By John Corrado

This week, Paramount is releasing a new 25th anniversary SteelBook edition of the 1997 kids comedy Good Burger, the second movie produced by Nickelodeon.

A feature length spinoff from the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That, the film became a modest hit at the box office when it was first released in the summer of ’97, and has since gained a bit of a cult following with audiences of ’90s kids who grew up with it.

The film stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell (who were starring in their own Nickelodeon show Kenan & Kel at the time) as two teens working at Good Burger. Mitchell’s Ed is a dimwitted cashier who has devoted his life to working the counter at the burger joint.

Thompson’s Dexter is a wannabe slacker looking forward to a summer of doing nothing, who ends up getting a summer job at Good Burger to help pay for the damage done to his teacher’s (Sinbad) car when he accidentally crashes into it while driving without a license. When the chain restaurant Mondo Burger opens across the street, and the evil owner Kurt (Jan Schweiterman) makes it his mission to squelch his competition, Ed and Dexter team up to save their modest burger joint.

The film unfolds as a slapdash adventure that has a sketch comedy feel to it at times, and is essentially a kid-friendly precursor to something like Dude, Where’s My Car? (Ed is pretty clearly intended to be a stoner, but the film can’t confirm this due to its much younger target audience). It’s bolstered by a pair of appealing comic performances from the two young leads, who both establish memorable characters and bring a good amount of energy to their roles.

The cast also includes an amusing background role for Abe Vigoda as the old guy who makes the fries, as well as cameos by George Clinton, Shaquille O’Neal, and an uncredited appearance by Carmen Electra as a seductress working for Mondo Burger. The film very much feels like a product of its time and studio, and will obviously hold the most appeal for audiences who have a nostalgic connection to it. Yes, it’s inherently goofy, and watching it now feels like opening a time capsule from the ’90s, but Good Burger is pretty gosh darn amusing in its own right.

The SteelBook is a shiny pale blue colour and looks very ’90s, with images of the two main characters posing on the front, back, and inside cover against various fast food-inspired designs. The disc lifts out to reveal an iconic quote (“Welcome to Good Burger, home of the good burger, can I take your order?”) against a splash of sauce and flying burger components.

Out of Paramount’s library of titles, Good Burger might seem like a bit of an out there choice to get the SteelBook treatment (though it was directed by Brian Robbins, who is now the head of Paramount, so that might have something to do with it). But the packaging will be a welcome addition for fans, and the film itself holds up pretty well as an entertainingly off-the-wall family comedy.

Bonus Features (Blu-ray):

For a 25th anniversary release, the Blu-ray is pretty bare in terms of bonuses, save for the original sketch. A code for a digital copy is also included in the package.

• Original “Good Burger” Sketch from All That (1994) (4 minutes): The fairly amusing sketch that first introduced audiences to Mitchell’s Ed character.

Good Burger: 25th Anniversary (SteelBook Edition) is a Paramount Home Entertainment release. It’s 95 minutes and rated PG.

Street Date: July 19th, 2022