Amusing romcom set in San Francisco with Mike Myers and Nancy Travis

Fresh off his success with “Wayne’s World” (1992), Mike Myers stars as a poet/musician in the Bay Area of California, performing in art houses. He takes romantic interest in an adorable local butcher (Nancy Travis) whom he increasingly suspects of (you guessed it) being an axe murderer. Amanda Plummer plays her sister and Anthony LaPaglia a detective pal of the poet. Debi Mazar has a glorified cameo as the cop’s girlfriend.

“So I Married an Axe Murderer” (1993) is amusing enough to watch at home, but I wouldn’t go out and pay money for it. It’s cute & comical and works up some quality suspense regarding the core question (Is she or isn’t she?) and the writers came up with a worthwhile climax. Enough said.

The movie runs 1 hour, 33 minutes and was shot in San Francisco, Oakland and Cloverdale, California.

GRADE: B-

Manic in a way that even Austin Powers couldn't match, this vehicle for then-recent SNL grad Mike Myers hasn't aged quite as well as I'd expected. Myers delivers with ease when he's under the guise of a wild, colorful character - his best scenes are as a boisterous, drunken caricature of a father under heavy makeup - but comes off as insecure and off-putting in the more straightforward leading role. For every joke that lands, Myers ricochets three or four duds off his companions' foreheads, lending the impression that he's always on stage and robbing his turn as well-intentioned poet Charlie of a meaningful connection with the audience.

Clunky, distracting post-production work and an excessive dose of early '90s pop culture also prove to be tricky obstacles, dating the material and lending the impression that it wasn't quite polished enough for a final release. When it's working, few films from the era are so riotously funny, but those sporadic dots of brilliance aren't quite enough to compensate for the shaky, timid nature of the rest of the story. A great premise with some moments of pure genius, it's probably best enjoyed as a series of expertly trimmed clips on YouTube.