I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

"Home Fries" (1998) is an offbeat romcom about a pregnant girl (Drew Barrymore) who has two National Guardsmen after her – one wants to romance her (Luke Wilson ) and the other wants to murder her (Jake Busey). The two guys are also brothers. The girl works at a hamburger joint and the brothers are concerned that she might know that they accidentally killed a man by scaring him to death via a military copter, prompted by their manipulative mother (Catherine O'Hara). The dead man just so happens to be the brothers' stepdad and also the guy who got the girl pregnant! As you can see, the plot's bizarre and so the movie should appeal to those with a taste for black humor and the outlandish. Drew's a cutie as always, but not as attractive as usual since she's pregnant the entire film. The story's isn't that compelling, but it's generally amusing, albeit rarely laugh-out-loud funny.The film runs 91 minutes and was shot in the Austin, TX, area (with some parts in El Paso).GRADE: C+

There's a cute visual introduction to Drew Barrymore's pregnant character in "Home Fries": shot from above, while walking to work, Barrymore's enlarged tummy leads the way. Unfortunately, "Fries" is an obtuse black comedy, which mistakes ridiculous behavior for the sublime. Drew's an unmarried fast-food waitress who is clumsily romanced by the stepson of the married man who got her in trouble. Subplot about the married schnook having been "scared to death" by his stepson and brother due to an elaborate prank contains practically no interest whatsoever, while Barrymore's character is kept unceremoniously behind the counter. It's a disastrous picture, full of inept writing and unsure directing, wasting the talents of its leading lady and some smart supporting players. As the love-interest, Luke Wilson registers zero; he's a constipated Prince Charming. NO STARS from ****

An excellent movie for those who understand and appreciate intelligent comedy. Do not be fooled by the erroneous "romantic comedy" label. It does contain comedy and romance but is not part of that silly sub-genre. Home Fries is one of those rare comedies in which actors aren't hindered by special effects, music swells, wild car chases, or cheesy dialog/ situations. The script is offbeat, energetic, and smart giving the actors something substantial to use.Luke Wilson finally crawled out from under the shadow of his brother, Owen, in this one. Wilson even executes a great fall (presumably on purpose) in one scene which throws some slapstick into an otherwise cerebral affair. Also, Drew Barrymore rises above her own reputation here. She's finally proved that she's capable of more than what we expect of her and that she doesn't need to ride the coattails of washed-up Saturday Night Live actors.Hollywood ran amok with the whole "romantic comedy starring Drew Barrymore" angle when this movie was promoted. This was a huge mistake that probably alienated many viewers who may really like this while disappointing the teeming masses who just wanted a sweet, predictable piece of light comedy for their date nights. This is pure dark comedy. I cannot give it the highest possible score because it does suffer a bit in spots. Namely, Gary Busey's kid is just not up to his role. Yeah, he's got funny teeth but that does not mean that he can play any comic role. His acting chops are just not up to the task of playing Wilson's brother. Of course probably no one but Luke's actual brother, Owen, is really up to that. But at least, as I mentioned, Luke gets his much-deserved chance to shine.Fans of Wes Anderson and Jim Jarmisch should take note of this movie.

This was a black comedy that unfolded over the first 30 minutes of the film, revealing one surprise relationship after another, until you realize that all the major characters are related in surprising ways. My daughter and I watched this together and laughed out loud quite a bit. Luke Wilson did a great job as the moony eyed helicopter pilot who falls for Drew's character. Drew did a good job as a confused but sweet pregnant girl who works at a burger joint in somewhere in small town America. Jake Busey looks a whole lot like his dad, and chewed a lot of furniture for this role, which was rather one dimensional. Catherine O'Hara is at her best playing this quirky mom. (during one funny scene, the older boy asks her if it's true that she liked the other son better..."I love you both, she says, but the difference is only this (puts her fingers an inch apart) much!LOL!!!) If you don't enjoy dark humor, this will not amuse you. It also had an ending that made us go "awww"...it was almost as if they weren't sure how to end this one, though. Overall, it wasn't a bad film.