Editing A Night at the Roxbury

{{short description|1998 film by John Fortenberry}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = A Night at the Roxbury
| image          = a_night_at_the_roxbury.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[John Fortenberry]]
| producer       = [[Lorne Michaels]]<br />[[Amy Heckerling]]
| writer         = [[Will Ferrell]]<br />[[Chris Kattan]]<br />[[Steve Koren]]
| screenplay     = 
| story          = 
| based_on       = 
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* Will Ferrell
* Chris Kattan
* [[Dan Hedaya]]
* [[Molly Shannon]]
* [[Richard Grieco]]}}
| narrator       = 
| music          = [[David Kitay]]
| cinematography = [[Francis Kenny]]
| editing        = Jay Kamen
| studio         = [[SNL Studios]]
| distributor    = [[Paramount Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1998|10|02}}
| runtime        = 82 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 81:49--><ref>{{cite web | url=http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/night-roxbury-1970-2 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904025852/http://bbfc.co.uk/releases/night-roxbury-1970-2 | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 4, 2014 | title=''A NIGHT AT THE ROXBURY'' (15) | work=[[United International Pictures]] | publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=January 7, 1999 | access-date=August 27, 2014}}</ref>
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $17 million
| gross          = $30.3 million<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.saturday-night-live.com/snl/news/1999/october/studios_see_green.html |title='LA Times'&nbsp;– Studios See $$ in Less-Than-Worthy 'SNL' Film Spinoffs<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060509095136/http://www.saturday-night-live.com/snl/news/1999/october/studios_see_green.html |archive-date=May 9, 2006 |df=mdy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=nightattheroxbury.htm |title=A Night at the Roxbury (1998) – Box Office Mojo |website=BoxOfficeMojo.com |date=1998-11-13 |access-date=2014-03-07}}</ref>
}}
'''''A Night at the Roxbury''''' is a 1998 American [[comedy film]] based on a recurring sketch on [[television]]'s long-running ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' called "[[The Roxbury Guys]]". ''Saturday Night Live'' regulars [[Will Ferrell]], [[Chris Kattan]], [[Molly Shannon]], [[Mark McKinney]], and [[Colin Quinn]] star. This film expands on the original ''Saturday Night Live'' sketches where the Roxbury Guys were joined by that week's host, and bobbed their heads to [[Haddaway]]'s hit song "[[What Is Love]]" while being comically rejected by women at various clubs.

Other roles include [[Jennifer Coolidge]] as a police officer, [[Chazz Palminteri]]'s uncredited role as gregarious night club impresario Mr. Benny Zadir, and [[Colin Quinn]] as his bodyguard Dooey. Former ''SNL'' cast member [[Mark McKinney]] has a cameo as a priest officiating a wedding.

==Plot==
Steve and Doug Butabi are sons of a wealthy businessman and in their spare time enjoy frequenting nightclubs, where they bob their heads in unison to [[Eurodance]], a [[Europe]]an subgenre of [[electronic dance music]], and fail miserably at picking up women. Their goal is to party at the Roxbury, a fabled [[Los Angeles]] [[nightclub]] where they are continually denied entry by a hulking bouncer.

By day, the brothers work at an [[artificial plant]] store owned by their wealthy father, Kamehl. They spend most of their time goofing off, daydreaming about opening a club as cool as the Roxbury together, with Doug using credit card transactions as an excuse to flirt with a card approval associate via telephone that he calls "Credit Vixen." The store shares a wall with a lighting emporium owned by Fred Sanderson. Mr. Butabi and Mr. Sanderson hope that Steve and Emily, Sanderson's daughter, will marry, uniting the families and the businesses to form the first plant-lamp emporium.

After a day at the beach, the brothers decide that night was to be the night they would finally get into the Roxbury. Returning home, Doug gets into a heated argument with their father about going out clubbing instead of staying home for a dinner party with Emily and her parents. The angered Mr. Butabi then refuses them access to their [[BMW 3 Series (E36)|BMW]] and their cell phones. When the brothers leave anyway, they are given [[Motorola DynaTAC|enormous, embarrassingly outdated cell phones]] by their more sympathetic mother, Barbara, and allowed use of the plant store's [[Ford E-Series#Third generation (1975–1991)|Ford Econoline]] delivery van. The brothers go to the Roxbury, but when they are asked their names, they're once again told they are not on the list and are denied entry.

