The Shrimp on the Barbie (1990) User Reviews (19)

It's Not As Bad As You Think....

[domino1003 · 7/10 · 14 July 2003]

I worked as an usher when our theater got this film. Since we were a single screen theater, business wasn't good. I actually sat down and watched it and found it quite charming and funny. It's a true fish-out-of-water film, with a romantic twist. Although not in the same league as "Crocodile Dundee," it comes pretty close.

Carlos (Marin) ends up in Australia when he is offered a job. Broke and recently dumped by his girl, he meets Alex, a rich girl (Samms)who makes a deal. Seems that her father is not too keen on her boyfriend Bruce (Vernon Wells). By having Carlos pose as her new love, her father would find him so repulsive that he would let her marry Bruce. Of course, things don't turn out the way Carlos and Alex want.

It's not too bad a film, and the Alan Smithee pseudonym gives the stigma that this film is a stinker. Far from it: it's a sweet and charming film that's worth a look.

Sweet Movie

[ebiros2 · 6/10 · 23 September 2012]

Why the Aussies made this movie is a mystery to me, but I'm glad they did.

Featuring American actors Cheech Marin and Emma Samms, this is a beautiful comedy that has style, fashion, and good acting.

Everyone's playing strait except Cheech Marin, but it's not quite certain who's the real fool. What was supposed to be a bright idea by Alex turns into a handful of trouble.

Emma Samms is stunningly beautiful in this movie. This has a surreal effect in a comedy situation. But maybe that's the charm of this movie.

Unusual in every way, but it's still a great romantic comedy shot beautifully in Australia. I enjoy it every time I see it.

A funny second tier comedy

[GenFX · 7/10 · 3 May 2004]

This is a favorite movie of mine to watch. Shrimp on the Barbie is a stardard fish out of water with Cheech Marin as a down on his luck Mexican American in Sydney. He then is brought into a scheme by the poiled daughter of a tycoon to fake being her fiance so her ultimately worse pick of a fiance looks better.

There are some logic gaps that defy logic, but between these moments are some funny bits that glue the movie together. It is a low budget comedy, so this is to be expected.

Is it a must see? Probably not. But it also isn't 90 or so minutes that you won't feel like you wasted either.

Fun movie for a lazy day or rainy Sunday....

[BenDecho · 27 June 1999]

This movie shouldn't be taken so seriously. If you're a fan of Cheech Marin, you'll appreciate this film as an excellent example of his acting ability and it showcases his range from "Cheech & Chong" to "Nash Bridges".

Cheech comes off as the typical hispanic role he's played in all the Cheech & Chong movies, but also displays a "I'm not as dumb as you think" side that he shows on Nash Bridges.

The story line is basically his character goes to Australia for work where by chance while working in a Mexican restaurant he meets the daughter of a rich man. She in turn wanting her father to like her current boyfriend, hires Cheech for $5,000 to be her "new" boyfriend that by comparison makes the former boyfriend an excellent choice.

Both Alex (the daughter) and Carlos (Cheech Marin) learn alot about the lifestyles of each other.

This movie is pretty predictable but can be fun at the same time. You will love Cheech singing "Land of 1000 Dances" to all the socialites.

This movie tried to capitalize on all the "down under" crazes that emerged in the late '80s and early '90s.

Just watch it, don't judge it, and it can be a fun movie. You have to appreciate Cheech Marin carrying a cast of "nobodies" on a lame script through a movie that can and will make you laugh out loud at times. And for the romantic, it has a heart warming ending.

Just average

[djfrost-46786 · 5/10 · 30 March 2019]

We have seen this story before. Crocodile Dundee, Son in Law, to Why Him. Just an average movie. It may had been good back then.

