Bio-Dome

Last updated
Bio-Dome
BioDomeposter.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jason Bloom
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Adam Leff
  • Mitchell Peck
  • Jason Blumenthal
Produced by
Starring
Narrated by Rodger Bumpass
Cinematography Phedon Papamichael Jr.
Edited by Christopher Greenbury
Music by Andrew Gross  [ de ]
Production
companies
Distributed by MGM/UA Distribution Co.
Release date
  • January 12, 1996 (1996-01-12)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8.5 million [1]
Box office$13.4 million [2]

Bio-Dome is a 1996 American comedy film directed by Jason Bloom. It was produced by Motion Picture Corporation of America on a budget of $8.5 million and was distributed theatrically by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures.

Contents

The film is loosely based on the true story of Biosphere 2. The plot revolves around two clumsy, dim-witted slackers who, while on a road trip, look for a bathroom in what they believe is a shopping mall. The shopping mall turns out to be a "bio-dome", a form of closed ecological system, in which five scientists are about to be hermetically sealed for a year. The film has themes of environmentalism, combined with drug use, sexual innuendo, and toilet humor.

The film stars Stephen Baldwin and Pauly Shore, and has cameo appearances by celebrities such as Roger Clinton and Patricia Hearst. Jack Black and Kyle Gass first came to global attention in Bio-Dome, performing together as Tenacious D on-screen for the first time. [3]

The film was financed by a loan from Coutts & Co. to the Motion Picture Corporation of America. [4] It film grossed $13 million at the box office in North America. Bio-Dome was panned by critics, gaining a record low score of 1/100 on Metacritic. It is often considered to be one of the worst films ever made.

In 2013, Stephen Baldwin said he was in talks with Pauly Shore about making a sequel to the film revolving around the children of Bud and Doyle, their characters.

Plot

Best friends Bud "Squirrel" Macintosh and Doyle "Stubs" Johnson live together in Arizona, but their environmentalist girlfriends, Jen and Monique, dump them due to their immaturity. Driving back home, they pass by the Bio-Dome, where scientist Dr. Noah Faulkner is about to seal his team in for a year without outside contact. Mistaking the Bio-Dome for a mall, Bud and Doyle go inside to use the bathroom, only to be sealed in along with the scientists. Dr. Leaky, the project's investor, discovers them and demands their removal, but Dr. Faulkner refuses, claiming it would destroy the purpose of the experiment, so Bud and Doyle remain. Although things initially go smoothly, this proves to be a mistake, as Bud and Doyle continue their antics, harming themselves and destroying many of the scientists' projects. The scientists plead to Dr. Faulkner, but he only relents after the two find a secret stash of junk food and experiment with laughing gas. The two are then banished to the desert environment section and, after three days of isolation, they discover a key in the lock of one of the windows, which opens a back door, and they escape the Bio-Dome.

As Bud and Doyle are receiving a pizza delivery at the dome, they learn Jen and Monique are attending an environmental party with other men, so decide to outdo the party and hold one inside the Bio-Dome to win them back. The party backfires. It throws the experiment into chaos and Jen and Monique disavow the boys. The scientists prepare to exit out of the desert through the door but, realizing their idiotic actions, Bud and Doyle intervene and demand they all stay and restore the dome to full health, arguing that the real world itself is currently not a pristine environment, with Doyle swallowing the key as a last resort. The group subdues the situation and begins to fix the dome together, while the boys and the scientists bond with each other as a team, and Bud and Doyle's efforts in restoring the dome soon draw a large group of fans and supporters, including Monique and Jen. Meanwhile, Dr. Faulkner, who had disappeared the night of the party, has gone insane and is starting plans to blow up the dome with IEDs inside of coconuts.

