It's Pat: The Movie (1994) User Reviews (127)

surprisingly mean-spirited and unfunny

[ithearod · 2/10 · 7 November 2005]

I actually liked the sketch "Pat" on SNL. It was a fresh idea - honestly, how many other "andrognenous character-sketch" routines can you name? It had its limitations, and it sure as hell could have been pushed past the "Pat almost reveals his/her gender but then doesn't" joke that seems to have been the limit of its humor.

So when there was a movie, I thought, "Hey, they're finally going to push the character beyond the one-joke limit. I like Pat, sure, I'll like the movie!" Well, I was stunned at how ineptly and poorly executed the whole thing was. The Pat character is immediately portrayed as boorish, intrusive, insensitive, and a host of other undesirable characteristics. Who decided this is what Pat was about? Who thought this would be funny? And how does this relate to the SNL character, anyway? I see no resemblance at all.

Even Dave Foley, whom I love and who is well-known for his excellence at portraying long-suffering comic characters, cannot soften the unrelenting ugliness that Pat exudes. In addition, I really think they took the low road with the "Chris" character. Of all the androgynous names they could have chosen (Terry, Bobby, Sam, the list is long), "Chris" is so boring! And the style of androgyny that was chosen, "70's-esque flower child", complete with page-boy haircut, while certainly complimenting Pat's dowdiness, was just one more joke with a very short lifespan.

By the time you finally realize the ugly boorishness that Pat is all about is not going to be a short-lived bit, but is instead the main (and only) joke, and that you will get no reprieve at all, ever, through the entire film, it will be too late. You will have suffered through the whole film, with very few laughs, and entirely missed out on a "naive-but-loveable-doofus" version of Pat, that you might have expected to get.

Bad, but not the worst movie ever

[Jsimpson5 · 3/10 · 4 January 2008]

Being a fan of SNL and bad movies is an odd mixture of things that I enjoy. Being a fan of older SNL skits, one that always gave me a good laugh was Pat. In order to ride the wave of success that the skit had a movie was made called It's Pat, and while it's not the best film around, it's currently not the worst either.

The skit Pat is about a androgynous person called Pat, who no body is able to tell if Pat is a male or female. Pat would say phrases that would be said specifically by either sex, but would then be canceled out by having Pat say something that would confuse the person further. An example of this would be Sorry if I'm a little grumpy, I have really bad cramps... I rode my bike over here, and my calf muscles are KILLING me!" I will now talk about the film itself. The film starts with the birth of Pat but just like the show we don't know if Pat is a male or female. The entire plot of the film deals with this entire though, "Is Pat a man or a woman" Some of the dialog is just stupid and at times pointless. While the whole plot goes on, another man tries to find out what is Pat's sex because he is obsessed with Pat.

The acting is at times awful, but it's still funny to watch at times. This isn't the best film around, but it's not the worst.

Bad but not awful

[Whitetd12000 · 3/10 · 15 October 2012]

It's Pat is one of those movies that will have you thinking "This can't be as bad as everyone says", due to it's cult status. Rest assured, the film is bad, but it is a far cry from being one of the worst films ever. The main problem is that the film has no direction. It spends 75 minutes shifting between being a farce and character comedy,failing to be both. In order to function as a character comedy, the lead must be likable, which Pat is anything but. He/she is boorish, rude, insensitive and downright unpleasant. Even if the character is written this way on purpose (which I suspect), there is little else to find interesting, save for a few mediocre jokes, which are not funny enough for this film to function as a farce. That being said, the actors do well with what they are given, but overall the movie's lack in direction or character development and mediocre jokes are its downfall.

It's not THAT bad.

[king_eru · 5/10 · 30 December 2005]

They probably should not have made a feature length film of the "Pat" sketch. They probably should not have even made it a running gag on Saturday Night Live. It should, however, probably be ranked higher on IMDb than Carrot Top's Chairman of the Board. Julia Sweeney is kind of annoying, but Dave Foley is great. What REALLY makes the movie is Charles Rocket's spiral into dementia over the enigma of Pat. That whole bit has me rolling on the floor. And also - Pat plays tuba with Ween! The karaoke scene is hilarious too. This movie is not a 10, but it's definitely not in the bottom 100 of all time. I liked this movie enough to buy it, but I gave it a 5 for a lame premise saved by the co-stars (Foley, Rocket, and Kathy Griffin).

possibly the worst movie I have ever seen.

