What makes good burger so good?

Ask any 90’s kid what the quintessential children’s film from that decade was & they will inevitably respond with a simple response: good burger. It is indubitably loved by fans around the world but what exactly is it about the film that has made it such a definitive cult classic for a quarter of a century now? As we approach the 25th anniversary of the film, what better time to delve back into this bygone era & explore one of (if not, the) best children’s movie(s) of all time?

The film was the lovechild of producer, Dan Schneider, & CEO of both Paramount & Nick, Brian Robbins. Putting aside the controversy surrounding Dan, the idea stemmed from its origins on all that. It was clear Kenan & Kel had a great deal of chemistry & they wondered whether this could easily translate over to the big screen. Thus was born the idea for making good burger into a motion picture (presumably taking a page out of the snl playbook). While Ed was always intended to carry over to the big screen, it was decided Kenan’s character was not the best fit for a full-length feature (although why is unclear). Thus, we said goodbye to lester oakes, construction worker & hello to dexter reed, high school student & ultimately, I think that was the right call in the end. As we see later on in the film, lori beth denberg reprises her role as motormouth connie muldoon, & while this is one of my favorite cameos in the film, it does prove my point that most of those sketch characters only work in small doses on the silver screen. If she had been in the entire film, we’d have to watch it at 0.25 speed just to understand the majority of the dialogue.

What’s incredible about the film is they were able to wrap shooting in just six weeks from early March to around mid-April. So technically most of it was not in fact shot during the summer but it was still warm enough that they could probably get away with making it seem like it was. & sure, part of the appeal was the cameos which featured everyone from carmen electra to shaq to even george clinton as a mental patient (something I never knew I wanted to see until I got it). The film even has j august richards as griffin, one of kurt’s henchmen & as a huge angel fan growing up, I could not have been more grateful to see him in this. Beyond that, the film features brief cameos from linda cardellini (who went on to have a successful career) & sinbad (not so much) as his teacher. But combine all of these 90’s-themed cameos together & you’ve got the makings of a great supporting cast.

But as great as it is to see shaq on live tv going on & on about how much he enjoys good food, george dancing to one of his own songs or even sinbad wishing he had walked home on the last day of school, what made the film the powerhouse it was is the undeniable chemistry of the dynamic duo, Kenan & Kel. What so many fans love about this series is you have these two guys who couldn’t be more different & drive each other up the wall (mostly dexter) but by the end, have become the best of friends. & it’s not unearned either; we see throughout the film how their willingness to take down mondo burger is what brings them together & help them understand each other a bit more. Sure, they have different motivations (dexter trying to pay off his teacher & ed just wanting to keep the lights on) but once dexter realizes how much good burger means to ed & once ed notices how dexter cares much more about the people around him than he’d care to admit, it helps them to see they’re not so different after all.

Combine this with some of the wacky hijinks we’ve come to expect from nick & you have the recipe for a classic film that endures for decades to come. Whether it’s five clowns using a dog to try & seek help when their car breaks down or trying to escape from a psych ward using what’s essentially a real-life version of bane, there was no shortage of amusing shenanigans for the audience to enjoy. Part of the magic of the film was their ability to toe the line between heart & humor so seamlessly that you felt every bit of emotion on the roller coaster ride that is good burger. Even some of the minor characters proved to be as endearing as the leads. Whether it was josh server as the happy-go-lucky fizz or abe vigoda as the cantankerous & sardonic otis, they manage to play their parts to perfection so there’s something to love for everyone regardless of your personality. Even the female supporting characters such as monique & roxanne, who could’ve easily been written as one-note love interests, come across as three-dimensional characters with unique personalities & aspirations.

& of course I’d probably be remiss if I didn’t mention the main antagonist. I do think it would’ve been better if we got a bit more backstory on him to understand why he’s so adamant about not just making mondo burger thrive but also putting his adjacent competition out of business. I mean obviously every business owner wants their business to succeed but he takes it to such extremes that you have to figure there’s more it than meets the eye. But setting that aside, part of what makes him a good villain in a comedic film is the fact that while he is portrayed as evil, it also comes off as somewhat amusing. Whether it’s yelling at his underlings to increase the size of his already huge hamburgers or trying to dumb down his vernacular so Ed can understand, you just can’t help but laugh or at least crack a smile. But I would argue he is at his best when interacting with someone he can actually match wits with e.g. Dexter.

I think a big part of it too is merely the relatability of it all due to its ubiquity. Even if you’ve never set foot in a fast-food restaurant in your life, you are undoubtedly familiar with the concepts & cliches behind it all (due to the fact that they’re on pretty much every block) which means just about any person on the planet can walk out of that film satisfied & contented regardless of their background. Because they understand the notion of fast food, they can relate to it on a deeper level. It’s all these factors that coalesce to create one of the greatest films of all time.

So what does the future hold? Well, it’s impossible to say. The dynamic duo have both expressed interest in reprising their roles but there is nothing currently in the works. There were whisperings about a potential sequel, reboot or even an animated series on paramount+ but honestly even if we never return to good burger, that’s totally fine by me. Because we can rest easy at night knowing our childhood was made awesome by the lightning in a bottle that is good burger & that’s something no one can ever take away from us.