After several months pass and Earth Day approaches, Bud, Doyle, and the team successfully restore the dome, but on the night before the doors reopen, Bud and Doyle discover Dr. Faulkner, hoping to apologize to him and make amends. He tells the two that he is rigging pyrotechnics for the door-opening ceremony and gets them to help plant the items, unaware they are really bombs. Once Bud and Doyle are left alone with the bombs, they goof off with one of the coconuts, and after a failed long pass, they discover their dangerous nature. They alert the others and try to exit the dome early, but the door cannot be opened until the clock hits zero, when the bombs will detonate. Bud and Doyle run back into the dome to find Dr. Faulkner and get him to deactivate the bombs. After a chase and struggle, they knock him out and use a remote to disable the coconuts.

With the Bio-Dome experiment complete, the team gets ready to exit the now-open door, but as they begin to walk out, Dr. Faulkner returns with one last coconut bomb, trips, and the bomb detonates at the entrance. Bud, Doyle, Jen, and Monique bid farewell to the Bio-Dome scientists and drive off, where Doyle yet again has to use the bathroom and the car is seen driving toward a mysterious nuclear power plant. Dr. Faulkner, meanwhile, has escaped the dome through the desert window door, having retrieved the key Doyle swallowed, and flees through the desert pursued by police.

Cast

Production

Real-life inspiration

Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona Wiki bio2 sunset 001.jpg
Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona
Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys, California, where Bio-Dome was filmed Administrative Building Tillman Water Reclamation Plant.jpg
Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys, California, where Bio-Dome was filmed

Biosphere 2, which closely resembles the film's "Bio-Dome", opened in Oracle, Arizona, in 1991. The first "mission" saw eight scientists sealed inside the facility between 1991 and 1993 as part of an experiment to see how feasibly they could live within a closed system. Criticism of the experiment said that it was not scientifically valid as it could not be repeated, and that the group, who had originated from the Theater of All Possibilities, were acting along the lines of a cult. [5] [6]

The scientists themselves staged a comedic play entitled The Wrong Stuff (a reference to The Right Stuff ) in the days before they were sealed in, depicting an exaggerated parody of what they foresaw could go wrong, and effectively foreshadowing the filming of Bio-Dome before the experiment even began. [7]

Once the scientists were sealed inside, the experiment quickly descended into a fiasco due to "interpersonal conflicts and scientific controversies" including oxygen and food shortages, the controversial use of a carbon dioxide scrubber and arguments among the group that had them barely on speaking terms. [8] Initially positive media coverage quickly turned against Biosphere 2 as one escalating scandal followed another. This was later the subject of the 2020 documentary Spaceship Earth . [9]

The producers of Bio-Dome originally intended to film in the real Biosphere 2, but permission was denied by Steve Bannon who had become involved in managing the facility. [10] "We're not in the movie business", Bannon told the producers, "and we're focused on a very big effort here to turn around and legitimize the science and education program." [11] Instead, Tillman Water Reclamation Plant in Van Nuys, California, was used. [12]

While the film adds the element of two unqualified people finding themselves accidentally sealed in the dome and exaggerates the story for comedic purposes, many elements of the plot - food shortages, a drop in oxygen levels, a wealthy benefactor, the grandiose opening ceremony, arguments between the crew and kissing the glass as visitors drop in from outside - are based in fact. [13] The film's director, Jason Bloom, even said he had decided to depict the scientists and the experiment as "much more legitimate and focused on real science" than they were in real life. [11]

Two of the original Biosphere 2 scientists - Jane Poynter and Taber MacCallum - later saw Bio-Dome and enjoyed it, saying they "laughed a lot" and always thought a movie would be made about the experience but expected something along the lines of Total Recall instead of a comedy. However, Biosphere 2's then-manager Wallace Smith Broecker was offended by the film and called it "a step in the wrong direction" as the facility was trying to distance itself from its past and develop a reputation as a legitimate scientific institution. [14]