[bingo2 · 1/10 · 14 July 2001]

No it is the worst movie I have ever seen. I do not know why any television station would even broadcast this drivel. You could use it as a form of torture for those you hate or really really despise. In my opinion all copies should be pulled from circulation and buried in a very deep pit, but then that would be pollutting the earth. I would have given it a MINUS rating, but the poll doesnt go that low.

A misunderstood comedy

[ncriggar · 1/10 · 3 February 2005]

This is definitely one of the most misunderstood comedies of all time. I believe that people wen't into the theater with the intention of laughing their behinds off. I know I did, I mean after all, this was a great skit on "Saturday Night Live" wasn't it? Unfortunately the answer is that it wasn't a funny enough skit on SNL to actually be considered reasonably for use as a full-length feature. Therefore, I must re-state that this film is just totally misunderstood as a comedy film... Probably because it is single-handedly the most mortifying horror movie of all time. Never have I been so scared, so afraid, so frozen in fear. Watch this one, and you'll scream what I did at the top of my lungs during the climax scene: "GOD HELP US ALL!!!!!" 2 out of 10 stars.

Buuuuuuuut Daaaaaaaave Foooooooleeey's Iiiiin Iiiiit!!!

[Flossie-3 · 6 December 1998]

Alright, crappy movie, but Dave Foley's in it! Which automatically makes it at least MARGINALLY amusing. The only reason I rented this movie (and with a very red face as I went up to pay for it) was because Dave Foley (who plays Chris, Pat's equally androgynous lover in the movie) is a comic genius and my favorite actor in the world. Now if Dave HADN'T been in it would I have enjoyed it at all? Hmm, there's a question, I may have enjoyed the singing of "La Freak" but that's just because I'm a sucker for disco music too! But anyway, Dave Foley is great (not like this movie encourages greatness on ANY possible level, but anyway) and he is strangely attractive as a woman (as observed MORE than enough in his Kids in the Hall days). If you want a funnier (albiet, still a bit silly) movie with Dave Foley in it, opt for "The Wrong Guy", Dave co-wrote and stars in it, and the band Barenaked Ladies is in it as an added bonus. Dave Foley rocks!

The worst movie ever

[robertseege · 1/10 · 19 January 2007]

I've seen a lot of movies, many good and many bad ones. But trust me on this; this is by far the worst. There is nothing positive I can mention about this movie. Why? Well I'll tell you why; The script is something that should have been thrown in trash, the acting is awful, the jokes are not even a bit funny and the characters are utterly annoying. I would understand if this movie would be a film for kids but with all of the "undeterminable sex" stuff, it's clearly not just for kids. A certain Quentin Tarantino helped out with the script(according to the trivia) and he will be relieved that he chose to be uncredited. It's hard for me to even imagine what types of idiots would do a movie like this or even worse find it funny. This is as I mentioned earlier the worst movie I've ever watched and therefore I can't recommend it to anyone. In my opinion this should occupy the no. 1 spot in the bottom 100. It's so bad that if you for instance showed it to some monkeys at a zoo, even they would understand how bad this movie actually is and would destroy the TV set after the first five minutes.

ITS PAThetic

[Boyo-2 · 1/10 · 3 September 2002]

This is not worth dignifying with more than a few comments. Its virtually unwatchable but I made it..why, I don't know. Sometimes you want to see a disaster, there's no other explanation.

I enjoyed the skit on SNL. Pat seemed evasive, intentionally, as her sex-as-a-question mark is the whole point of the comedy to begin with. She couldn't directly answer a question that would allude because without that, you don't have anything.

But in the movie, Pat is not only evasive, but self-centered, rude and gets away with it!

So while you are watching a one-dimensional character act like a duchess, ask yourself if its ever gotten as bad as this. 1/10.

Oh my God, please nooooo more, argghhhh!!!