After discovering that they might bribe their way into the club - and after realizing the $8.25 with which they initially attempted to bribe the bouncer was insufficient - the brothers drive around looking for an ATM slamming on the brakes again and again while in traffic causing them to get into a fender-bender with [[Richard Grieco]]. Grieco explains to the girl with him in the passenger seat that his [[Ferrari Testarossa|Ferrari]] is a racing car and therefore illegal. To avoid a lawsuit, Grieco uses his fame to get them into the popular club. There, they meet the owner of the Roxbury, Benny Zadir, who listens to their idea for their own nightclub. He likes them and sets up a meeting with them for the next day. The brothers also meet a pair of women at the Roxbury: Vivica and Cambi, who see them talking to Zadir and think that the brothers are rich. The women later [[Gold digger|sleep with Doug and Steve]], leading the brothers to think they are in serious relationships.

On the way to the after-party at Mr. Zadir's house, the brothers annoy his driver and bodyguard Dooey by making him stop to buy [[Whipped cream|fluffy whip]] and making jokes about sleeping with his parents. As revenge, the next day, Dooey refuses them entry into Zadir's office for their meeting. He tells the brothers that Zadir was drunk out of his mind last night and does not know who they are. In reality, Zadir wanted to see them, but does not have their contact information.

Vivica and Cambi break up with the Butabi brothers after realizing they are not actually wealthy. Afterwards, the brothers argue over who is at fault for their sudden misfortune and Doug moves out of their shared bedroom and into the guest house. Meanwhile, Steve is forced into an engagement with Emily by his father. The wedding is held in the backyard of the Butabi residence, but is interrupted by Doug. The brothers reconcile and leave, but their friend and personal trainer Craig, reveals his feelings for Emily, and marries her instead. Afterwards, Grieco consoles Mr. Butabi and helps him understand that Steve was not ready for marriage, and that Mr. Butabi is too hard on Doug.

After the Butabi brothers reconcile with their father and Doug moves back into their bedroom, the film ends as the brothers happen upon a hot new club. The building is unique in that the exterior is constructed to resemble the interior of a nightclub, and the interior resembles a street; this was an idea pitched by Doug and Steve to Zadir earlier in the film. Attempting to enter, they're asked their names and much to their surprise are told they are on the list. They walk into the club where they find Zadir and Zadir reveals that to reward their idea, he has made them part-owners of the club. Their new-found success comes full circle when they meet two women in the club: Doug's phone operator from the credit card company ("Credit Vixen") and a police officer with whom Steve flirted while getting a ticket, both of whom enthusiastically accept the brothers' offer to dance.

==Cast==
{{div col begin}}
* [[Will Ferrell]] as Steve Butabi
* [[Chris Kattan]] as Doug Butabi
* [[Loni Anderson]] as Barbara Butabi
* [[Dan Hedaya]] as Kamehl Butabi
* [[Molly Shannon]] as Emily Sanderson
* [[Dwayne Hickman]] as Fred Sanderson
* [[Maree Cheatham]] as Mabel Sanderson
* [[Lochlyn Munro]] as Craig
* [[Richard Grieco]] as himself
* [[Kristen Dalton (actress)|Kristen Dalton]] as Grieco's lady
* [[Jennifer Coolidge]] as Hottie Police Officer
* [[Meredith Scott Lynn]] as Credit Vixen
* [[Gigi Rice]] as Vivica
* [[Elisa Donovan]] as Cambi
* [[Michael Clarke Duncan]] as Roxbury bouncer
* [[Colin Quinn]] as Dooey
* [[Twink Caplan]] as Crying flower customer
* [[Eva Mendes]] as Bridesmaid
* [[Mark McKinney]] as Father Williams
* [[Chazz Palminteri]] as Mr. Benny Zadir
* [[Joe Ranft]] as the hottie dancer
* [[Agata Gotova]] as Waitress
{{div col end}}

