Blair Loveday
Beverly Hills Ninja is a movie that hasn’t really crossed my mind in a decade or two.
Despite this, the moment I saw this was being released as a new Bluray I had immediate flashbacks to loving this movie. So this was a great chance to see if this is the great comedy I remembered, or something that should have stayed in the 90’s.
1997 was a different time.
Actually that’s not true, cheesy comedies are still popping up. Either way, it was certainly a time. Iconic SNL comedy actors like Chris Farley were everywhere, and I was there for it. Chris Farley had some iconic yells and sound effects that made him a joy to watch. Well, Beverly Hills Ninja was one of Chris Farley’s weirdest.
Beverly Hills Ninja tells the story of a young white kid that appears in Japan after a storm.
He is picked up by the local dojo where they teach ninjutsu. Fortunately for the baby, this dojo has an old legend that a white baby would appear and become the greatest ninja of all. Unfortunately, Haru is not that kid.
The movie follows Haru trying to prove he deserves to be a ninja. When a woman comes needing help, he convinces his master to let him go to LA to help her. The sensei reluctantly agrees, and sends him on his journey. Fortunately for Haru, he also sends his top pupil Gobei.
Gobei is tasked with helping Haru, but never being seen.
Anyway, Haru fumbles his way through situations, makes an ass of himself, and gets to the end.
It’s an incredibly 90’s comedy movie. Physical jokes, silly jokes, it’s loaded with a lot. Think of any 90’s Jim Carrey, Chris Farley, or Adam Sandler movie. It’s that. Going into it though I was worried there would be heaps of sexism and whatnot. So many great movies have those jokes that as you grow up you realise aren’t good. Fortunately this movie isn’t trying to be edgy, it’s just trying to be silly and this makes it so much less cringy.
I would have loved this movie to have included a bunch of behind the scenes stuff, but it may just have not been recorded because there aren’t any. You are buying this for this classic comedy.
Is Beverly Hills Ninja a must watch movie? Not really.
Does it tell some kind of story you need to see? Not really. Will you have a great time watching this silly comedy? Absolutely. It’s a dumb movie that doesn’t pretend to be more than it is. As such, it’s always going to have its spot on my shelf.