[adam.lindfield · 1/10 · 29 November 1999]

Just do not see this, not even to find out how bad it is, this movie is terrible, its annoying, its irritable, its the movie version of chicken pox. DO NOT WATCH THIS, it will taint your love for movies and take away a slice of your life you will never get back. THIS SUCKS!!!!!

It's really bad.....really really bad

[movieman-124 · 1/10 · 24 August 1999]

Do yourself a favor by not watching this awful movie. In my lifetime, I don't think there will be a movie as bad as this one. It has got to be the most unfunny, retarded movie ever made. It's that stupid snl skit that was not funny, but not they go and extend the time???? Can you imagine if they made a movie about the spartan cheerleader? Please don't watch any snl movies, so they get the message and stop making stupid movies.

I laughed so hard I cried and got a headache.

[sharkdogs · 8/10 · 29 August 2007]

This movie made me laugh till my stomach hurt and then I got a pounding headache. I've watched it many times. We used to watch it in the 90s, and it's still funny. I read somewhere that Quentin Tarantino had a hand in it but I don't know if it's true. Regardless, Julia Sweeney is hilarious as the obnoxious "Feel sorrier for me!" Pat. It is silly humor mixed with dementedness. Kyle, the neighbor who becomes obsessed with Pat, is creepy and funny at the same time. David Foley as Pat's lover is priceless with that wig bobbing back and forth in his face. If "you like really good movies and hate really bad boring movies" then make sure you see It's Pat. Maybe while lying on a deliciously tan bath mat...

A pretty good movie that had some hilarious moments

[JCisneros · 6/10 · 24 December 1998]

I must admit, I wasn't expecting much of this movie when I saw it on cable, but i didn't have anything else to do (and there was nothing else on tv) so I decided to watch this movie. To my amazement the movie was pretty good. Don't get me wrong or anything like that, it wasn't an oscar worthy production or some runaway hit, but the movie made me laugh hysterically in many of its insane scenes. I suggest you give this movie try....You will be laughing!

Why would someone make this film?

[iwatcheverything · 3/10 · 21 November 2003]

What was the person who made this film thinking? Did they have nothing to do for say the 2 hours they worked on it? It was horrible to say the most about this film. There was only one plus: Yeah for Ween, a cool band that gets no recognition. That was it though. No funny jokes, no good acting, nothing. Why I watched the whole thing is beyond me. If you are even considering watching this film then run far far away. Be safe watch anything but this.

You know...PAT CANNOT CARRY A MOVIE!

[jmcool5164 · 30 June 2000]

What starts off as a promising comedy quickly turns into mindless dribble quicker than you can say "Chalupa". The problem is that Pat can't carry a movie. If Pat had been in a very small supporting role in a movie, that would be barable, but this is just one of the most agonizing films ever. Even though there are many scenes that let Dave Foley bring out his cross-dressing best, they don't really point into any direction. The plot? Well, it's just a 5 minute Pat sketch stretched out to be 77 agonizing minutes. The movie relies on spit jokes and gender benders to carry the film. Not good. Luckily, SNL (The best show on TV) rebounded with the classics Stuart Saves His Family and Night at the Roxbury.

Sensitive and hilarious....NOT!!

[planktonrules · 1/10 · 20 June 2012]

My wife and I play a game while we go on long road trips. It's called "Name the bad Saturday NIGHT LIVE alumnus film". It's a wonderful game--and far longer than the alternative "Name the good Saturday NIGHT LIVE alumnus film"--as there are practically a bazillion films made by ex-SNL actors which are absolutely wretched. Yet, compared to "It's Pat", even horrible films like "Dr. Detroit", "Neighbors" and "Best Defense" look like Oscar-contenders! Yes, this is my nomination for the absolute WORST of the lot (though I have yet to see "Night at the Roxbury" and "Superstar"). Apparently, I am not alone with this--as currently "It's Pat" is ranked #95 on IMDb's infamous Bottom 100 list.