==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name         = A Night at the Roxbury: Music from the Motion Picture<ref>{{cite web|title=Various—A Night At The Roxbury (Music from the Motion Picture)|url=http://www.discogs.com/Various-A-Night-At-The-Roxbury-Music-From-The-Motion-Picture/release/1049519|website=Discogs|date=1998 |access-date=30 January 2012}}</ref> 
| type         = soundtrack
| artist       = Various Artists
| cover        = 
| alt          = 
| released     = September 29, 1998
| recorded     = 
| venue        = 
| studio       = 
| genre        = [[Eurodance]], [[dance-pop]], [[House music|house]], [[synth-pop]], [[disco]]
| length       = 60:40
| label        = [[DreamWorks Records|DreamWorks]]
| producer     = [[David Kitay]]
| prev_title   = 
| prev_year    = 
| next_title   = 
| next_year    = 
}}

{{Track listing
|extra_column=Artist(s)
| title1 = [[What Is Love (Haddaway song)|What Is Love]]| extra1 = [[Haddaway]] | length1 = 3:53
| title2 = [[Bamboogie]] | note2 = Radio Edit | extra2 = Bamboo | length2 = 3:15
| title3 = Make That Money | note3 = Roxbury Remix | extra3 = [[Robert Clivillés|Robi Rob's Clubworld]] | length3 = 3:51
| title4 = [[Disco Inferno#Cyndi Lauper version|Disco Inferno]] | extra4 = [[Cyndi Lauper]] | length4 = 3:18
| title5 = [[Do Ya Think I'm Sexy]] | extra5 = [[N-Trance]] featuring [[Rod Stewart]] | length5 = 3:25
| title6 = [[Pop Muzik]] | extra6 = [[3rd Party]] | length6 = 3:05
| title7 = [[Insomnia (Faithless song)|Insomnia]] | note7 = Monster Mix | extra7 = [[Faithless]] | length7 = 6:45
| title8 = [[Be My Lover (La Bouche song)|Be My Lover]] | note8 = Club Mix | extra8 = [[La Bouche]] | length8 = 5:35
| title9 = [[This Is Your Night (song)|This Is Your Night]] | extra9 = [[Amber (performer)|Amber]] | length9 = 3:52
| title10 = [[Beautiful Life (Ace of Base song)|Beautiful Life]] | extra10 = [[Ace of Base]] | length10 = 3:11
| title11 = [[Where Do You Go (No Mercy song)|Where Do You Go]] | note11 = Ocean Drive Mix | extra11 = [[No Mercy (pop band)|No Mercy]] | length11 = 7:21
| title12 = [[A Little Bit of Ecstasy]] | extra12 = [[Jocelyn Enriquez]] | length12 = 3:59
| title13 = What Is Love | note13 = Refreshmento Extro Radio Mix | extra13 = Haddaway
| title14 = [[Careless Whisper]] | extra14 = [[Tamia]] | length14 = 5:27                                                                                                 }}

===Certifications===
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Canada|artist=Various Artists|title=A Night at the Roxbury - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack|award=Platinum|relyear=1998|certyear=2000|access-date=December 20, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Soundtrack|title=A Night at the Roxbury|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1998|certyear=2000|access-date=December 20, 2022}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

==Production==
Based on the sketch known as ''The Roxbury Guys'', [[Amy Heckerling]] was a fan and asked co-creator [[Steve Koren]] to write a film script based on it. His original draft was described as being similar to ''[[Saturday Night Fever]]'', but Heckerling was unimpressed as she considered the characters to be from Los Angeles and the sons of an immigrant who was disappointed in their lifestyle. Several jokes ended up on the cutting room floor including a gag where the Butabi brothers meet a [[Cocaine|coke]] dealer in the bathroom who offers them the substance by calling it different names. After finally breaking down and telling them what it is he is selling, the brothers were to respond by saying that they do not do drugs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cracked.com/article_44383_how-snls-a-night-at-the-roxbury-guys-made-it-to-the-big-screen.html|title=How 'SNL's 'A Night at the Roxbury' Guys Made It to the Big Screen|website=Cracked|last=VanHooker|first=Brian|date=November 14, 2024|access-date=November 14, 2024}}</ref>

In May 2019, Kattan claimed in his memoir that he was pressured by producer [[Lorne Michaels]] to have sex with [[Amy Heckerling]] so she would direct the film (although she ultimately only produced, rather than directed it). This incident ultimately ended his friendship with Ferrell.<ref name="abuse">{{Cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/chris-kattans-got-a-disturbing-story-about-lorne-michae-1835065317 |title=Chris Kattan's Got a Disturbing Story About Lorne Michaels and ''A Night at the Roxbury'' |last=Neilan |first=Dan |date=May 29, 2019 |website=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref>

