Entertainment
Critics Hate Dark Comedy With Stand-Up Legend's Rare Leading Role, Stream And Judge For Yourself
By TeeJay Small
| Published
If you’re a fan of legendary comedian and Saturday Night Live alumnus Norm MacDonald, you’ve likely spent plenty of time keeled over laughing at his stand-up specials, late-night appearances, or his own short-lived Netflix talk show. What you may not realize, however, is that Norm once starred in a critically panned feature film, which is rife with his trademark blend of irreverent comedy, slow-burn humor, and sarcastic deadpan delivery. The film, 1998’s Dirty Work, is currently streaming on Freevee via Amazon Prime Video, for those interested in checking it out today.
Norm MacDonald In Dirty Work
For those who have not yet had the pleasure of catching Dirty Work on streaming, the film centers on a pair of hapless slackers named Mitch Weaver and Sam McKenna. What the duo lack in strength, smarts, good looks, and work ethic, they more than make up for in schemes, plots, and petty revenge fantasies.
This is demonstrated by a few instances of childhood hijinks that involve framing their bully for a crime to have him kicked out of school, and using themselves as live bait to have a sexual predator arrested and thrown in jail.
As adults, neither of the men are capable of holding a job, leaving them completely penniless, rudderless, and incapable of saving Sam’s father when his heart fails. In an effort to bank $50,000 to get Sam’s dad a heart transplant, the duo decides to launch “Dirty Work,” a revenge-for-hire business that utilizes their penchant for mischief at a steep price.
By the time Dirty Work builds to its shocking conclusion, Mitch and Sam manage to leverage their skills for some of the funniest gags you’ll see streaming today. This includes tanking a shady used car salesman by hiring hookers to play dead in the trunks of his vehicles, playing pornographic material in a normal movie theater, and smashing up an apartment to spite the landlord.
From Flop To Cult Status
Long before Dirty Work hit streaming, the film achieved cult status with fans of Norm MacDonald’s off-beat comedy, despite its abysmal critical response and status as a major box office bomb. As someone who grew up loving Norm MacDonald’s very specific and niche comedic delivery, I loved Dirty Work, though I can recognize why it might not be for everyone.
This is especially true while watching the film in 2024, as its low budget is quite evident, its forced PG-13 rating leaves the jokes neutered, and the repeated use of sexual assault as a punchline has definitely aged like a glass of milk under a heat lamp.
Streaming For Free
Norm MacDonald is joined in the cast by comedy legends such as Artie Lange, Christopher McDonald, Don Rickles, Chevy Chase, John Goodman, Gary Coleman, and David Koechner. Adam Sandler and Chris Farley also have uncredited cameo appearances in the movie, making it Farley’s final on-screen performance. Dirty Work serves as the feature film directorial debut of Bob Saget, who was a frequent collaborator with MacDonald both before and after the film’s production. Those interested in catching Dirty Work can find the film streaming on Freevee via Amazon Prime Video.
Entertainment
The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is at the lowest price weve seen all year
SAVE $75: The Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, down from the standard price of $299. That’s a 25% discount.
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Packing up for an adventure means figuring out how to bring along a soundtrack. A trip to the cabin or a lakeside campground all deserve to be experienced with a great playlist. If you could use an upgrade before summer to get a waterproof Bluetooth speaker, check out this deal at Amazon.
As of April 22, the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore Bluetooth speaker is on sale for $224 at Amazon, marked down from the normal price of $299. That’s a 25% discount that takes $75 off the price. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen at Amazon so far this year.
A compact speaker with a scratch-resistant aluminum shell is exactly what we should be packing on adventures. With an attached carabiner, the B&O Explore speaker is designed to clip onto your backpack when you hit the trail. Or you can utilize the rubber base to set it on a rock or even in the sand. It’s both waterproof and dustproof, adding to the durability.
Bang & Olufsen notes this model gets up to 27 hours of playtime before it needs to recharge. It weighs under 1.5 pounds, so it won’t add much bulk to your gear. It takes about two hours to recharge the Beosound Explore.
Mashable Deals
Before summer kicks into high gear, add the Bang & Olufsen Beosound Explore speaker to your pack. It’s ready for any adventure you have planned.
Entertainment
Get some new wrist candy with the CMF Watch Pro 2 at its lowest price ever
SAVE $39.01: As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s a discount of 49% and the lowest price we’ve seen.
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There are tons of smartwatches on the market if you’re in need of one. But if you’re willing to look beyond the Apple Watches or Samsung devices out there, you’ll find an awesome alternative from the Nothing brand that’ll save you some serious cash. Not only is it more affordable than the competition, but it’s got everything you could want and then some. In fact, one of the models is on sale right now.
As of April 22, get the CMF By Nothing Watch 2 Pro for $39.99 at Amazon, down from its usual price of $79. That’s $39.01 off and a discount of 49%. It’s also the lowest price we’ve seen.
This affordable smartwatch not only comes in an attractive form factor, but it has just about everything you could ask for. It has your average comms tools like Bluetooth calling and gesture control, a built-in mic and speaker, contacts, message reminders, and music control. But from there, it offers a wide range of sensors and data to help you take control of your health.
It offers a portable blood oxygen saturation monitor, a heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, and so much more. All of this data, including workout information, steps, and much more, can be synced across all your favorite fitness apps, including Apple Health and Google Health Connect. There are 120 sports modes to choose from, GPS positioning, and even a 3D warm-up exercise guide to help get you on your feet each day.
Mashable Deals
With interchangeable watch straps and an attractive face, this extremely reasonable smartwatch is definitely one to rival Apple and Samsung. You’ll want to grab yours while it’s still down to the lowest price we’ve seen.
Entertainment
Get Ankers 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $60 less at Amazon
SAVE 15%: As of April 22, you can get the Anker Prime 14-in-1 Thunderbolt 5 Dock for $339.99, down from $399.99, at Amazon. That’s a 15% discount or $60 savings.
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Working off a laptop is great until you realize you only have two ports and need to plug something in. If you’re hooked up to an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse, you’re pretty much out of luck on the rest. Not only that, but your previously uncluttered desk will most likely look like a Best Buy exploded (a rat’s nest of cords isn’t cute or helpful for anyone getting work done).
If you literally hate mess and cords as much as I do, you need a docking station to hide all that chaos and protect your aesthetic. Right now, Anker’s Prime TB5 Docking Station is on sale for $339.99 at Amazon, down from $399.99. (That’s a $60 price cut.)
Mashable Deals
Are you going to use all 14 ports at the exact same time? Probably not, but you’ll never have to dig through your bag for a specific adapter again. You just plug a single cable into your laptop, and the dock handles the rest. It features a Thunderbolt 5 upstream port, two Thunderbolt 5 downstream ports, two USB-C ports, three USB-A ports, SD and TF card readers, a 2.5Gbps Ethernet port, an audio jack, and your choice of HDMI 2.1 or DisplayPort 2.1. It’s also fast enough to transfer a 150GB file in 25 seconds.
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