Tricking Dad

[sol- · 6/10 · 28 January 2017]

Out to annoy her father who told her that he would not object to any future boyfriends were she to dump her current beau, an affluent young lady hires a Mexican tourist to pose as an obnoxious boyfriend in this Australian comedy starring Cheech Marin. From such a plot description alone, 'The Shrimp on the Barbie' sounds like a laugh-out-loud affair and Marin is expectedly excellent, however, the actual film is never quite as funny as it ought to be. The movie takes a very long time to warm up with over twenty minutes elapsing before the ruse begins. The initial stages of the ruse are hilarious thanks largely to June Bishop's wide-eyed bewilderment at the boorish man her daughter has taken home, and things only get funnier as the father eavesdrops, catches onto the ruse and then takes over-the-top measures to welcome Marin to the family. Promising as all this is, the plot derails around halfway in as the two protagonists take a road trip that tests their innermost prejudices, but which is also absent of much in the way of humour. The film never really recovers from this detour - though a party in which she presents a revealing slide show is certainly memorable. For sure, 'The Shrimp on the Barbie' is amusing fluff while it lasts, however, had the filmmakers been more interested in playing the central situation for laughs than shoving "you think money can buy anything" messages into the second half, it could have been a lot more. Marin is great either way - and that is despite the filmmakers (literally) throwing him in the air too many times.

This was awful

[PALWalrus · 1/10 · 14 November 1999]

I cannot think of one redeeming feature about this movie. The acting is wooden, the script unbelievably bad!! If there is a redeeming feature it is the scenery from many shots taken around New Zealand and the brief appearance of some rarely seen New Zealand artists.

If you have a choice between a dentist appointment and watching this film, take the drill every time, even if it means a root canal!!!

Brings back memories

[moivieFan · 7/10 · 5 July 2022]

I first watched shrimp on the Barbie years ago on VHS. And I remember that I laughed so hard watching it. When I watched again recently I laughed but, the sides of my face did not hurt like when I watched it years ago.

I remember that when I watched Shrimp on the Barbie years ago I found the scene where Carlos first meets Alex's parents hilarious. No, I laughed at it a little but, did not find it nearly as funny.

I also liked the scene at the Restaurant at Alex's dads birthday party. After Carlos puts the cake on the table he takes off the rope holding up the piñata and the Piñata is to heavy and it lifts Carlos off the ground and smashing the cake and getting everyone covered in cake.

And I am pretty sure years ago I thought the scene with Bruce and Dominique in the pool was hilarious. It still makes me laugh. But, not nearly as much.

And I was also thinking that back when I first watched the movie I was not aware that Cheech was part of Cheech and Chong.

And and one thing I noticed when I recently watched the movie was the license plate on Alex's car said her name Alex. I never noticed before that it was a personalized license plate.

Mañana the song from the soundtrack got stuck in my head.

I don't find The shrimp on the Barbie as fun as I used to. It still does make me laugh. And it certainly brings back a lot of memories.

From Robert Scorpio to Jeff Colby to Cheech Marin. Yep, makes sense to me.

[mark.waltz · 4/10 · 22 April 2021]

I can certainly understand why this film went straight to video as it is a sitcom like script and an old fashioned style a screwball comedy that has been going on since the 1930's. It is also the pairing of opposites, Emma Sams (AKA Holly Sutton, Fallon Carrington) and Cheech Marin, the oddest couple ever on screen, and I'll give Emma credit for looking like she's having an absolute blast, at times seeming like she's trying to hold in the laughter. But then, then character she's playing breaks down laughing, and you know the stage is set for a retread of "My Man Godfrey" where William Powell suddenly becomes similar to Ricky Ricardo. Samms shows great comic prowess, and confirms to me why she was one of the most delightful soap opera actresses of the '80s.

I've always said that Cheech Marin is a comic with a lot of hearts, and after having recently seen "Born in East L. A." confirmed that. Heiress Samms is involved with someone her wealthy father doesn't approve of, so she pretends to break up with him and start dating Marin, getting him to act so crass and obnoxious that anyone would look good in comparison. But father realizes the hoax and this leads to delightful confusion that could easily have made this nearly as good as "Arthur".

