Men At Work

Starring: Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Keith David
Written by: Emilio Estevez

Director: Emilio Estevez
Year: 1990

Rating: * * 1/2  Stars       +       (Fan Bonus -  )  Total: * * 1/2

Two garbage men discover a dead body in a trash can. Problem is, they think they killed him the night before.

Carl & James (Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez respectively) are a pair of lovable garbage men with dreams of opening up their own surf shop. One night, they scope out a neighbor giving a woman a hard time and shoot him in the butt with a pellet gun. When they duck and hide, they miss an important clue. Two hitmen come in and kill him. The next day they find his body on their route in a garbage can. What's worse, turns out he's a city official. But if that isn't enough pressure, they're not alone. Their recent hi-jinks forces their boss to assign his brother-in law, Louis (Keith David) to observe them for a week. Louis is a miserable Nam vet who already is making their lives hell before all this. Now, this trio is caught up in a web that includes an industrialist, hired killers, toxic waste, and a girl Carl has the hots for.

Emilio Estevez takes on the full burden of writer, director, and co-lead actor in this passable attempt at  sophomoric situational comedy. The characters are likable, but not lovable. The plot is solid for comedies of this type, and the humor is hit and miss. Still, it's nice to see the Estevez brothers work together, as they have a natural chemistry. Keith David plays it straight, which plays off of well with Emilio and Charlie, delivering the stronger comedy comments. Credibility strains when Carl reveals to Susan (Leslie Hope) that he's a garbage man. Her characters station, along with this film coming out of the materialistic 80's, seems like she'd dump him, but no. This is a great film to watch on a rainy day with absolutely nothing else on. 

SEE THE TRAILER: Men At Work