Release

Reception

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 4% based on reviews from 26 critics. The critical consensus reads: "Like its two obnoxious protagonists, this dreadfully unfunny Pauly Shore vehicle should remain separated from society." [15] On Metacritic, it has a score of 1 out of 100 based on reviews from 10 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". [16] It is one of eleven films to hold this rating; the other 10 being 10 Rules for Sleeping Around , Chaos , inAPPropriate Comedy , Not Cool , The Singing Forest , The Garbage Pail Kids Movie , Death of a Nation , Hardbodies , Mother's Day and United Passions . [17] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B− on scale of A to F. [18]

Leonard Klady of Variety wrote: "It's not by any means inspired madness. Neither the script nor direction lives up to the concept, and the picture evolves into a 'Bio'-degradable hash rather than a zany sendup of potent issues and serious intents gone awry." [19] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a grade F, saying "Even with the low expectations any reasonable viewer brings to a Shore flick, this rates only stupid-plus." [20] Stephen Holden of The New York Times called it "inept in almost every respect". [21] Travis Clark of Business Insider deemed it the "3rd worst movie of all time" according to critical and audience reactions. [22]

Box office

Bio-Dome grossed $13.4 million in North America, [2] against an estimated production budget of $8.5 million. [1] MGM spent $10 million on marketing. [1]

Accolades

At the 1996 Golden Raspberry Awards, Shore co-won a Razzie Award for Worst Actor for his work in the film, tied with Tom Arnold for that actor's performances in Big Bully , Carpool , and The Stupids . At the 1996 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards, the movie won two of the movies' three nominations: Worst On-Screen Hairstyle for Stephen Baldwin and Most Painfully Unfunny Comedy. Shore was also nominated for Worst Actor, but lost to Tom Arnold for his acting in those same three movies. [23]

Potential sequel

On December 18, 2013, Stephen Baldwin appeared on Mancow Muller's radio/TV show, confirming that he is in talks with Pauly Shore about making a sequel to the film revolving around the children of their characters Bud and Doyle. Baldwin had also stated that he gets recognized more for his role in Bio-Dome than any other film he has done thus far. In an interview published in Variety on January 17, 2017, he reiterated his desire to make a sequel, saying that Shore was interested and he has funding, but is seeking studio approval. [24]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biosphere 2</span> Closed ecological research centre in Arizona

University of Arizona Biosphere 2 is an American Earth system science research facility located in Oracle, Arizona. Its mission is to serve as a center for research, outreach, teaching, and lifelong learning about Earth, its living systems, and its place in the universe. It is a 3.14-acre (1.27-hectare) structure originally built to be an artificial, materially closed ecological system, or vivarium. It remains the largest closed ecological system ever created.

Biodome may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joey Lauren Adams</span> American actress (born 1968)

Joey Lauren Adams is an American actress and director. Adams starred in Chasing Amy, for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller roles in other Kevin Smith View Askewniverse films.

<i>Kronos</i> (film) 1957 film by Kurt Neumann

Kronos is a 1957 American black-and-white science fiction film from Regal Films, a division of 20th Century-Fox. It was produced by Irving Block, Louis DeWitt, Kurt Neumann, and Jack Rabin, directed by Kurt Neumann, and stars Jeff Morrow and Barbara Lawrence. Kronos was distributed as a double feature with She Devil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pauly Shore</span> American comedian and actor (born 1968)

Paul Montgomery "Pauly" Shore is an American comedian and actor. He is best known for his roles in 1990s comedy films. Shore began as a stand-up comedian at the age of 17, before becoming an MTV VJ in 1989. This led to a starring role in the comedy film Encino Man in 1992, which was a modest hit. He followed this with leading man vehicles, including Son in Law (1993) and Bio-Dome (1996). Shore provided the voice of Robert "Bobby" Zimuruski in A Goofy Movie and its direct-to-video sequel, An Extremely Goofy Movie.

