Rating: R
Genre:
Comedy
Release Date: 05/30/2000
Flags: Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language, Adult Humor
Distributor/Studio: Henstooth Video
Channel One was a New York-based comedy group which presented short satirical sketches concerning television. What set this group apart was that they performed in front of genuine TV cameras, while the audience watched on TV monitors strategically placed throughout the theater. Many of the best, and most censurable, Channel One sketches were assembled by the group's mentor
Ken Shapiro and released to theaters as the feature-length
The Groove Tube.
Shapiro himself stars in several of the sketches, most notably as "
Koko the Clown," a kiddie-show host whose idea of "Make Believe Land" consists of smoking a joint and reading passages from
Fanny Hill. Most of the Channel One players will be unfamiliar to audiences of the 1990s, save for
Richard Belzer and
Chevy Chase, the latter offering a most unusual rendition of
"I'm Looking Over a Four Leaf Clover." The Groove Tube was originally rated X, thanks to such bits as "Safety Sam," wherein the audience is offered cheerful anti-VD advice by a talking penis.
~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
While not the most artistically successful
sketch comedy,
The Groove Tube, is easily the most willfully offensive. Those who are not bothered by such onscreen antics as a talking penis, the freestyle sex Olympics, and lots of nudity will probably laugh consistently. Gleefully vulgar,
The Groove Tube is a film that teenagers can bond over because it sets out to upset the establishment with copious amounts of sex, drug, and scatological humor. Like most
sketch comedies, the material is very hit-and-miss. Director
Ken Shapiro hosting a very adult kids show, a news anchorman dealing with some oddly named world locations, and a
parody of the old "let your fingers do the walking" ad campaign stand out as the pieces that best achieve a balance between vulgarity and pop-culture smarts. While some of the objects of
satire and the drug references may date the film,
The Groove Tube should remain a touchstone for
comedy fans as it contains the first film work of
Chevy Chase.
~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
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