The core problem of this movie

This movie has of course multiple problems. I can't see why anyone would even tolerate it, let alone like it, let alone want it to have a 'cult following' or sequel (are you people nuts?).

It has bad acting, slow pacing, bad musics, prolonged scenes, and the whole plot with all of its details is so ridiculous and nonsensical that it boggles the mind how this movie ever got made.

One detail in particular that I'd like to mention, is that

-- and this will be very difficult to understand for you youngsters out there, who have never used cassette tapes --

..cassette tapes can be two-sided. They can also be 90-minute ones, and they can be fast forwarded or rewinded to any position in that 90-minute duration.

And they're TWO-SIDED. There are two sides. You can put a cassette tape into a cassette player two different ways. Side A or Side B. The cassette can also contain 90 minutes of audio of any kind.

If you keep these facts in mind while watching this movie, you are bound to also feel some pain when watching how people in this movie deduce VERY quickly that they have the 'wrong tape', when it's just as possible that they have the wrong side, OR that the tape just isn't fast forwarded/rewinded to the correct spot (it could be before or after the 'important part').

They would have to listen to BOTH sides fully, and possibly the full 90 minutes, before they could actually make any judgment as to whether the tape is the correct or the wrong one.

Now, the owner of the original tape might know that the tape is fully empty before recording, and thus hearing some music instead of what he recorded, might cause him to become alarmed immediately. That's plausible.

But how does the 'suit boss' know, without listening to ALL of it, whether it's the right or the wrong tape? Does he just expect it to be in the right position, and why doesn't he AT LEAST try both sides, at least a few minutes both directions on both sides?

It makes absolutely no sense. And it's not the only thing that doesn't make any sense about this movie.

The characters are not sympathetic at all. The trashmen are obnoxious, childish pranksters and drunkards, who like to do their job badly and disturbingly to the residents, causing unnecessary noise and BOWLING (!) with the trash? What the .. how are we supposed to feel sympathetic towards them?

Also, it's cliché-ridden. Why, oh why, did we have to see the 'angry black boss chews the protagonist but gives them one more chance'-scene? How many times do we have to see this? Heck, even the movie 'Last Action Hero' made fun of this movie trope. And still, it's used seriously here. Why?

In my opinion, it's also a good idea to never use feces in a movie. It doesn't exactly elevate the movie towards sophistication, it doesn't add anything useful, meaningful or fun, and it's just disgusting to look and think about. And this kind of gag is used twice, eww.

The whole 'Weekend at Bernie's' gag was so unbelievable that I doubt anyone's suspend of disbelief can be stretched far enough to make it seem plausible.

The dialogue is corny and unnatural, and frankly, boring.

The core problem, though, is that this movie is in a coma.

It is completely void of energy. There's no life, there's no spark.

Lifeless. Listless. Snail-paced. Boring. Soulless.

There's nothing to make you keep watching and want to see more.

Every single one of the scenes (all of which are boring and slow-paced, except a couple of brief action scenes - but even they are completely non-interesting and lacking of energy) could have been done with lots of energy, making them interesting. Even with the same, awful dialogue.

There's no passion. There's no enthusiasm. There's no deeply convincing acting performances. No one seems to mean what they say for the most part. Phoning it in. Lazy. Just doing it for money.

This movie is so tired, it's almost dead. We're watching paint dry and grass grow.

Even the slightly more interesting character, the shell-shocked, angry vietnam vet, can't bring much life to the movie. It's like the director deliberately wanted every scene to be even more boring than it would otherwise have been.

I can imagine him yelling "cut!" and coming to the actors, saying, "no, no, no... I want less energy, be more tired and talk more slowly and try to keep any enthusiasm off-camera! Now, let's try it again - remember, more lackluster. More listless. Action."

Also, plots with 'MacGuffins' (the tape in this case) that everyone must chase during the movie, are just incredibly lazy. I didn't like that kind of plot in Back to the Future Part II, and I certainly don't like it here. Tape this, tape that, yawn. Might as well be a Gray's Sports Almanac.

(to be continued.. moviechat has limitations that IMDb never had - so I have to slice my posts to parts, now.. sigh.)