Film

The Kentucky Fried Movie

Name: The Kentucky Fried Movie
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1977
Cast: Evan C. Kim, Bong Soo Han, Agneta Eckemyr, Marilyn Joi, Marcy Goldman

Parody
Light-hearted
Strange
Relentless
Dip in and out

A 1977 sketch comedy film that riffs on everything: kung-fu movies, disaster films, blaxploitation, spy thrillers, commercials, and the paranoia of being watched. Absurdist, rapid-fire, mostly ridiculous, occasionally brilliant. It's chaos held together by genuine craft and a refusal to land on any joke long enough for it to feel safe. For people who love when comedy goes feral.

TMDb rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy sketch comedy that jumps genres mid-breath, where a bad kung-fu movie or a fake commercial gets gleefully deflated, and a hit-or-miss rhythm feels like channel-surfing with friends.

Skip it if you need a through-line or characters to care about, since these are unconnected blackout bits, and many land flat or lean on crude, dated gags.

What it asks of you: Eighty-odd minutes in short bursts, with no sustained story to settle into; you keep attention up, shrug off the misses, and expect the next bit to arrive fast.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Airplane!1980

Same DNA of rapid-fire absurdist gags and genre spoofing, but more sharply focused on disaster films. Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker proved the sketch-comedy-as-feature model could hit mainstream and stay hilarious.

But Relies heavily on '70s pop-culture references that don't land the same way now, and the pace occasionally feels like it's trying too hard to earn the next laugh.

What's Up, Doc?1972

Madcap energy, absurd situations spiraling into beautiful chaos, and a cast committed to the bit. Bogdanovich proved you could build a whole film on the logic of cartoons and old comedies.

But The screwball style is so heightened it can feel theatrical rather than felt. Some gags lean on slapstick that won't click if you're not in the mood.

Amazon Women on the Moon1987

Direct descendant of Kentucky Fried Movie—also made by Zucker-Abrahams—spoofing sci-fi, B-movies, and TV culture with the same affectionate chaos. A time capsule of late-80s comedy sensibility.

But Even more scattered and uneven than the original. Some sketches genuinely bomb, and the pacing can feel slack between the good bits.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Kentucky Fried Movie

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Monty Python's Flying Circus1969

Both treat the sketch as a form unto itself rather than a delivery mechanism for punchlines. Each bit is its own world with its own logic, indifferent to whether you're following a thread.

British sketch comedy with the same anarchist impulse, but working in shorter bits on television. Absurdist, surreal, unafraid to break its own format. The connection is philosophical—both films reject linear logic in favor of pure comedic momentum.

But British sensibility and pacing. Some sketches end before you realize they've started; others overstay their welcome. Dry delivery can read as listless if you're expecting American energy.

The Groove Tube1974

Pioneering sketch film about fake TV shows and commercials. Anarchic, fearless, and often brilliant—essentially the direct predecessor to Kentucky Fried Movie's approach.

But The comedy is very much of the moment and doesn't always translate. Lower production values and a rougher technical execution than later sketch films.

Mad Max: Fury Road2015

Not a comedy, but the same maximalist philosophy: every frame packed with detail, constant motion, no time to breathe. Proves you can build something operatic on relentless momentum.

But Two hours of vehicular combat with minimal plot. If you need character development or quiet moments, this will exhaust you rather than exhilarate you.

Caddyshack1980

Improvisational, character-driven sketch-comedy structure masquerading as a golf film. Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Rodney Dangerfield riffing on archetypes. Messier than it should be and better for it.

But The plot barely exists, and some of the humor leans on dated stereotypes. Murray's scenes can overshadow everything else, which is wonderful or annoying depending on your tolerance.

Rock of Ages2012

Tonally all over the place—earnest, absurd, glitzy, ridiculous in equal measure. A film that refuses to commit to one joke or genre the way Kentucky Fried Movie refuses to commit to coherence.

But The tonal whiplash is genuine. It's simultaneously sincere and self-aware, which confuses the emotional stakes and can feel exhausting rather than fun.

Animal House1978

Contemporary sketch-comedy energy applied to a college-movie structure. Chaotic, character-focused, often hilarious, designed around comedy bits that could live or die on their own.

But Genuinely ugly in places—the treatment of women is prehistoric by any standard. The nostalgia can overshadow whether the jokes actually work.

The Internship2013

Odd-couple structure applied to a Google comedy. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson riffing, escalating situations, willingness to be dumb. Lighter and more good-natured than Kentucky Fried Movie, but the same comedic metabolism.

But Corporate-friendly comedy that plays it safe. The jokes rarely have teeth, and the whole thing feels like an extended commercial for Google with laughs on the side.

Repo Man1984

Both films mount a sustained assault on conventional storytelling by treating comedy as a form of anarchy. Not jokes—just the refusal to behave normally, frame after frame.

Alex Cox's punk-rock art film about repo men and alien conspiracies. Fractured narrative, absurdist logic, genre mashups, and a refusal to explain itself or apologize. Radical comedy that doesn't announce itself as comedy.

But Deliberately obscure, visually flat by design, and the humor is so deadpan and weird it barely registers as humor at all. Requires patience and a taste for 1980s underground aesthetics.

The Holy Mountain1973

Both films treat the viewer like they're smart enough to keep up with chaos. No exposition, no apologies, no attempt to guide you through logically. Pure sensory overload as the point itself.

Jodorowsky's surrealist masterpiece, crammed with grotesque imagery, absurdist spectacle, and a logic that belongs entirely to itself. Not a comedy, but the same commitment to visual madness and refusal to apologize for weirdness.

But Genuinely disturbing, slow-paced, and completely unmarketable. It's three hours of transgressive imagery in service of something genuinely cryptic. Comedy audiences will find it baffling; art audiences may find it pretentious.