Film

Beverly Hills Ninja

Name: Beverly Hills Ninja
Genre: Comedy, Action
Released: 1997
Cast: Chris Farley, Nicollette Sheridan, Robin Shou, Nathaniel Parker, Chris Rock

A 1997 comedy about a clumsy American raised as a ninja in Japan who gets his shot at redemption when a woman in danger needs help. It's pure slapstick mayhem: Chris Farley doing what he does best—physical comedy, self-deprecation, and charm—in a premise that's absurd enough to hang anything on. For anyone who loves '90s comedy and doesn't mind a film that swings for the fences.

TMDb rating

2.8

If you liked this

Police Story1985

Jackie Chan does slapstick action with genuine danger and precision. Like Beverly Hills Ninja, it finds comedy in the collision between a chaotic hero and impossible odds, but with real stunts that will make you wince and laugh.

But Subtitles, and the action sequences—while funny—demand you actually follow what's happening. It's not background viewing.

Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult1994

Leslie Nielsen at peak deadpan in a film that throws gags at you so fast you'll miss half of them. Same anarchic energy as Beverly Hills Ninja, just with a spy plot instead of ninja training. Relentless fun.

But If broad slapstick and random jokes don't land for you, there's no emotional core to fall back on. It's 90 minutes of 'did they really just do that?'

The Pink Panther1963

Peter Sellers as an incompetent detective stumbling through elaborate set pieces with balletic grace. The ancestor of this whole kind of comedy—bumbling hero, visual gags, a character who commits to the bit completely no matter how ridiculous.

But It's slower and more deliberate than modern comedy. Patience required, and Sellers' accent takes some adjustment.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Beverly Hills Ninja

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

House1977

Both films pivot on a protagonist who is fundamentally out of place and overwhelmed by their environment—Farley in ninja training, here the heroine in a house that operates by dream logic. Both commit completely to the bit, no matter how strange it gets.

A Japanese horror film that's actually deeply, deliberately strange—surreal, colorful, and genuinely disorienting. It's about a girl and her friends in a haunted mansion, but it's structured like a fever dream. If you love Farley's commitment to playing someone bewildered by their circumstances, this takes that idea and runs it into complete artistic chaos.

But It's not really scary and it's definitely not funny, but it is genuinely weird in a way that requires patience and an appetite for the genuinely uncategorizable. Some will find it brilliant, others impenetrable.

Tropic Thunder2008

An action-comedy that knows exactly what it is and commits fully. Robert Downey Jr., Ben Stiller, and Brandon T. Jackson in a film that's both genuinely funny and has real stakes. Self-aware without being smug.

But Heavily satirical. If you don't find the meta-commentary amusing, the whole thing can feel exhausting rather than clever.

Coming to America1988

Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall in a fish-out-of-water comedy that lands because the characters are charming and the writing is sharp. Same DNA as Beverly Hills Ninja—outsider in unfamiliar world—but with more heart and actual jokes.

But Some of it has aged awkwardly. The romance subplot feels obligatory, and there are stretches where it loses momentum.

Kung Fu Hustle2004

Stephen Chow's love letter to action comedy and kung fu films. Ridiculous, visually inventive, frequently hilarious, and the action is genuinely impressive. It has the same willingness to be goofy that Beverly Hills Ninja does.

But The tonal shifts are wild—it careens between slapstick and genuine violence without warning. Subtitles help, and the humor is very specifically rooted in Hong Kong action tropes.

Rush Hour1998

Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker one year after Beverly Hills Ninja, proving that fish-out-of-water action comedy could actually work. The chemistry is electric, the action is inventive, and it knows how to pace a joke.

But Chris Tucker's energy is relentless and will exhaust some viewers. If his style grates, there's no escape.

Shanghai Noon2000

Jackie Chan as a Chinese imperial guard in the Old West. Fish-out-of-water action comedy with charm, actual stunts, and a real buddy dynamic with Owen Wilson. It understands its own absurdity without ever winking at the camera.

But The plot is thin and the romance is perfunctory. It coasts on the appeal of its lead and the action set pieces.

Shaolin Soccer2001

Like Beverly Hills Ninja, it's a film about an underdog from the margins trying to prove himself in a world that doesn't believe in him. Both films are built on the bedrock of commitment to the bit and physical comedy, no matter how ridiculous the premise becomes.

Stephen Chow again, but this time he's made something that feels like a fever dream where monks play soccer with superpowers. It's visually wild, genuinely inventive, and finds deep silliness in a premise that makes no sense. The tone is impossible to pin down—it's comedy, action, sports film, and fairy tale all at once.

But The CGI has aged poorly, it's subtitled, and the emotional beats can feel jarring when they arrive in the middle of absurdist comedy. Some viewers will find it too chaotic or too childish.

Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins1985

Both films ask you to accept a premise that's fundamentally ridiculous—a white American trained as a ninja, a cop trained to be a superhero—and both films commit to the earnestness of that premise while the comedy emerges from the gap between the world's expectations and reality. Both are films where the hero is trying to prove something to people who doubt him.

A deeply weird action-comedy that has no business existing. An ordinary cop is trained by a Korean martial arts master (Joel Grey, inexplicably) to become an unstoppable force, and it plays everything completely straight while the premise gets increasingly absurd. It's dated, earnest, and genuinely one of a kind.

But The action is dated, the pacing is terrible, and it's genuinely hard to tell if it's aware of how strange it is. Some will find it charmingly odd; others will just find it a slog.