Chairman of the Board (1998) 😵‍💫🏖☀️

“Work sucks… yeah, no kidding. This movie proves it.”


—

Let’s start by showing y’all the trailers shall we?

And immediately… IMMEDIATELY… you can feel it.

This isn’t just a bad movie.

This is the kind of movie where the trailer feels like it’s trying to warn you, like:

> “Hey… maybe don’t.”




—

🧾 Non-Spoiler Plot Overview

We open up with a baby who doesn’t look like he wants to be there, while wearing a big orange wig f

We follow Edison (Carrot Top), a surfer dude / inventor / walking noise complaint who somehow befriends a rich CEO and—because the script says so—ends up inheriting an entire corporation.

That’s the movie.

That’s the premise.

And let me be clear:

This movie didn’t bomb. It nuked.

Not “oh it underperformed.”

No.

This is cinematic ground zero.

This movie wasn’t just a box office bomb, but it was a box office nuclear bomb. This film debuted on the charts in too 30 in its opening weekend, yes top 30th. Jeepers, but it doesnt end therr


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🎭 Character Rundown

Edison (Carrot Top)

Alright… no offense, but I gotta say it:

What kind of name is Carrot Top?

Second—this man is NOT an actor.

He’s a prop comic.

And that right there is the movie’s biggest problem.

Because when your lead is a prop comic, the script has to bend over backwards to accommodate:

> “Okay, what random object is he gonna use next?”



So instead of:

story

character

actual jokes


You get:

prop

reaction

repeat


It’s like the movie is constantly going:

> “LOOK! OBJECT! LAUGH!”



And Edison as a character?

Insufferable.

Not lovable.
Not charming.
Not even “so dumb it’s funny.”

Just… exhausting.

And the worst part?

He makes everyone around him worse.

Every scene he’s in, you can feel the energy drop. Every character interacting with him feels like they’re losing brain cells in real time.


—

The CEO (Jack Warden)

This man meets Edison for what feels like half a day and decides:

> “Yep. This is the guy I trust with my entire company.”



WHY???

You built a multi-million dollar corporation and your succession plan is:

> “Beach guy with gadgets.”



And that surfing scene??

Oh my God.

That is NOT him.

That stunt double looks like:

different body

different posture

completely different human being


And the wig doesn’t even match.

It’s like the movie just went:

> “Eh, close enough.”




—

Natalie (Courtney Thorne-Smith)

You can FEEL it through the screen:

She does NOT want to be in this movie.

And that’s not even speculation:

she refuses to watch it

she knew it was bad while filming

she only promoted it because she had to


And honestly?

Respect.

Even in scenes, she looks like she’s thinking:

> “I have made a mistake.”




—

The Villain (Larry Miller)

The ONLY person in this movie with a functioning brain.

He’s greedy. He wants money. He wants control.

…so basically a normal corporate executive.

And the movie tries to frame him as the bad guy, but meanwhile you’re watching Edison turn the company into a beach party daycare and thinking:

> “Yeah no… I’m siding with the villain.”



At least he knows how a business works.


—

⏱️ Pacing / Episode Flow

This movie doesn’t flow.

It stumbles, trips, and falls down a staircase repeatedly.

Every time the plot tries to move forward:

> “WAIT—PROP BIT!”



And now we’re stuck.

Again.


—

✅ Pros

The villain is actually coherent

A couple moments almost resemble jokes

It ends (blessedly)



—

❌ Cons

The premise is dead on arrival

No one asked for:

> “Prop comic becomes CEO.”



And after this movie?

We never got another one.

You wanna know why?

Because THIS is what happens when you try.


—

The writing is broken at its core

When your script revolves around props, you don’t have a story.

You have a collection of bits stitched together like a Frankenstein monster.


—

The humor doesn’t exist

This isn’t just unfunny.

This is the kind of unfunny where you start questioning if humor itself was a mistake.


—

The tagline… oh my God the tagline

The poster says:

> “Work sucks.”



…that’s it.

That’s the tagline.

WOW.

REALLY???

That’s the best you could come up with??

That’s not a tagline—that’s something someone says on a Monday morning.

Congratulations, movie. You’ve discovered the most basic human thought imaginable.


—

The inventions subplot

Edison invests in lower-level employees to create inventions.

Sounds like a good idea.

Execution?

Absolute nonsense.

And the movie treats it like innovation instead of:

> “This company is going bankrupt in 3… 2… 1…”




—

The TV pitch scene

This one is INSANE.

He says:

> “It only costs $22.49 more than a regular TV.”



WHERE DID YOU GET THAT NUMBER???

What are the production costs?
What’s the margin??

And the movie just goes:

> “We’ll make it back in volume!”



NO.

THAT IS NOT HOW BUSINESS WORKS.


—

Luau Wednesday 🤦‍♂️

Workers are on strike.

They want:

better pay

better conditions


Edison’s solution?

> “Peanut coladas! Beach party!”



OH GREAT.

I’m sure unions everywhere are like:

> “Why didn’t we think of that??”




