Out on a Limb (1992 film)

Out on a Limb is a 1992 comedy film written by Joshua and Daniel Goldin and directed by Francis Veber. It stars Matthew Broderick, Jeffrey Jones, Heidi Kling, Courtney Peldon, Michael Monks, and John C. Reilly.

The film was released by Universal Pictures on September 4, 1992. This was the first movie that Broderick and Jones starred in together since Ferris Bueller's Day Off was released six years earlier.

Plot
The story is set within the framing device of Marci describing her wacky summer vacation to her elementary school class.

Marci believed she saw her stepfather, Mayor Van Der Haven murdered by his twin brother Matt Skearns, who then comically attempts to impersonate the missing mayor.

She calls her older brother, successful young businessman Bill Campbel to return to their hometown of Buzzsaw and help expose the crime.

On Bill's way to Buzzsaw, his car, clothes, and wallet are stolen by a woman named Sally and he is forced to hitchhike home naked, where he is picked up by two drunken brothers—both named Jim. The wallet contains an important phone number that Campbell must recover, so he seeks Sally while avoiding the diabolical Skearns, who is looking for financial compensation after spending 15 years in prison for a crime committed by his twin brother.

The film ends with Skearns dropping his glasses and accidentally driving off a cliff to his death. Bill, who has fallen in love with Sally, stays with her in Buzzsaw, planning to run for mayor.

Cast

 * Matthew Broderick as Bill Campbell
 * Jeffrey Jones as Matt Skearns / Peter Van Der Haven
 * Heidi Kling as Sally
 * John C. Reilly as Jim Jr.
 * Marian Mercer as Ann Campbell Van Der Haven
 * Larry Hankin as Officer Darren
 * David Margulies as Mr. Buchenwald
 * Courtney Peldon as Marci Campbell
 * Michael Monks as Jim Sr.
 * Andrew Benne as Officer Larry
 * Mickey Jones as Virgil
 * Nancy Lenehan as Miss Clayton
 * Noah Craig Andrews as Julius
 * Benjamin Diskin as Henry
 * Adam Wylie as Bob

Reception
The film was described by the Los Angeles Times as a "numbskull comedy," in an article that summarized the plot as "a nonstop series of increasingly unfunny slapstick incidents".

Out on a Limb holds a 20% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on five reviews.