Editing Cabin Boy

{{Short description|1994 American fantasy comedy film}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Cabin Boy
| image          = Cabinboyposter.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Adam Resnick]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Denise Di Novi]]
* [[Tim Burton]]
}}
| story          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Chris Elliott]]
* Adam Resnick
}}
| screenplay     = Adam Resnick
| starring       = {{Plainlist| 
* Chris Elliott
* [[Ritch Brinkley]]
* [[Brian Doyle-Murray]]
* [[James Gammon]]
* [[Brion James]]
* [[Melora Walters]]
}}
| music          = [[Steve Bartek]]
| cinematography = Steve Yaconelli
| editing        = [[Jon Poll]]
| studio         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Touchstone Pictures]]
* [[Tim Burton Productions]]
* [[Skellington Productions]]
}}
| distributor    = [[Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures|Buena Vista Pictures Distribution]]
| released       = {{Film date|1994|1|7}}
| runtime        = 80 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $10 million
| gross          = $3.7 million
}}
'''''Cabin Boy''''' is a 1994 American [[Fantasy film|fantasy]] [[comedy film]] directed by [[Adam Resnick]], co-produced by [[Tim Burton]], and starring comedian [[Chris Elliott]]. Elliott co-wrote the film with Resnick. Both Elliott and Resnick worked for ''[[Late Night with David Letterman]]'' in the 1980s as well as co-creating the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] sitcom ''[[Get a Life (American TV series)|Get a Life]]'' in the early 1990s.

==Plot==
Nathaniel Mayweather is a snobbish, self-centered, arrogant, [[Virginity|virginal]] "fancy lad." After graduation, he is invited by his father to sail to [[Hawaii]] aboard ''The Queen Catherine''. After annoying the limousine driver who is taking him to board the boat, he is forced to walk the rest of the way.

Nathaniel makes a wrong turn into a small fishing village where he meets the imbecilic cabin boy/first mate Kenny of ''The Filthy Whore'', which Nathaniel believes to be ''The'' ''Queen Catherine'' as part of a theme. The next morning, Captain Greybar finds Nathaniel in his room and explains that the boat will not return to dry land for three months. Nathaniel unsuccessfully tries to convince each fisherman to set sail to Hawaii, but convinces Kenny into doing so. However, the crew reaches Hell's Bucket'','' a [[Bermuda Triangle]]-like area where strange events occur. The ship is caught in a fierce storm and Kenny is knocked overboard and drowns. With only one island in the entire area, the crew decide to set sail there. Without a cabin boy, Greybar forces Nathaniel to do the chores in return for taking him to Hawaii, as well as teaching him how to become a better person.

After failing all the chores he is assigned, the fishermen decide to give Nathaniel another chore that involves dragging him on a floating raft for a week. Nathaniel quickly runs out of supplies, begins consuming salt water, and suffers extreme sunburn after confusing cooking oil as lotion. He also realizes he might be going insane after sighting Kenny's ghost and seeing a floating cupcake that spits tobacco. After falling into the water he is saved by a shark-man. After nine days, Nathaniel is pulled back in and tells what happened. It is revealed by Skunk and Big Teddy that the shark-man is known as Chocki, the offspring of a male viking and female shark.

Nathaniel spots a beautiful young woman named Trina swimming in the ocean. After she is pulled up in a net, Nathaniel becomes smitten with her. Not pleased with another passenger on board, the fishermen decide to strand Trina and Nathaniel on the island they're sailing toward. Finally reaching the island, the crew searches for components to fix their boat. Nathaniel tries to get closer to Trina, who constantly rejects him.

Greybar and Skunk suggest to Nathaniel that a blue-skinned, six-armed woman named Calli can help build his confidence. After an encounter with Calli that results in his first sexual experience, Nathaniel again meets Trina, who becomes attracted to him immediately. Calli's husband Mulligan, a giant, comes home to find a man's bag. Realizing what Calli has done, Mulligan decides to find her lover and kill him. Nathaniel tries to save everyone by confessing to the giant he's the one who slept with Calli. Mulligan is about to kill Nathaniel with a giant nail clipper when Chocki saves him. Nathaniel then kills Mulligan by choking him with his own belt.

Finally reaching Hawaii, Nathaniel offers his newfound companions a job at the hotel where his father is the owner, which they refuse. They tell Nathaniel he's a fancy lad who should stay in Hawaii with his dad where he belongs. Nathaniel and the fishermen part ways, including Trina. His equally-snobbish father, William Mayweather, condemns his son's actions. Seeing through his father how snobbish he used to be before boarding ''The Filthy Whore'', Nathaniel discards his wig and leaves to find Trina. They then both join the crew on ''The Filthy Whore''.

