''The Wrong Guy'' is a 1997 Canadian

black comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the old ...

directed by

David Steinberg David Steinberg (born August 9, 1942) is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, and author. At the height of his popularity, during the late 1960s and mid 1970s, he was one of the best-known comics in the United States. He appeared on ...

, and starring

Dave Foley David Scott Foley (born January 4, 1963) is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer and writer. He is known as a co-founder of the comedy group The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of television, stage and ...

, along with

David Anthony Higgins David Anthony Higgins (born December 9, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as Craig Feldspar on ''Malcolm in the Middle'', Joe on ''Ellen'', and Reginald Bitters on ''Big Time Rush''. He also had a recurring role as H ...

Jennifer Tilly Jennifer Tilly (born Jennifer Ellen Chan; September 16, 1958) is an American–Canadian actress and poker player. Known for her distinctive voice and comedic timing, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, two MTV Movie Awards and three Sa ...

Colm Feore Colm Joseph Feore (; born August 22, 1958) is a Canadian actor. A 15-year veteran of the Stratford Festival, he is known for his Gemini-winning turn as Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in the CBC miniseries '' Trudeau'' (2002), his portrayal of G ...

and Joe Flaherty. It was written by Foley, Higgins and

Jay Kogen Jay Kogen is an American comedy writer, producer, actor and director. Biography He was born to a Jewish family. His father is comedy writer Arnie Kogen. In 2001, Kogen had a son, Charlie, who is now a musician. Career Kogen co-wrote several ep ...

. The script was originally inspired by a sketch Foley wrote during his days with ''

The Kids in the Hall The Kids in the Hall is a Canadian sketch comedy troupe formed in 1984, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson. Their eponymous television show ran from 1989 to 1995, on CBC, ...

''.

Synopsis

Dorky executive Nelson Hibbert (Foley) gets passed over for a promotion after spending years angling for the job (including marrying one of his boss's daughters). Upon hearing the decision, he ends up shouting "I swear I will kill you!" as security drags him from the board room. Later, when he goes to confront his boss (

Kenneth Welsh Kenneth Welsh, (March 30, 1942 – May 5, 2022) was a Canadian film and television actor. He was best known as the multi-faceted villain Windom Earle in ''Twin Peaks'', for his roles in the films '' The Day After Tomorrow'', ''Adoration'', '' S ...

), he finds that the man has already been murdered, and, due to the scene he made earlier, assumes that he will be mistaken for the murderer. Nelson flees, unaware that security cameras have already revealed the identity of the true killer to the authorities. Nelson tries to escape to

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

, but along the way he meets both the real killer (Feore) and the murder's investigator, Detective Arlen (Higgins), who Nelson believes is trailing him. It turns out that Ken Daly, who acquired the promotion, had the company president killed in order to gain the spot quickly. Chaotic events transpire and Nelson meets a narcoleptic farm girl (Tilly). What follows is a bizarre series of misadventures marked with slapstick routines and constant one-liners.

Cast

as Nelson Hibbert *

as Detective Arlen *

as The Killer *

as Lynn Holden * Joe Flaherty as Fred Holden *

Dan Redican Dan Redican (born 1956 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian comedy writer and performer and puppeteer, best known for his work with the comedy troupe, '' The Frantics.'' As a founding member of the troupe he has worked since 1979 on numerous stage ...

as Ken Daly * Richard Chevolleau as Jimmy *

Alan Scarfe Alan John Scarfe (born 8 June 1946) is a British–Canadian actor, stage director and author. He is a former Associate Director of the Stratford Festival (1976–77) and the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool (1967–68). He won the 1985 Genie A ...

as Farmer Brown *

as Mr. Nagel *

Enrico Colantoni Enrico Colantoni (born February 14, 1963) is a Canadian actor and director, best known for portraying Elliot DiMauro in the sitcom ''Just Shoot Me!'', Keith Mars on the television series ''Veronica Mars'', Louis Lutz on the short-lived sitcom ''H ...

as Creepy Guy *

Kevin McDonald Kevin Hamilton McDonald (born May 16, 1961) is a Canadian actor, voice actor and comedian. He is a member of the comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of stage, television and film productions, most notably th ...

as Motel Manager *

as Bus Driver *

as Outpatient in Neck Brace The members of Barenaked Ladies made cameos as singing policemen.

Release

Foley described ''The Wrong Guy'' as his best film. The film was released

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...

in the United States.

Awards

* Film Discovery Jury Award (U.S. Comedy Arts Festival) - Best Screenplay

References

External links

* * 1997 films English-language Canadian films 1990s English-language films Canadian comedy films 1997 comedy films 1990s Canadian films {{1990s-comedy-film-stub