Marin's genuine character here isn't as classless as he comes off to Samm's family, but once he gets going, there's no stopping him. The problem is that the idea of a romance between the two doesn't seem feasibly possible in any way so they're really isn't away the plot can be realistically resolved. That means that you have to depend on a series of hysterical gags (one involving a nearly frozen cake microwave and a pinata), and you find enough here to enjoy to make this an enjoyable time passer.

In another sense, this is the type of slobs versus the snobs movie that was reworked into a religious comedy where Vegas showgirl Whoopi Goldberg brought fun into a convent. Watching Marin getting these stuffy Australian aristocrats to learn how to party and enjoy doing so becomes a great deal of fun, and ironically it's the servants who look on him with snobbishness, not the uppercrust. But when they insult him as some sort of novelty that will wear off, it really brings out the heart of the situation, and shows the difference between class and crass.

some even call this a comedy

[sandcrab277 · 5/10 · 29 January 2019]

A showcase foe emma samms and carole davis,ie: Penthouse (1980 as Tamara Kapitas) ...it tries way to had to get laughs with all marin's antics as well as the other loser vernon wells ....the aussies probably hated it

Great entertainment

[MEEdmo42 · 9/10 · 1 January 2003]

Much better than most of the original movies Cheech Marin was in. This one has heart and sensitivity, with a little comedy thrown in. Love the "very rich" father. One of the better movies Cheech Marin has been in. I enjoy watching it more than once. Another real feel-good movie. The kind with a happy ending, whether it is reality or not.

Great family movie, vacation movie, date movie, repeat movie

[Carrie_the_Oracle · 10/10 · 15 April 2005]

This movie is a "find" that you will always enjoy. Although set in a classic chicano v. anglo (or rather Aussie) frame, anyone that has had a rebellious family member or mismatched lovers will relate to this story, and that should be everyone. Marin is the ELA che who is hired to rub Dad the wrong way by Daddy's baby girl, played by Emma Samm. Her himbo boyfriend can't take a hint, but Marin keeps taking a dive. The Freudian equestrian cousin is the best character in the movie--you'll want to see it again just for this memorable scene.

Well, it's a chick's movie, so you know how it works out, but the comedy set-ups and Emma are so good, and Marin is so realistic, that it works for the guys.

I liked this movie

[departed07 · 10/10 · 22 June 2003]

Not a classic but one of Cheech Marin's early films. There were so many lines that I kept saying for years like "look a kangaroo!" This film should be given a chance to watch with everybody. Don't talk bad about this movie. It'll be a cult classic soon.

Cheech was appealing

[vchimpanzee · 10 March 2005]

Carlos arrived in Australia expecting to move into the mansion of a friend. It wasn't exactly what he expected, and while the boxing kangaroo gag got old fast, it didn't happen too many times, and the stunt work was good with the first one.

Carlos needed a job. He got a job performing as the Pakistani Elvis (Wait, can Cheech Marin sing? No, he can't.) but something better came along. A Mexican restaurant that needed a Mexican waiter. The man who ran the place was desperate, and he owed a lot of money.

Alex brought her father to this place (who knows why?) to celebrate his birthday. While they were there, Alex's father told her she could not marry her rugby star boyfriend. When she defied him, the father made a deal. If she would get rid of Bruce, she could marry anyone she wanted. Surely no one could be worse than Bruce.

Oh, I don't know.

Cheech Marin did a great job, especially as the overdone jerk who was supposed to make Alex's father wish it was Bruce she was marrying. But he did just fine when Carlos was just an ordinary and quite appealing guy, and he had a lot to teach Alex about being nice to those who weren't as rich. One memorable scene involved a family stranded by the side of the road.