==Cast==
* [[Chris Elliott]] as Nathaniel Mayweather
* [[Ritch Brinkley]] as Captain Greybar
* [[Brian Doyle-Murray]] as Skunk
* [[James Gammon]] as Pappy
* [[Brion James]] as Teddy "Big Teddy"
* [[Melora Walters]] as Trina
* [[Ann Magnuson]] as Calli
* [[Russ Tamblyn]] as Chocki
* [[Ricki Lake]] as [[Figurehead (object)|Figurehead]]
* [[Andy Richter]] as Kenny
* [[Mike Starr (actor)|Mike Starr]] as Mulligan the Giant
* I.M. Hobson as Headmaster Timmons
* [[Alfred Molina]] as The Professor
* [[Alex Nevil]] as Thomas 
* David Sterry as Lance
* [[Bob Elliott (comedian)|Bob Elliott]] as William Mayweather
* Edward Flotard as Limo Driver
* [[Jim Cummings]] as the Floating Cupcake (voice)
* [[David Letterman|Earl Hofert]] as Old Salt in Fishing Village

==Production==
The project was originally to be directed by Burton, who had contacted [[Chris Elliott]] after seeing ''Get a Life''. Resnick took over after Burton was offered the film ''[[Ed Wood (film)|Ed Wood]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tedder |first=Michael |url=https://www.theringer.com/movies/2018/12/5/18124195/cabin-boy-chris-elliott-anniversary-adam-resnick-comedy-get-a-life|title = "This is Just So Sh**ty, We Gotta Watch": The Beautiful, Inspirational Disaster of 'Cabin Boy,' 25 Years Later|website=The Ringer |date = December 5, 2018 |access-date= December 6, 2018}}</ref>

==Reception==
The film received mixed reviews from critics. On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], it has a 48% rating based on reviews from 27 critics, with a [[weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]] of 5.2/10.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cabin_boy|title=Cabin Boy |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date= December 6, 2018}}</ref>

{{Anchor|Awards|Accolades}}
Chris Elliott earned a [[Razzie Award]] nomination for Worst New Star, but lost to [[Anna Nicole Smith]] for ''[[Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult|Naked Gun {{frac|33|1|3}}: The Final Insult]]''.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s)/no by-line.-->  |date=March 26, 1995 |title=Costner, Stone, Cruise, Pitt and Simpson Get Film Raspberries |work=[[Associated Press|AP News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Scott |first=Vernon |date=March 26, 1995|title=Razzie Awards dis-honor 'Color of Night' |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1995/03/26/Razzie-Awards-dis-honor-Color-of-Night/1131796194000/ |work=[[United Press International|UPI]] |access-date=September 30, 2021}}</ref> The film was nominated for Worst Picture at the 1994 [[Stinkers Bad Movie Awards]] but lost to ''[[North (1994 film)|North]]''.

=== Year-end lists ===
* 1st worst&nbsp;– Bob Strauss, ''[[Los Angeles Daily News]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Strauss|first=Bob|date=December 30, 1994|title=At the Movies: Quantity Over Quality|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Daily News]]|page=L6|edition=Valley}}</ref>

==Legacy==
Hip hop producer [[Dan the Automator|Dan "the Automator" Nakamura]] named his publishing company, Sharkman Music, after the film.<ref name="Crain">{{cite news |first=Zac |last=Crain |title=Handsome Dan, Automator Man |url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/1999-11-25/music/handsome-dan-automator-man/ |newspaper=[[Miami New Times]]|date=November 25, 1999 |access-date=27 January 2009 }}</ref> References to the film have appeared in multiple works by Nakamura.<ref name="Crain"/> For example, the Bulk Recordings edition of [[Kool Keith]]'s debut solo album ''[[Dr. Octagonecologyst]]'', contains a dialogue excerpt from the film preceding the song "halfsharkalligatorhalfman"; the hook of the song, "Half Man, Half Shark", is sampled from the same dialogue.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Jenkins |first1=Sacha |author-link1=Ego trip (magazine) |last2=Wilson |first2=Elliott |last3=Mao |first3=Chairman Jefferson |author-link3=Ego trip (magazine) |last4=Alvarez |first4=Gabriel |last5=Rollins |first5=Brent |title=Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists |year=1999 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers]] |isbn=0-312-24298-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/egotripsbookofra00jenk/page/311 311] |chapter=You Might Have Missed |chapter-url-access=registration |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/egotripsbookofra00jenk/page/311 }}</ref>

Post-hardcore band [[A Static Lullaby]] reference the film in their song "Half Man, Half Shark; Equals One Complete Gentleman", the title of which is a paraphrase of an Elliott line spoken in the film.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}} The song can be found on their ''[[Faso Latido]]'' album.

[[David Letterman]] has a small cameo in this film, at the time his only big screen credit in which he wasn't playing himself. For many years, whenever discussing Hollywood topics on ''[[The Late Show (franchise)|The Late Show]]'', he would cite his cameo in ''Cabin Boy'' as the sum of his relevant experience.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0109361|Cabin Boy}}
* {{Metacritic film|title=Cabin Boy}}
* {{mojo title|cabinboy|Cabin Boy}}
* {{tcmdb title|id=18794}}
* {{AFI film|59752}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|cabin_boy|Cabin Boy}}

[[Category:Films with live action and animation]]
[[Category:1994 films]]
[[Category:1990s fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:David Letterman]]
[[Category:Touchstone Pictures films]]
[[Category:Films produced by Tim Burton]]
[[Category:Films produced by Denise Di Novi]]
[[Category:American seafaring films]]
[[Category:Films about giants]]
[[Category:Films scored by Steve Bartek]]
[[Category:Films set on boats]]
[[Category:American fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:1994 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1994 comedy films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Adam Resnick]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy comedy films]]