My Five Wives

Rodney Dangerfield used to be funny, right? What happened? The best one can say about his latest project -- released by Artisan, of all studios -- is that it isn't actively pain-inducing like his last one, Meet Wally Sparks. It's a measure of how clueless this film is that it not only confuses the Mormons with the Amish, but also conveniently ignores both faiths' prohibitions against caffeine and gambling. Dangerfield plays Monty Peterson, a real estate developer (jokes about "erecting" buildings follow, naturally), who moves to Utah in hopes of building a ski lodge, and winds up in a Mormon/Amish-type community, where he "inherits" five gorgeous wives (Wonder bras and makeup are apparently not forbidden either). Before long, the mob becomes involved (don't ask how), as does a ball-busting radical feminist (Molly Shannon) named "Dr. Van Dyke" (get it?). Along the way, we get to see Rodney in a thong, and hear the umpteenth unfunny variations on his "no respect" routine ("We were so poor, when my father died, they asked my mother 'Paper or plastic?'"). There's even a gag about slipping on a banana peel. Rodney seems like a nice guy, and you really want to root for him, especially given the genuine humor of some of his earlier films. But he makes it very difficult: When even Andrew Dice Clay seems to be embarrassed by his role in this movie, that should tell you something.