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1990's The Adventures of Ford Fairlane is film that was supposed to turn stand-up comic Andrew "Dice" Clay into a movie star. Clay, who was probably the biggest name in stand-up at the time, had acted (and been quite effective) in a number of supporting movie roles, but Ford Fairlane was his shot at the big prize. He stars as the titular Ford Fairlane, a "rock n' roll detective" in Hollywood specializing in music industry cases who is handed the biggest -- and most dangerous -- case of his career.


Despite his popularity in stand-up arenas, Clay was largely detested by the public when the movie came out. It was critically lambasted upon release and quickly buried by 20th Century Fox. But seeing it now on DVD proves that it was a film ahead of its time; the script, by Daniel Waters, is clever and self-aware long before being self-aware was "cool" (as the late '90s ushered in the age of irony). Plus - love him or hate him - Clay acquits himself quite well, proving that he had what it took to be a movie star. He's as comfortable with the comedy (especially the bits of his routine that were shoehorned in, but also some self-aware jabs at himself: "I could've been a rock star...if only I hadn't been banned from MTV.") as he is with the action. Several campy supporting roles from the likes of Priscilla Presley, Robert Englund and Wayne Newton (as the villain!) help give Clay a lot to play off of.

Sadly, Clay is absent from any of the extra features on the DVD. The only bonus content is an audio commentary track from director Renny Harlin, who talks a little about the comedian but spends most of the time giving a technical play-by-play on the making of the film.

One can only guess how much more honest and entertaining a commentary by Clay might have been.

Clay had only one more starring role (the direct-to-video bomb Brain Smasher: A Love Story) before fading from the pop culture radar. It's too bad -- though his comedy was clearly a fad, Ford Fairlane suggests he deserved better as a movie star. Had it been a big hit, who knows? We could have had a Ford Fairlane franchise on our hands. I, for one, would have welcomed it.

DVD Details

• Release Date: December 16, 2003
• Running Time: 101 minutes
• 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen/1.33:1 Full Frame
• Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Surround (English)
• Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (Spanish)
• Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono (French)
• English Subtitles
• Spanish Subtitles
• Studio: Fox

DVD Bonus Material

• Audio Commentary with Director Renny Harlin
• "Making Of" Featurette
• Billy Idol: "Cradle of Love" Music Video
• Theatrical Trailer