There are certain subjects that have become the fodder for comedians looking for a quick laugh by aiming at the low-hanging fruit, to the point where misinformation can exist purely for the sake of cheap humour, leading to audiences being misled into thinking something to be true, when in reality it is the opposite. Yet, when done well (and in a way that isn’t harmful or malicious), it can be outrageously entertaining. For years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has been the subject of a lot of ridicule, some works being more harmful than others. However, one of the most common tropes usually associated with the concept of Mormonism is bigamy, with the idea of men being allowed to have as many wives as he desired becoming a common trait associated with the church, despite this being eradicated as a practice in the late 19th century, with the only adherents being radical splinter groups that are only marginally associated with the church. Regardless, it doesn’t stop Rodney Dangerfield and his motley crew of rebels from using it as the foundation for My 5 Wives, one of the established comedians final outings as an actor, and a film that is as hilarious as it is deeply frustrating, which is something that even his firmest devotees have come to expect from his starring vehicles. Very simply, the film follows the experiences of a real estate tycoon who travels to Utah to take part in a property auction to get a plot of land, and upon winning in a very contentious battle for ownership, he discovers that not only does he get the land, but also inherits a trio of wives that come with it, as they are apparently cited as property of the previous owner – and as expected, chaos ensues. Just as tawdry and lowbrow as we would expect, but also wickedly entertaining if the viewer can separate the garish elements from its overarching themes, My 5 Wives is an unexpectedly delightful romp through one of the United States’ most notable religious institutions, handcrafted by perhaps one of the few comedians who could launch such a bizarre critique without making it seem didactic or even vaguely satirical, a rare occurrence but one that perfectly encapsulates the spirit of this film.

There was never an individual quite like Rodney Dangerfield – his unique voice was matched by his distinct appearance, and tied together by his unconventional style of comedy, in which he created a character that he played for decades, starting on the comedy circuit as a mainstay on stage and television, before a late-career breakthrough in Caddyshack, in which he stole the entire film and essentially forged himself a solid career for the next two decades as one of the most beloved comedic voices of his generation. Much like other comedic peers, such as Don Rickles and Mel Brooks, Dangerfield’s style of comedy is built on his willingness to offend, which is coupled with his endearing persona that allowed him to get away with saying anything, since the audience knew it didn’t come from a place of trying to cause conflict, but rather testing the boundaries of what makes audiences laugh. My 5 Wives is his penultimate starring vehicle, coming after a long run of films in which Dangerfield plays a character that is merely a thinly-veiled version of himself, where he’s placed in obscure or bizarre scenarios and simply gets by on a combination of luck and his wisecracking attitude managing to get him out of just about any precarious situation. This is what kickstarts the film, and what is essentially promised to us as being the foundation for the story – and while the film itself is of questionable quality, Dangerfield is consistently wonderful, turning in a hilarious and layered performance that doesn’t require him to do much acting, but rather depends on his iconic persona, which is wickedly entertaining all on its own. Its a shame that this cinematic breakthrough came so late for Dangerfield, since while he had a long career on television and in stand-up comedy before he became a major presence in films in the 1980s and 1990s, there’s something about how these starring vehicles used him that could have been revolutionary had it been applied earlier. Regardless, it may not be the showcase that Back to School may have been, but My 5 Wives is still very much an enjoyable film solely for Dangerfield’s presence, to the point where memorable supporting work by the likes of John Pinnette, NAME and Jerry Stiller (amongst others) barely even registers, since Dangerfield is such magnetic, no one else around him leaves much of an impression, a great sign for his talent as an actor.

