The Quarantine Stream: ‘So I Married An Axe Murderer’ Is Criminally Underrated
By Ethan Anderton/April 1, 2021 8:00 am EST
From the beat poetry of Bohemian culture and 1990s coffee shops to the obnoxiously Scottish father of Mike Myers’ character Charlie (also played by Myers, using a voice that would later be more easily identified as Fat Bastard in the Austin Powers franchise), Myers overhauled the original script and came up with something that was not only still sharp, but it was purely Mike Myers. And it’s not just Myers that stands out with big laughs. Anthony LaPaglia shines as Charlie’s best friend, a cop who is constantly dealing with his boss (Alan Arkin in an uncredited but prominent supporting role) trying to act like a tough captain from crime TV shows. And of course Nancy Travis does a fantastic job of being the alluring love interest who harbors a deadly secret. But like many Mike Myers movies, you’ll also love the bit parts played by the likes of comedy heavy-hitters like Charles Grodin, Phil Hartman, Michael Richards, and Steven Wright.
So I Married an Axe Murderer wasn’t a huge hit when it was released back in 1993, mostly because it didn’t deliver the kind of comedy that audiences had come to love Mike Myers for on Saturday Night Live. But nearly 30 years later, it stands as one of the best things Mike Myers has done, and if you’ve never given it a chance, now’s the time.
