Cabin BoyMovie Reviews

Gifts + Promos

Fandango Gift Card

Give the gift of movies with Fandango Bucks Gift Certificates! Design your own gift card, or choose from our collection.

Avengers Gift Cards

Superhero fans! Don’t miss out on these Limited Edition Avengers gift cards!

Need Help?
No
Avg. Critic Score: 21 out of 100 Generally unfavorable reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 Iffy for 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 60
    Washington Post |

    Contains about enough laugh-out-loud sight gags and non sequiturs to justify what it demands of a viewer's time and money. Read full review

  • 50
    ReelViews | James Berardinelli

    Chris Elliott is appallingly bad as the title character. Although his role cries out for an over-the- top performance, Elliott's grating personae cancels out any positive contributions he can offer in that area. Read full review

  • 50
    TV Guide |

    Fans of unashamedly low-brow comedies may well be amused by the eccentricities of Cabin Boy, but more conventional viewers should probably beware. Read full review

  • 38
    USA Today | Susan Wloszczyna

    As a condescening moron who natters on non-stop in this simplistic comedy, Elliott doesn't just wear out his welcome, he nukes it. [14 Jan 1994] Read full review

  • 33
    Entertainment Weekly | Owen Gleiberman

    Few comedies have worked this hard to make everyone on screen look this dumb. Read full review

  • 30
    Los Angeles Times |

    The problem is that it doesn't find a lot of laughs in much of anything, referential or otherwise. [7 Jan 1994] Read full review

  • 25
    Chicago Tribune | Gene Siskel

    [Chris Elliott]'s spoof of a young seaman's apprenticeship seems desperate as he piles special effects willy-nilly atop jibes at stupid old salts. [14 Jan 1994] Read full review

  • 20
    The New York Times |

    All this is bizarre without being funny. [7 Jan 1994, p.C12] Read full review

  • 0
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    It is possible to watch 90 minutes of this comedy without once cracking a smile. [12 Jan 1994] Read full review

  • 0
    Variety |

    Obnoxious, snide and pointless , this ill-fated spoof carries the bonus of being as crude and gamy as the hold of an old fishing barge. Read full review

View more reviews for Cabin Boy on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says Iffy for 14+ Weird comedy-fantasy cult classic with language, innuendo.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this1994 comedy with fantasy touches contains fairly strong language, including many uses of "s--t" and one use of "f--k." There is some slapstick violence, as well as death. Characters think about sex often, although nothing is ever shown or mentioned outright (there's plenty of innuendo). Characters are also depicted as drunk, though rarely seen drinking, and characters smoke. The movie is a universally loathed flop, although in some quarters it may have the potential to be a cult classic; the humor is so off-kilter and weird that viewers with an open mind and/or a warped sense of humor will love it.
  • Families can talk about Nathanial's character. Why is he so selfish? Why would a life of privilege make someone turn out like that? What does he learn over the course of the movie?
  • The fishermen drink and smoke a great deal. Is their behavior funnier because of this? Why are drugs and alcohol sometimes used as comedic devices?
  • This movie was a commercial and critical flop when it opened in 1994. Has the movie aged well? What were some things people didn't like about it? Does it have any redeeming qualities? Is it funny? Why?
The good stuff
  • message true1 Positive messages: The hero learns not to be selfish and learns how to belong to a family, although he eventually abandons his own father to do so. He overcomes challenges and triumphs over the odds. He rarely does anything with sincerity, however, and his smirky cynicism always comes through. The story comes out well, but it's not exactly a journey to be imitated.
  • rolemodels true0 Positive role models: The hero, Nathanial Mayweather, eventually learns some good lessons; he becomes less selfish and learns bravery and empathy, but the tone of the movie is so bizarre and dark that it's hard to argue for him as a role model. Even after he learns these things, he's still capable of his former behavior.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence: Mild violence overall, though one character dies after falling overboard into the ocean, and there are humorous threats and attempts to kill the hero. The hero fights with a giant and stabs him with a pen. A woman punches the hero in the face. We get some other slapstick-type violence, such as characters getting bonked on the head. The movie also has some images that are potentially demeaning toward women, such as the hero riding, standing, on the main female character's back while she swims.
  • sex false3 Sex: Heavy sexual innuendo, but no nudity. The fishermen sing a song about getting their "pipes cleaned." The hero lusts after the main female character when she appears, swimming by in her bathing suit. He flirts with her and kisses her. In one sequence, the hero visits a mystical woman who "makes him a man" by "cleaning his pipes." Their actions are heavily inferred, but not shown or directly referenced.
  • language false3 Language: The movie is rated PG-13 and is thereby only allowed one use of "f--k," but language is very strong nonetheless. Words include many uses of "s--t," "bastard," "penis," "ass," "Goddamn," "hell," "pecker," "piss," "son of a bitch," "whore," and exclamatory references to "Christ." There are also several mentions of "clean my pipes," which is a sexual reference.
  • consumerism false0 Consumerism: Not an issue
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false2 Drinking, drugs and smoking: The fishermen are rollicking drunks, though their antics are always played for humor, and the act of drinking is rarely shown. The captain smokes a nasty little cigar and a pipe. One character spits tobacco juice. The heroine smokes a cigarette in one scene.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

Cabin Boy Movie Ratings + Reviews

Fans say

Be the first to rate
this movie!

Critics say

No See all critic reviews

Facebook Movie Fans

Fan Fandango on Facebook