The Roxbury was indeed a real Los Angeles-area nightclub, located in [[West Hollywood]] on the [[Sunset Strip]]. It was a popular celebrity haunt in the mid-1990s; however, it closed in 1997, before the release of the movie.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iamnotastalker.com/2012/04/02/the-former-site-of-the-roxbury/ | title=The Former Site of the Roxbury | date=April 2, 2012 }}</ref> The exterior shots used to represent The Roxbury in the movie are actually those of a club formerly known as [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard Live]];<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.seeing-stars.com/Onstage/KeyClub.shtml | title=The Key Club }}</ref> ironically, Billboard Live is also the setting of the movie's first scene. The [[Mayan Theater]] in [[downtown Los Angeles]] served as the Roxbury's interior in the film.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120770/locations/ | title=A Night at the Roxbury (1998) - Filming & production - IMDb | website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref>

The original real-life Roxbury location later became a taco restaurant,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.audacy.com/knxnews/news/local/west-hollywoods-pink-taco-closes | title=West Hollywood's Pink Taco closes | date=September 19, 2024 }}</ref> and most recently hosted a high-end gym as of 2024,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.americanspa.com/press-releases/tb12-opens-dedicated-space-inside-jay-glazers-unbreakable-la-performance-center | title=TB12 Opens Dedicated Space Inside Jay Glazer's Unbreakable LA Performance Center, Offering Onsite Body Coach Sessions &#124; American Spa | date=January 24, 2023 }}</ref> while the Billboard Live location used for the Roxbury exterior shots in the movie is now a different nightclub, known as Keys.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://fohonline.com/articles/installation-focus/keys-nightclub/ | title=Keys Nightclub &#124; FOH &#124; Front of House Magazine | date=February 8, 2025 }}</ref> The two locations are only 1.3 miles apart on [[Sunset Boulevard|West Sunset Boulevard]].

Film producer [[Elie Samaha]] opened a new Roxbury in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] in 2011,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nbclosangeles.com/local/the-return-of-the-roxbury/1882775/ | title=The Return of the Roxbury | date=January 14, 2011 }}</ref> but this club has also closed.

==Reception==
''A Night at the Roxbury'' was heavily panned by critics. On [[review aggregator]] site [[Rotten Tomatoes]], it received a rating of 11% and an average rating of 3.4/10 based on 54 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads: "''A Night at the Roxbury'' has the same problems as the worst ''SNL'' movies: one-note characters and plots unreasonably stretched to feature-length runtime".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/night_at_the_roxbury/ |title=A Night at the Roxbury |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=February 25, 2025}}</ref> Anita Gates of ''[[The New York Times]]'' acknowledged the film's appeal, but reasoned that it was "a lot like the brothers themselves: undeniably pathetic but strangely lovable. Still, do you really want to spend an hour and a half with them in a dark room?"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B04E5D91438F931A35753C1A96E958260 | work=[[The New York Times]] | title=A Night at the Roxbury - FILM REVIEW; A Lucky Break for the Terminally Uncool | date=October 2, 1998}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] observed that "the sad thing about ''A Night at the Roxbury'' is that the characters are in a one-joke movie, and they're the joke... It's the first comedy I've attended where you feel that to laugh would be cruel to the characters."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-night-at-the-roxbury-1998 | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | title=A Night at the Roxbury | date=October 2, 1998}}</ref>

General audiences, however, were far kinder than professional critics; the film currently has an overall audience rating of 69% on Rotten Tomatoes.

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0120770|A Night at the Roxbury}}
* {{TCMDb title}}
* {{AFI film}}
* {{mojo title}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes}}
* {{metacritic film}}

{{Saturday Night Live}}
{{John Fortenberry}}
{{Lorne Michaels}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Night At The Roxbury, A}}
[[Category:Saturday Night Live films]]
[[Category:Saturday Night Live in the 1990s]]
[[Category:1998 films]]
[[Category:1990s buddy comedy films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Tim & Bob]]
[[Category:Films directed by John Fortenberry]]
[[Category:Films scored by David Kitay]]
[[Category:American buddy comedy films]]
[[Category:Films set in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Paramount Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Lorne Michaels]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Will Ferrell]]
[[Category:1998 comedy films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:English-language buddy comedy films]]