Film

Dirty Work

Name: Dirty Work
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1998
Cast: Norm Macdonald, Artie Lange, Jack Warden, Traylor Howard, Christopher McDonald

Norm Macdonald and Artie Lange are two hapless guys running a revenge-for-hire business to save Sam's dad's life. It's a ramshackle '90s comedy that swings wildly between genuine heart and complete absurdity, fueled by Norm's deadpan weirdness and held together by sheer chaos. For people who love comedy that doesn't care if you're following along.

TMDb rating

3.1

If you liked this

There's Something About Mary1998

Same year, same spirit: a comedy that trusts its cast to be funny and weird without needing a tight plot. Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, and Ben Stiller are all playing different versions of broken. It's got genuine heart underneath the mayhem.

But The sex-and-bodily-functions jokes are relentless. If you don't find that funny by minute two, you won't by minute ninety.

Tommy Boy1995

Farley and Spade's best vehicle: two idiots trying to save a family business, genuinely rooting for each other underneath the gags. The emotional core is real, which is why the comedy lands harder. Plus Norm actually pops up in it.

But Relies on slapstick and that particular mid-'90s comedy energy. If broad physical humour hasn't aged well for you, this won't change your mind.

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story2004

A revenge plot wrapped in sports comedy with Ben Stiller as a magnificently petty villain. It's silly and knows exactly how silly it is. Vince Vaughn and Stiller have real chemistry doing bits, same as Mitch and Sam.

But The plot is gossamer-thin and exists only to hang jokes on. If you need more structure, this will frustrate you.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Dirty Work

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Welcome to Collinwood2002

Same basic DNA—broke guys trying something impossible to change their lives—but played as a character study instead of a cartoon. Same deadpan Norm energy in a more naturalistic setting.

Two small-time guys and their crew trying to pull off a heist. It's got Norm Macdonald in a supporting role, but more importantly, it has that exact same scrappy, doomed-guys-with-a-plan energy. The humour is drier, the heart is bigger, and the cast (Sam Rockwell, Isaiah Washington, Andrew Davoli) is perfectly calibrated.

But It's quieter and more character-driven than Dirty Work. If you want bigger laughs and broader comedy, this will feel slight. It's also less famous, which means you might spend the first twenty minutes just getting into its rhythm.

Happy Gilmore1996

Adam Sandler trying to win money to save his grandmother's house. Same DNA: a seemingly impossible goal, a ridiculous scheme, genuine affection between the leads, and jokes that come out of nowhere. Sandler was capable of real warmth back then.

But It's broad and sometimes mean-spirited. The tone can whiplash between sweet and cruel, which some people find exhausting.

Kingpin1996

Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid as bowling underdogs. It's committed to its dumb premise in the way Dirty Work is: the movie never winks at how absurd it is, which makes it funnier. Chevy Chase is even in it, playing similarly against type.

But The humour is heavily dependent on '90s comedy tropes that have calcified. It's not aged as gracefully as its spiritual cousins.

BASEketball1998

Trey Parker and Matt Stone invent a fake sport to make money. Same year as Dirty Work, same stupid-scheme energy, same weird heart. It's completely dumb and completely committed to that dumbness.

But It's genuinely crude in ways that can feel gratuitous. South Park energy without the satirical edge can feel like comedy treading water.

Zoolander2001

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson as male models caught in a ridiculous plot. The friendship between them is sweet, the comedy is cheerfully silly, and it understands that the best gags come from playing it completely straight.

But It's aggressively vapid by design. Some people find that exhausting rather than fun.

Tropic Thunder2008

A war-comedy heist about actors trying to make a movie. It's got a huge heart under the chaos, and Ben Stiller's performance as someone trying desperately to prove himself is genuinely moving between the jokes.

But It's very long and very loud. The energy can overwhelm the actual comedy if you're not in the mood for relentless noise.

The Cable Guy1996

Jim Carrey and Matthew Broderick in a dark comedy about friendship and obsession. It's weird and willing to let the comedy get uncomfortable. The friendship dynamic is almost as important as the laughs.

But It's darker and more cynical than Dirty Work, and the humour is weirder. Some people found it off-putting even at the time.

It's a Wonderful Life1946

Both films, at their core, are about guys who feel like failures realizing their lives have value through their friendships and their willingness to help others. One is a comedy, one is a drama, but the shape is identical.

George Bailey trying to save his town and his family. It sounds nothing like Dirty Work, but the emotional core is identical: a guy with nothing trying to help the people he loves, and discovering that his life meant something. Capra plays it sincere instead of wacky, but the structure is the same.

But It's a black-and-white melodrama from 1946. If you're looking for laughs and fast edits, this will feel impossibly slow and earnest. It requires patience and genuine sentiment.

The Righteous Gemstones2019

Same philosophy of character comedy: people are allowed to be ridiculous and broken at the same time. The show trusts you to find the humour in watching people who clearly love each other fail spectacularly at everything.

A sprawling comedy-drama about a dysfunctional family running a megachurch. It's got genuine chaos—people scheming, betraying each other, then somehow loving each other anyway. Danny McBride's tone is Norm-like in its weird commitment to not explaining itself.

But It's eight hours across two seasons, not eighty-two minutes. It's also increasingly dramatic and occasionally dark in ways Dirty Work isn't. The first season is messier and more fun than the second.