—

The romance subplot

He “wins a date” with Natalie.

And it’s painfully obvious:

She does not want to be there.

The character doesn’t.
The actress definitely doesn’t.

It’s not romance—it’s discomfort.

You can tell this film.isnt just Carrot Tops first, but its everyone’s first. The directors, the editors need to be stopped, i mean theres a scene where Edison is auto driving his car while hes looking at jobs on newspaper.

And a car comes swerving around Edison and the guy says watch whwre ur going, but the issue is u can tell they had no budget for any that so what u get is Edison driving down an empty road and a random stock image of a car thr camera focuses on and they put swerving noise in post production then added a voice over saying watch where ur going.

They had no budget to have 2 cars on the same scene? R


—

🎤 The Conan / Norm Macdonald Roast (AKA The Movie’s Real Legacy)

Let’s be honest.

This movie is not remembered for its story.

It’s remembered because Norm Macdonald went on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and absolutely destroyed it.

Conan brings it up, and Norm goes:

> “More like Chairman of the Bored.”



And the audience LOSES it.

And then he keeps going, just calmly roasting it into the ground like it personally wronged him.

And that moment?

Did more for this movie’s legacy than the movie itself ever did.

Because this didn’t just flop…

It became a joke.

Forever.


—

The tone

For a comedy, this movie demands WAY too much suspension of disbelief.

Every scene feels like:

> “No human being would act like this.”




—

🎬 Final Thoughts

This is Hollywood trying to find:

> “The next Jim Carrey”



But completely misunderstanding WHY Jim Carrey works.

Jim Carrey:

commits to characters

builds humor through performance

has actual acting range


This movie went:

> “Loud + weird = same thing.”



And no.

No it does not.


—

⭐ Rating

0/10

This isn’t just bad.

This is the kind of bad that kills the idea of ever trying this again.

You wanna know why we never got another prop comic-led movie like this?

Because this one made sure we wouldn’t.


—

⚠️ Spoiler Warning

Alright.

Time to fully lose our sanity.


—

🚨 Spoilers (Full Rant Breakdown)

So the movie starts with Edison being… Edison.

Loud, annoying, bouncing around like a human cartoon soundboard.

And right away you realize:

> “Oh… this is gonna be a long hour and a half.”



Then he meets the CEO.

And this is where logic dies.

They spend what feels like ONE DAY together, and suddenly this man is like:

> “Yes. This random surfer man-child should inherit my entire empire.”



No background check.
No business sense.
No reasoning.

Just vibes.


—

Then we get that surfing scene, which is supposed to be heartfelt…

…but instead turns into:

> “Spot the completely different human being pretending to be the CEO.”



That stunt double doesn’t even TRY to look like him.


—

Then the CEO dies.

And boom.

Edison is now CEO.

Just like that.

No board approval.
No legal complications.
Nothing.

He just walks in like:

> “Sup. I run everything now.”




—

And from here?

The movie becomes a masterclass in how to destroy a company.


—

There’s a workers’ strike happening.

REAL issues.

REAL concerns.

Edison’s solution?

> “Luau Wednesday!”



Peanut coladas. Music. Beach vibes.

Because apparently labor disputes can be solved with party decorations.


—

Then he invests in employee inventions.

And what do they come up with?

Absolute nonsense.

And the movie treats this like he’s revolutionizing the industry instead of actively sinking the company.


—

Then comes the TV pitch scene.

And I swear this scene feels like it was written by someone who has NEVER heard of money.

> “It only costs $22.49 more than a regular TV!”



WHY that number???

And when the logical response should be:

> “How much did this cost to develop?”



The movie goes:

> “We’ll make it back in volume.”



NO.

That is NOT how business works.

That is how you go bankrupt.


—

Meanwhile, the villain is trying to run the company like… a company.

And the movie treats him like the bad guy.

But at this point, you’re sitting there like:

> “Yeah no, he’s the only one making sense.”




—

Then there’s the romance.

He “wins” a date.

And it’s one of the most uncomfortable things ever because she clearly does not want to be there.

It feels less like romance and more like:

> “Please end this scene.”




—

And then we hit the ending.

Oh. My. God.

Edison realizes he shouldn’t be CEO (FINALLY) and decides:

> “I’m stepping down.”



Cool.

Makes sense.

BUT THEN—

The board goes:

> “But who will run the company???”



EXCUSE ME???

You’re telling me a room full of senior executives is just sitting there like:

> “Guess we’re helpless!”



NO.

They would be fighting for that position instantly.

But instead…

Edison goes:

> “I can’t think of anyone better…”



…and hands it off.

JUST LIKE THAT.

No qualifications.
No discussion.
No logic.


—

And that’s the movie.

A nonstop parade of terrible decisions, broken logic, and chaos.


—

This is the kind of movie that doesn’t just fail…

It dares you not to rant about it.

Because if you don’t?

You might actually lose your sanity trying to make sense of it.


—

And honestly?

Norm Macdonald said it best:

> “Chairman of the Bored.”



Yeah.

That’s not just a joke.

That’s a warning.