Cabin Boy

1994 Comedy

Former NBC intern and Get a Life creator Chris Elliott stars as the title character, a recent graduate of the exclusive Fancy Lad Academy who unwittingly boards the wrong sea vessel and ends up a whipping post for its gruff, foul-mouthed crew after his predecessor (Andy Richter of The Late Show) falls overboard. Over the course of their adventures, Elliot eventually earns the respect of the crew as he also earns his manhood. This supremely silly film features sight gags and tastelessness galore, including a love scene with a woman who's all hands -- literally. Elliot's old boss David Letterman appears in an amusing unbilled cameo as a sarcastic villager in port. In all, Cabin Boy works much in the same vein as Elliot's former TV show; a crass sense of humor is helpful for full appreciation.

Director: Adam Resnick

Starring: Chris Elliott, Ann Magnuson, Ritch Brinkley, James Gammon, Brian Doyle-Murray

Reviews

  • Contains about enough laugh-out-loud sight gags and non sequiturs to justify what it demands of a viewer's time and money.

    - The Washington Post

    19 January 2013

  • Fans of unashamedly low-brow comedies may well be amused by the eccentricities of Cabin Boy, but more conventional viewers should probably beware.

    - TV Guide

    19 January 2013

  • As a condescening moron who natters on non-stop in this simplistic comedy, Elliott doesn't just wear out his welcome, he nukes it.

    Susan Wloszczyna - USA Today

    19 January 2013

  • Few comedies have worked this hard to make everyone on screen look this dumb.

    Owen Gleiberman - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • The problem is that it doesn't find a lot of laughs in much of anything, referential or otherwise.

    - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Worst New Star

    Razzie Awards (1995)