<i>Chain Reaction</i> (1996 film) 1996 film by Andrew Davis

Chain Reaction is a 1996 American science fiction action thriller film directed by Andrew Davis and starring Keanu Reeves, Morgan Freeman, Rachel Weisz, Fred Ward, Kevin Dunn and Brian Cox. The plot centers on the invention of a new non-contaminating power source based on hydrogen and the attempts by the United States Government to prevent the spreading of this technology to other countries. The film was released in the United States on August 2, 1996.

<i>Pauly Shore Is Dead</i> American mockumentary

Pauly Shore Is Dead is a 2003 American mockumentary comedy film directed, produced, co-written by, and starring Pauly Shore. The film is depicted as a semi-autobiographical retelling of Shore's early success and dwindling popularity in the late 1990s, after which it documents Shore's (fictional) attempt to fake his own death in order to drum up popularity for his films. It features many cameos.

<i>Jury Duty</i> (film) 1995 American film

Jury Duty is a 1995 American legal comedy film directed by John Fortenberry, written by Neil Tolkin, Barbara Williams, and Adam Small, and starring Pauly Shore, Tia Carrere, Stanley Tucci, Brian Doyle-Murray, Shelley Winters, and Abe Vigoda.

<i>The Bogus Witch Project</i> 2000 American comedy film

The Bogus Witch Project is a 2000 American parody film directed by Victor Kargan and starring Pauly Shore. It satirizes The Blair Witch Project. It uses different tellings of the Blair Witch, such as The Blair Underwood Project. The film was released direct-to-DVD on October 10, 2000.

<i>Bloodbath at the House of Death</i> 1984 British film

Bloodbath at the House of Death is a 1984 British comedy horror film directed by Ray Cameron and starring Kenny Everett, Pamela Stephenson and Vincent Price. It is an over-the-top spoof loosely inspired by The Amityville Horror and other horror films of the era, including Alien, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, among others, concerning the investigation by a pair of scientists of a manor house under the control of Satanist monks.

<i>Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs</i> 1966 film directed by Mario Bava

Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs is a 1966 Eurospy comedy film, made in Technicolor and directed by Mario Bava. Serving as a sequel to two unrelated films, Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine and Two Mafiosi Against Goldginger, the film stars Vincent Price, Fabian, Francesco Mulé, Laura Antonelli, and the Italian comic duo Franco and Ciccio.

<i>The Return of Swamp Thing</i> 1989 film by Jim Wynorski

The Return of Swamp Thing is a 1989 American superhero film based on the DC Comics' character of the same name. Directed by Jim Wynorski, it is a sequel to the 1982 film Swamp Thing, having a lighter tone than its predecessor. The film has a main title montage consisting of comic book covers set to Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born on the Bayou", and features Dick Durock and Louis Jourdan reprising their roles as Swamp Thing and Anton Arcane respectively, along with Sarah Douglas and Heather Locklear.

Tom Rack is a Canadian actor and writer best known for his portrayal of henchman Zigesfeld in the 1991 film If Looks Could Kill, and for twice portraying physicist Dr.Robert Oppenheimer.

Jason Bloom is an American film and television director.

<i>Superhero Movie</i> 2008 film by Craig Mazin

Superhero Movie is a 2008 American superhero parody film written and directed by Craig Mazin, produced by Robert K. Weiss and David Zucker, and starring Drake Bell, Sara Paxton, Christopher McDonald, Kevin Hart, Brent Spiner, Jeffrey Tambor, Robert Joy, Regina Hall, Pamela Anderson, and Leslie Nielsen. It was originally titled Superhero! as a nod to one of the Zuckers's previous films, Airplane! (1980), in which Nielsen also starred.

<i>Free Money</i> (film) 1998 Canadian film

Free Money is a 1998 Canadian black comedy film directed by Yves Simoneau, produced by Nicolas Clermont and written by Anthony Peck and Joseph Brutsman, and starring Marlon Brando in his penultimate film. The film also features Charlie Sheen, Thomas Haden Church, Mira Sorvino and Donald Sutherland.

