My 100 Worst Movies of the 90's - 26 - It's Pat (1994)

It's Pat (1994; Touchstone Pictures)

Speaking of films that are uncomfortable, It’s Pat! (See what I did there?)  So, you know those movies based on SNL sketches where you can’t figure out how they got a full two hours out of this material?  Well, It’s Pat isn’t one of those because it’s only 77 minutes.  Also, I found on IMDB this film is “Rated PG-13 for bizarre gender-related humor”, I wonder how many other films have that reason behind their MPAA rating?  This film also ranks on IMDB’s bottom 100 (OF ALL TIME) at #93 at the time I’m writing this.

For those who do not know who Pat is, “it” is a character created in the 80’s on SNL (during one of the series weaker periods) and acted by cast member Julia Sweeny, who also plays Pat in the film.  The whole joke behind the sketches was that the characters would spend the whole two or three minute skit trying to determine the gender of the androgynous Pat through a series of leading questions and double entendre.  I still can’t figure out who thought that would work for a whole movie.

The film focuses on two primary plot points (if you want to call them plot points). The first is that of Pat’s romance with Chris, an equally-androgynous he/she played by Dave Foley.  People spend the film trying to figure out which one is which in the seemingly heterosexual (?) relationship.  The second plot point is focused on Pat’s neighbor who becomes obsessed with uncovering Pat’s gender to the point where it drives him mad.  

I’m really at a loss.  This movie is a 77 minute sketch starring a character that was never all that funny to begin with.  On top of that, Sweeny is just awful.  For some reason she chose to play this character with a nerdy nasal voice (on TV and in the film) and it is unbearable.  It’s bad enough sitting through a few minutes of it, but an hour!  UGH!  Other than that, this film relies heavy on the SNL film mainstays like cameos (the worst kind, the ones where the film announces who they are so the younger viewers will know) and other former cast members in bit parts.  The film was directed by Adam Bernstein who would go on to direct the outstanding TV series Breaking Bad.  He did great there, but I blame this more on material and a very, very bad performance by Julia Sweeny.