thus the perfect to use in a bid for world domination. Together with two robot companions, our captive would watch these films and make quips and jokes to combat the slow descent of insanity that would surely be brought on by this most horrendous form of torture. The show ran until 1999, winning two Emmys and a CableACE award along the way.

In 2006, MST3K comedian Michael J. Nelson debuted Rifftrax, which are audio commentaries in MST3K style that you can buy and sync up to popular films. They lose the plot threads of the framing device, but are still very funny and keep the spirit of the show. Soon Nelson was joined my fellow MST3K alums Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett, which constitutes the same line up as the final three seasons of the show.

The first good sign was the fun facts before the presentation. Unlike conventional movie facts, which are just some trivia used to keep people who arrived way too early busy, these “facts” were hilarious.

Before they riffed on our featured presentation, the guys went after an educational short from what I would guess is the 1950s. The short featured little known superhero Measuring Man, who helps a little boy who’s been having some trouble understanding units of measurement. This short sets the tone for the rest of the night by being remarkably cringe-inducing, as well as being great fodder for the guys to warm up the crowd with.

Let me tell you: Miami Connection is so bad. So, so, so bad. There are plenty of moments in the film that the crew recognized they don’t need to make fun of and just let everyone laugh.  Most of the characters in the film barely resemble human beings with their robotic delivery and ham-fisted lines. Honestly, they probably could have just shown the film without talking over it and I would have had many a chuckle.

But I’m glad that they did talk, because they are making fun of the movie, the trio its firing on all cylinders. They were funny the whole way through, and I never got tired of their jokes or felt like it was getting old. Sure, there were definitely some lulls and jokes that didn’t go over very well, but for the most part they kept the crowd laughing and that’s more than can be said for most. There was plenty of variety to keep things from getting stale, but there were also throwbacks to earlier jokes that worked very well.

Conclusion

Having no experience with MST3K or Rifftrax, I didn’t know what to expect from the performance in terms of comedic or presentation quality. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised. The subject matter ran the gamut, from jokes about music to clothes to the use of pipes in combat, and everything in between. Whether you’re like me and have never seen anything about this outside of parody, or you’re a long time fan of the guys, you will definitely enjoy watching the guys do their thing.

You can of course purchase this edition of Rifftrax Live! over at Rifftrax.com.

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