The biggest problem with "It's Pat" is that the Pat sketches on "SNL" were completely unfunny and annoying. But, like too many of the show's skits, they repeated the stupid thing again and again and again. Think about it...THE joke is that Pat's gender is uncertain. Wow...shallow AND offensive...but also completely unfunny. And, with this movie, a five minute bit on "SNL" is stretched out to full-length movie format! While this problem is more than enough, the film also suffers from bad acting (Ms. Sweeney's characterization is dreadful and the epitome of the expression 'one-note'), bad writing, too much crudity and an offensive storyline. After all, jokes about what's inside Pat's pants abound and become tiresome and gross...and that's only three minutes into the film! After a while, it was so oppressively awful that I had to turn it off (my daughter kept threatening to do bodily harm to me if I didn't). Wretched, unfunny and 100% misguided--who in the world thought this abomination would be worth making in the first place?! I think cancer is funnier (and I've had cancer--so I know what I am talking about)!

Not As Bad As People Say.

[Movie-ManDan · 5/10 · 3 October 2015]

It's Pat wasn't a very good film. It tried to be funny but it wasn't. But it was able to hold my interest and there were some ticklish moments that helped me get through this.

It's Pat is one of the the most original characters in the history of Saturday Night Live. Julia Sweeney created geeky androgynous Pat Riley whom the audience desperately wants to see the gender of. Ever time you think her sex will be revealed, it doesn't. Perhaps it was a bad idea to make it into a feature film, but this is one of the shortest feature films I've ever seen at just 77 minutes. As a subpar movie, it feels longer.

I personally think Pat is hilarious. But the actually hilarity dries up very quickly. Dave Foley plays her lover, Chris, who is also androgynous. Chris is not funny and you don't get the warmth that Pat provides. As their relationship blossoms, so does stupidity and weird sexual gender humour.

I'd say the biggest problem was creating unlikeable characters with a dumb plot. The movie is about Pat who tries to make a decent living and falls for Chris. Pat goes through so many jobs that it's sad. The job-to-job aspect is dumb and almost every job scene sucks. Pat's new neighbour Kyle (Charles Rocket) soon becomes obsessed with trying to figure out if Pat is a boy or girl. It destroys his marriage and his life. This subplot happens all the time in movies, but it is sad to see it happening to a man who just was to know what kind of private parts his neighbour has.

Luckily, the weird sexual humour is funny and Pat is fun character. I was convinced this was going to be a stinkfest, but my expectations were exceeded. Still wasn't much impressed, but it isn't as bad as everyone makes it out to be.

2/4

Down on Pat

[wes-connors · 3/10 · 17 July 2012]

The androgynous character from "Saturday Night Live" spins-off into a comedy movie. The annoying "Pat" (Julia Sweeney) has trouble finding a job. "Pat" is an abominable postal carrier and sneezes globs of snot on a customer's sushi. Like in the TV skits, we get close to determining if "Pat" is a man or woman, then something happens to put the character's gender back in question. Herein, "Pat" finds romance with likewise androgynous "Chris" (Dave Foley). Also, "Pat" has a neighbor (Charles Rocket) who becomes obsessed with catching "Pat" in a gender-proving moment.

More proof that SNL skits do not necessarily make good movies.

*** It's Pat (8/26/94) Adam Bernstein ~ Julia Sweeney, Dave Foley, Charles Rocket, Kathy Griffin

Should be higher on the worst ever list

[gar42 · 1/10 · 5 June 2003]

Having seen most of the SNL skits that have been made into movies I must say this was the worst of them, (Until such time that they make the cheerleaders skit into a movie)! It's been a few years since I saw this dog but my memories of it remain quite clear, I do believe it's burned in there permanently! I read some where that it holds the box office record for the lowest gross sales ever, an honor it most definitely deserves.

Scarier than Showgirls

[Darkwing-3 · 1/10 · 4 November 1998]

Will someone please stop giving the worst of Saturday Night Dead (er live) a movie? When will this nightmare end??

Not even Dave Foley can save this...

[rcs914 · 2/10 · 12 March 2006]

I loved Kids in the Hall, and so one day when this stinker of a movie was on HBO I watched it, thinking that it couldn't be all bad, if Dave Foley was in it. I was truly wrong. That's 80 or so minutes that I can never have back. It's not just that the movie is bad, it's that the main character, Pat, is completely unlikeable. It behaves like a complete obnoxious jerk, oblivious of the feelings of others. I spent the whole time just hating the character.

