Men at Work (1990) was chosen by co-host Chris, and it’s a perfect fit for his love of oddball comedies from the VHS era. Written and directed by Emilio Estevez, the film was a true family affair — with Estevez not only helming the project but also starring alongside his real-life brother, Charlie Sheen. Coming off the back of their late-’80s fame from Young Guns and Wall Street, the pair teamed up for a buddy comedy that blended slapstick humor, blue-collar chaos, and a dash of political satire. Produced by Epic Productions and distributed by Triumph Releasing (a Columbia Pictures subsidiary), Men at Work was Estevez’s second outing as a writer-director, following his 1986 drama Wisdom. The project gave him the freedom to craft a film that played directly to the chemistry he shared with his brother — the same mix of bravado and goofiness that made it a cult favorite among fans of early-’90s video store comedies.
Filmed primarily around Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach, California, Men at Work embraced the laid-back coastal vibe of Southern California. The shoot was relatively quick and low-budget by Hollywood standards, with much of the film’s tone shaped through improvisation between Estevez and Sheen. The movie’s soundtrack captured the spirit of the late ’80s and early ’90s, featuring a mix of surf rock, funk, and classic rock tracks. While it didn’t make waves critically, Men at Work found a second life on VHS and cable television, where its offbeat humor and brotherly banter turned it into a nostalgic favorite. Today, it stands as a snapshot of a more carefree era in comedy filmmaking — a time when movies about two guys, a truck, and a ridiculous situation could carry an entire Friday night rental.
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Trailer Guy Plot Summary
They’re brothers. They’re garbage men. And they’ve just picked up more than they bargained for.
Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez star in the ultimate blue-collar buddy comedy — where trash day turns into doomsday. Between the laughs, the chases, and the chaos, these two underdogs are about to clean up the streets… one bad guy at a time.
Men at Work — crime, comedy, and complete rubbish.
Fun Facts
Men at Work was originally written as a dark political thriller, but Emilio Estevez reworked it into a comedy after deciding it would work better as a light-hearted buddy film.
Estevez reportedly wrote the first draft of the script in the mid-1980s, years before the film was made, while he was still working on The Breakfast Club (1985).
The movie’s tagline — "Garbage men by day. Detectives by night." — was coined late in production as a tongue-in-cheek nod to 1980s action clichés.
Estevez cast real-life surfer and character actor Keith David as Louis Fedders, the paranoid war veteran, after seeing his intense performance in John Carpenter’s They Live (1988).
The garbage truck used in the movie became something of a collector’s item among fans and was later used in several low-budget TV shows filmed in California.
Charlie Sheen’s character’s surfboard was custom-made by a local Hermosa Beach surf shop, and Estevez let Sheen keep it after filming.
The film’s theme song, “I’m Gonna Use What I Got,” was performed by The Rude Boys, adding to the film’s distinctive late-’80s funk-rock vibe.
Estevez and Sheen performed many of their own stunts, including the beach chase sequences, to save on the production budget.
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