<i>Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star</i> 2011 film by Tom Brady

Bucky Larson: Born to Be a Star is a 2011 American black comedy film directed by Tom Brady, written by Adam Sandler, Allen Covert, and Nick Swardson, and produced by Sandler, Swardson, Covert, Jack Giarraputo, and David S. Dorfman. Starring Swardson, Christina Ricci, Edward Herrmann, Kevin Nealon, Don Johnson, and Stephen Dorff, it tells the story of a man-child whose reserved parents were famous porn stars and plans to follow in their footsteps.

Hysterical is an American comedy film directed by Chris Bearde. Released on July 30, 1983, by Embassy Pictures, it is a spoof of the horror film genre. The film stars the Hudson Brothers.

<i>Come rubammo la bomba atomica</i> 1967 film directed by Lucio Fulci

Come rubammo la bomba atomica or How We Stole the Atomic Bomb is a 1967 Italian-Egyptian international co-production Eurospy comedy based on the 1966 Palomares B-52 crash. Filmed in Italy and Egypt, it stars the Italian comic duo of Franco and Ciccio and was directed by Lucio Fulci. The film features a teaming of parodies of famous film secret agents.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Collins, Scott (January 17, 1996). "Pauly Shore's Oeuvre? Whoa. Cool. For Sure". Los Angeles Times . cost about $8.5 million to make, far below the industry average
  2. 1 2 "Bio-Dome (1996) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  3. ↑ Rees, Jasper (October 29, 2006). "Dude where's my guitar". The Times. London. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2010.(subscription required)
  4. ↑ "Single-Pic Loans Hear Wedding Bells". Palo Alto Online . Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ Chandler, David Lr. (11 April 1994). "Control was the Biosphere's real issue". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  6. ↑ Erickson, Jim (31 May 1996). "Biosphere 2 cult accusations imaginary, defense claims". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  7. ↑ Nelson, Mark (2017). Pushing Our Limits: Insights from Biosphere 2.
  8. ↑ Rose, Steve (13 July 2020). "Eight go mad in Arizona: how a lockdown experiment went horribly wrong". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  9. ↑ Wilkinson, Alissa (7 May 2020). "In 1991, a group of 8 people isolated themselves for 2 years. Spaceship Earth tells their story". Vox. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  10. ↑ Sorenson, Dan (6 January 1996). "Movie appears to spoof Biosphere 2". Tucson Citizen. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  11. 1 2 Rotstein, Arthur H. (27 January 1996). "Ecologically correct movie spoofs Biosphere 2". Carlsbad Current-Argus. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  12. ↑ "Sewage Treatment Plant Becomes Star Attraction for Movies". The Los Angeles Times. 21 October 1997. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  13. ↑ "Biosphere crew laughs off spoof, scientists angry". Oakland Tribune. 13 January 1996. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  14. ↑ Erickson, Jim (12 January 1996). "Bio-spoof: 'Sphere sendup leaves Columbia scientist cold". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
  15. ↑ "Bio-Dome (1996)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved February 9, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Bio-Dome (1996)". Metacritic . Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Movie Releases by Score". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
  18. ↑ "BIO DOME (1996) B-". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  19. ↑ Klady, Leonard (January 15, 1996). "Bio-Dome". Variety.
  20. ↑ "Bio-Dome". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
  21. ↑ Holden, Stephen (12 January 1996). "FILM REVIEW;2d Chance for Sitting Ducks" . The New York Times .
  22. ↑ "The 75 worst movies of all time, according to critics". Business Insider .
  23. ↑ "Bio-Dome - IMDb". IMDb . Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  24. ↑ Kelly, Seth (January 17, 2017). "Stephen Baldwin on Endorsing Trump Early, 'SNL' and Alec's Impersonation". Variety.com. Retrieved January 18, 2017. Baldwin: 'Variety, help me talk to the studio that helps control the sequel rights to "Bio-Dome" because Pauly [Shore] and I are ready, and I have the money now with my new company. Let "Bio-Dome" two live! Let "Bio-Dome" two live!'
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.