The only reason I gave this 2 stars instead of 1 is for the setting of Pat's apartment. I liked the almost googie style architecture, and the retro interior decorating. But other than that, I wouldn't recommend this movie for any reason, not even to see Dave in yet another dress or two.

If you really want to watch an SNL spin off, check out "Stuart Saves His Family" which is actually quite good.

All copies of this should be destroyed

[BSchin2188 · 1/10 · 14 June 2003]

Man, I hate this movie. I hate the character too. Saturday Night Live hasn't been funny since the original cast left. Who cares about what gender Pat is? Save yourself the $2.00 rental fee, and watch Friday the 13th instead. At least that movie is funny.

Better than most people say

[Cobra-10 · 9/10 · 21 April 2000]

Pat was the SNL sketch that turned me into an avid SNL watcher since 1991. I've also been an avid Ween fan since 1993 (most people I asked never heard of Ween), but I didn't even know that Ween was in this movie until I saw it the first time. I practically had an orgasm! Not only is this an SNL move based on one of my favorite skits, but it features a special guest appearance by one of my favorite bands. I wish that the movie had been advertised more when it came out so I could have seen it in the theater. Sure, it won't win an oscar, but then again I would honestly much rather sit through this movie twice than sit through "Titanic" once. You have to be my type of person to like this movie; a person who likes rampant silliness, sight gags, repetitive jokes, and general inanity, the kind of stuff that you'd see on Kids In The Hall, SNL, Strangers With Candy, etc. And since I love Kids In The Hall, the appearance of David Foley in "It's Pat" is a bonus.

Inane "Balls-Out" Cult Classic

[moderniste · 7/10 · 14 July 2012]

That "It's Pat" gets such low ratings is a classic example of humour-challenged viewers misunderstanding classic broad farce and absurdity. This movie is in no way meant to be sophisticated, and the fact that it appears cheaply made simply adds to the fun.

Another message on the IMDb message board noted that Pat's personality on SNL was much sweeter, whereas she's really quite a self-absorbed, obnoxious oaf in "It's Pat". I think that the loutish Pat is far the funnier--she takes herself so seriously, and even if she wasn't a mysterious he/she, her outlandish and unearned self-confidence would be great comedy in and of itself. There were times when her pure selfishness and disdain for other's comfort and happiness made me LOL to the point where I was crying--Julia Sweeney really went "balls-out" (sorry) with her over-the-top comedy chops.

Two of my favorite motifs were Pat's instrument that she played on-stage with Ween: A FREAKING TUBA!!! How freaking perfect is that??? And having Camille Paglia as on-air commentary is meta hilarious. Paglia adds a faux-serious über-intellectual touch as the most perfect choice for "intellectual" commentary on unusual/abnormal sexuality in film to the most lowbrow of lowbrow flicks.

Folks, this is broad, ridiculous comedy that we're not supposed to take seriously--at all. It's almost childish/cartoonish in its style except there actually is a level of sophistication to many of the sexual orientation jokes. I just cannot figure out the mindset of those who were giving "It's Pat" zero and one-star ratings--were they sitting in front of their TV and saying, "that's not an accurate depiction of human behavior; I'm holding out for some GD François Truffaut!!!" Grab some orange juice, a banana, and some walnuts, and sit back and enjoy the inanity!

I'd rather get punched in the face than watch this movie again...

[squirrel_burst · 1/10 · 11 January 2015]

"It's Pat" is an unbelievably unfunny and agonizingly bad comedy. It's a movie that only has one joke and it repeats it over and over until you feel like you're stuck in an eternally worsening time warp. The joke is that nobody knows if the titular character is a man or a woman, which isn't that funny because it gets old fast. It then gets repeated over and over and after a while, you realize there is never going to be a payoff because that would mean the movie would end and every single bit of shenanigans that happened before the revelation would become absolutely pointless. The main character is totally unlikeable, the plot is dull, repetitive and very easy to predict. Even if you are not the kind of person that can easily see twists coming in thrillers, this unimaginative story plays out exactly the way you expect it to. You will be at a loss for words after the credits finish rolling, unless you start remembering some of the more colorful curses you had buried deep inside your subconscious. The worst thing is that the film is so bad and unmemorable that you will forget immediately what made you so mad. (On VHS, May 22, 2011)