Quartile rating: 5/10 · 1 rating
On Quartile, Nothing But Trouble scores 5/10 across five categories — strongest on Plot (Below Average).
While attempting to seduce gorgeous lawyer Diane Lightson, wealthy gadabout Chris Thorne agrees to drive her to Atlantic City, N.J. But, when some reckless driving draws the attention of a deeply critical cop, they and the flamboyant "Brazillionaires" who tagged along end up in the court of a grotesque and vengeful judge, who has a special vendetta against the wealthy and erudite.
Nothing But Trouble is a genuinely singular cinematic oddity — Dan Aykroyd's passion project is so aggressively strange, so committed to its grotesque carnival-haunted-house vision, that it defies easy categorization. The production design and practical creature effects are memorably bizarre and visually inventive, earning above-average marks for cinematography and a rare high Novelty score for sheer one-of-a-kind weirdness. However, the plot is thin and meandering — essentially a premise stretched into a feature with little narrative momentum. The acting is broad to the point of embarrassing, with Aykroyd buried under prosthetics delivering a performance that alienates rather than charms, and even Chevy Chase and Demi Moore seem adrift. The ending deflates rather than satisfies. This is a cult curio that fails commercially and narratively but succeeds as a truly unrepeatable fever dream.