Home Fries is an unusual romantic comedy where you never quite know what to expect. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, the film veers off in a different direction. The end result may leave you disoriented, but its ultimately pleasing.
Sally (Drew Barrymore) has been having an affair with a married man. Not only that, but she’s eight-months pregnant, and her lover still refuses to leave his wife. Oh well, at least Sally has her dependable Burger Mart job to count on.
However, one night, she picks up a radio communication on her drive-thru headset. She hears the chatter between Dorian (Luke Wilson) and Angus (Jake Busey), two brothers in the Air National Guard, who have “borrowed” a helicopter to use in an elaborate prank.
However, when the prank backfires, Dorian is sent to the Burger Mart to discover if anyone there knows what happened. Yet, instead of finding witnesses, Dorian finds love…with Sally.
So is this movie a spunky romantic comedy where Sally and Dorian overcome their obstacles to fall in love? Or is it a quaint small town slice-of-life story, where the glamourous jobs are all at the local cigarette factory? Maybe it’s a dysfunctional family portrait, or even a grim black comedy? The answer to all of those is yes.
As you might surmise, the movie becomes a bit cluttered here and there. However, though it may not always know what genre it wants to be, it always manages to be amusing, tackling all of its varied topics with a true sense of fun.
Drew Barrymore fits perfectly as the wholesome young woman who just happened to get pregnant while having an affair with a married man. Compared to her easygoing style, Luke Wilson comes off a bit stiff.
However, the supporting roles are all top notch. Jake Busey is a hoot as Dorian’s brother Angus…but he can’t compare to the masterfully wicked performance by Catherine O’Hara, as the boys’ mother. Shelly Duvall and Lanny Flaherty, as Sally’s white trash parents, deliver a couple of good scenes as well.
If you’re in the mood for an out of the ordinary romantic comedy (and like your humor a little warped), Home Fries fills the bill.