Cabin Boy

Those who gained their initial fame on television -- even at the highest level and with top popularity -- have often found their feature films finishing at the other end of the scale. Bill Cosby and Ray Romano are two examples of this -- Bill Murray one of the few exceptions.

Chevy Chase has had some sporadic success, and even Martin Short -- one of the comedic geniuses of all-time -- has found his big-screen offerings sporadic.

I think one of the reasons is that we are just too used to seeing them on the small screen, and/or in the characters/personas with which we have become accustomed. It also seems that their films often seem to be stories which would lend them to 10- or 12-minute skits, or the 22 minutes or so contained within a half hour program.

Chris Elliott avoids this completely in this funny presentation. He succeeds in taking this character over-the-top, with the same quirky skill we've seen him employ on television so often.

At 80 minutes, he also avoids making it overlong, and the supporting cast and Letterman's cameo are all well-presented, too.

It's "quirkiness" is likely the reason this film didn't receive a higher overall rating in this site, and among professional reviewers.

However, for me it's a thoroughly entertaining and engaging movie, and best of all, funny as hell.