Cheech also did the Mexican stereotype in his restaurant job, which was entertaining. And Terence Cooper did a capable job as Alex's father. There were some quirky characters in Alex's family which some people might enjoy, thought I didn't care for them. One cousin had an unusual sexual fetish. Another relative despised Mexicans and came across like a Klansman in a Civil Rights documentary.

I liked most of the Latin music in the film. But not the group that did Latin in the style of contemporary American pop.

This sort of film has been done many times, but the lessons about prejudice are important, and this film had much to say about that.

Pure Emma Samms

[aesgaard41 · 10/10 · 9 March 2001]

I'm a big Emma Samms fan. There is no other actress in my mind who can show such beauty, grace and talent. Next to "Delirious," this movie truly shows off the range of her talent as well as her ability to do comedy as she is being upstaged by Cheech Marin. Wildly let loose with the script, Marin tries to become a "boyfriend from hell," the movie's alternate title, to help Samms show up her father. Instead, he goes from a down-on-his-luck to the hero and Emma changes from a snob to being a bit more wise for her ordeal. The charming plot seems to poke a lot of fun at the rich and is a bit more than a comedy. It rolls to its end as if it were one of Aesop's fables with the villains getting their due and everyone happy in the end. There are a few eccentrics along the way to remind you this is a comedy, Emma's horse-loving cousin being the funniest. This movie is one of the jems in Comedy Central's cavalcade of movies, but it doesn't get quite as much of the respect it deserves.

secret origins

[shazam1950 · 8/10 · 19 April 2011]

Just for your information the plot is lifted from the RKO film WALKING ON AIR with Gene Raymond and Ann Southern from 1936. I liked both versions. Cheech recaptured the charisma and talent of his stand up routine. Emma showed more than just a beautiful ornamental piece of furniture. Though low budget the Australian setting was refreshing and I always enjoy the opposites attract 'cute' meet. Like the more contemporary SHE'S OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE or the very under rated THE BIRDS AND THE BEES with George Gobel and Mitzi Gaynor the physical mismatch of ugly guy and pretty girl regardless of the machinations contrived by the plot never fails to bring a smile of satisfaction for me.

Cheech goes to Australia

[lee_eisenberg · 25 September 2011]

Since "The Shrimp on the Barbie" stars Cheech Marin, you can expect lots of silly stuff. He plays a Mexican-American who moves to Australia to look for a job, but ends up posing as a rich heiress's (Emma Samms) boorish boyfriend so that her stuffy father will accept her current boyfriend.

The best part is when Cheech first arrives at the heiress's house and makes a total spectacle of himself. Other hilarious scenes include the cake and the fish tank. Otherwise, it's a pretty routine fish-out-of-water story. Sort of a reverse "Crocodile Dundee". But it definitely elicits its fair share of laughs, and that's what's important.

PS: "Barbie" is short for barbecue, although in Australia they say prawn instead of shrimp.

Funny Film

[David_Brown · 9/10 · 7 July 2012]

What I liked about the film is the life lessons that Carlos (Cheech Marin) supplies in this film. Spoilers Ahead: The first is when he promises a free meal to a customer who turns out to be Australia's top food critic, which led to a rave review, based of course, on superior customer service. The next one is when he takes a beating from Alex's (Emma Samms) fiancée Bruce (Vernon Wells), after he catches him shacked up with Alex's best friend Dominique (Carole Davis (who is just as nasty in this film as she was in "Mannequin" & "if Looks Could Kill" (I remember her and the scorpion in that one)), and he still keeps his mouth shut. The final lesson of course, is how Carlos was able to not only survive in a foreign country, but win a women who is far above his social scale with decency. One other standout scene, is with Alex and the home movies where she exposes Bruce and Dominique to all of their friends (Including hitting her with a wedding cake). It is a funny film.

The Shrimp on the Barbie

[Coxer99 · 1 July 1999]

Second rate comedy highlighted only by funny guy Marin as an American picked up by an Australian heiress to rattle her father's cages a little.