1989 Finnish comedy Rating: 13/20
Plot: The Leningrad Cowboys are a Finnish polka band who, after failing to impress a talent scout in their native land, take his advice to tour America with their shady manager. America, as it is pointed out, will listen to anything. With their frozen bassist brother atop their newly-purchased used automobile, they travel from New York to New Orleans to a wedding date in Mexico, passing by the trashiest parts of the good ole U.S.A. and playing in the dumpiest dives.
Funny bits here, but it all wears thin. They've got funny haircuts, funny music, funny lines, etc., but the Blues Brothers meets Stroszek comedy is a little flat. It's unfortunately too much like a Saturday Night Live sketch stretched into an 80-minute comedy. Jim Jarmusch cameos as a used car salesman, and the style of the film is a little like his. Mini-scenes, lots of silence. Humorous moments, my favorite being the "Is that necessary?" response of their manager after the owner of a club they want to play at asks to hear their music first. I really expected this to be better than it was and the music to be a little worse than it was. Their rendition of "Bad to the Bone" rocked pretty hard.
Note: Apparently, this is followed by sequels--Leningrad Cowboys Meet Moses (?), Leningrad Cowboys Go Space, Leningrad Cowboys Meet the Brave Little Toaster.
Me, lamenting the fact that I have worse (but less ridiculous) hair than the Leningrad Cowboys:
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