Much like the persona of its star, My 5 Wives is the definition of an acquired taste, and it will most definitely not appeal to everyone, especially those who quite correctly find its gender politics and view of social issues not only backwards, but actively quite unsettling – but to its defense, this film adheres quite closely to everything we have seen from Dangerfield, which is a well-meaning film that knows it is tackling controversial material, but does its best to not be actively offensive, and even when this approach backfires, we view it as a flaw of the film’s design more than something intentionally placed there to upset viewers or cause them to question their morals, which would have been the intention of a more insidious and bigoted film, which is the complete opposite of what was being done here. My 5 Wives is built entirely around Dangerfield’s persona, and almost acts as a metafictional commentary on his comedic persona – he always played these down-on-his-luck losers whose catchphrase of “I don’t get no respect” from the fictional wife he used in his stand-up routine was actively contradicted here, forming the aged, almost decrepit Dangerfield into not only an alluring playboy, but one who can satisfy not one wife, but five of them, which is a very funny concept in theory, and one that the film exploits to the full extent of its potential. Finally, towards the very end of his career, Rodney Dangerfield gets the respect that he had been searching for throughout the last half-century, and it is clear that this was designed to be a moment of triumph for the famously unlucky comedic persona he had been performing for decades, even when the ending is ultimately one that brings home the fact that he is perpetually at a disadvantage. As a result, we find that My 5 Wives is most-appreciated by those that come to this film already being enamoured with Dangerfield, since its doubtful that it will convert those who are cynical to his style, but rather delight viewers who have an existing relationship with his very unique approach to comedy, which is wickedly entertaining, but still not as widely-adored as many would expect based on his reputation as one of the leading comics of his generation.

However, as entertaining as My 5 Wives may be, once we look beyond the presence of Dangerfield (which essentially is the deciding factor towards the extent to which a viewer will be able to enjoy this film), this is not the strongest of offerings, based on both the story and how everything transpires. At its heart, this is not a film with the strongest of narratives – the entire plot is based around a one-sentence premise, likely along the lines of “Rodney Dangerfield is accidentally forced to marry five women, and hijinks ensue”, which is as good of a synopsis as any, but not enough for an entire film, especially when the entire plot hinges on this very trivial concept. Its not so much that the premise is bad, but rather that it has a lot of potential that is entirely wasted, especially when the story shifts from being an off-the-wall, vaguely absurdist comedy, and instead aims to become a narrative closely aligned with the cliched battle of the sexes trope, which is effective when done right, but which doesn’t really feel particularly authentic or meaningful in the context of this film, which (as odd as it may sound) was at its best when it was orbiting around slightly controversial subject matter – not only was it far more entertaining, but the underlying condemnation of Dangerfield’s character, who is portrayed as some irresistible sexpot whose flirtations with misogyny are interwoven into his personality, is far more prominent in the earlier portions of the film, where it is simply allowed to be this grotesque, misogynistic romp that actively vilifies the character, rather than the latter scenes where it attempts to give him some kind of redemption. For critical thinking viewers, it’s clear that My 5 Wives should have leaned into the absurdity more, rather than shoehorning in a third act that devolves into a mildly amusing action drama, rather than the outrageous and often quite perverted comedy it promised to be at the outset. It also doesn’t help that the film runs about 20 minutes too long, since there wasn’t any reason for such a plot to take up more than 80 minutes, which is perhaps why it feels slightly too off-kilter to be entirely effective, since the entire narrative structure isn’t particularly effective, and eventually just removes a lot of merit from an otherwise decent concept.

Certainly as regressive in its gender politics as it is narratively very predictable, My 5 Wives manages to be the exact kind of vulgar, lowbrow comedy that we simply cannot help but enjoy, especially since it is pandering to something much deeper and more visceral, which is a primordial admiration for the profane and perverted, this kind of low, crass culture being unexpectedly effective when done well. If we can overlook the third act, and instead focus on the earlier portions of the film, where it is at its most delightfully off-putting and mean-spirited, we can understand not only the appeal of its star, but the overall brilliance that it possessed, especially in how it was an entire film spun from the simplest and most bizarre of ideas. As disappointing as it may get towards the end, there’s very little way to deny that My 5 Wives is wildly entertaining at the best of moments, which is where it flourishes and proves to have a lot more promise than many have initially anticipated. It’s sometimes quite harsh, and its politics are not only dated, but outright contradictory, especially for a film produced at the threshold of the 21st century – and yet we find ourselves growing oddly affectionate towards this film, since even at its most controversial moments, it represents a kind of cynical comedy that is genuinely quite appealing, particularly in how it challenges us to separate our personal belief from our capacity to just enjoy something so morally putrid and politically incorrect. In a landscape driven by the idea that comedy needs to consistently be respectful and cannot ever dare to court controversy, there’s value in a film that actively tries to ruffle as many feathers as possible, which is a perfect summary of what My 5 Wives represents, especially to those who understand the difference between intentionally challenging the boundaries of good taste, and outright being offensive, the distinction being made very clear throughout this odd but delightfully entertaining comedy.