The Raspberry Brothers

"Luckily the world has a crew of comedians to skewer flagrant abuses of celluloid...the talented team of the Raspberry Brothers!"

-Houston Press - Houston Press

"I've yet to leave one of their shows without laughing my ass off."

-NY Improv Resource Center - New York Improv Resource Center

"Do you miss Mystery Science Theater 3000? See The Raspberry Brothers with microphones in hand, screening bad movies and mocking them throughout!"

-Time Out New York


- Time Out New York

Cultural recycling continues apace. A year after “Mystery Science Theater 3000” went off the air, Jeremy Pollet, a New York-born performer known to his friends as Jerm, started a similar event at a big independent theater in Austin, Tex. Like “Mystery Science Theater,” his group, Mr. Sinus Theater, and later the Sinus Show, poked fun at schlocky movies, but they did it live, selling out weekends at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema for years. Eventually Mr. Pollet, 37, was approached by the Clearview Cinemas chain; six months ago he moved back to New York, and now his new show, The Raspberry Brothers, will be playing at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays at the Clearview in Chelsea. (This weekend’s offering is “Dirty Dancing.”)

In Austin Mr. Pollet also owned an Italian ice business, but he has no fallback plan here. How did he uncover his talent for movie commentary? “Since I was a young child, I’ve had the ability to focus on things in the background,” he said. “I was a spaced-out child. I suppose people call that attention deficit disorder, but I call it a job now.” He spent months auditioning comedians to be new Raspberry Brothers (above, from left, Aaron Glaser, Johnny McNulty, Scott Rogowsky and Mr. Pollet).

Though the aim is to make their riffing appear improvised, it’s actually heavily scripted. “It’s a pretty organic process,” Mr. Pollet said. “It’s just three guys hanging out in a room, maybe drinking some beers, maybe there’s a chicken burrito, and we just joke around over a movie and record it. Then we go back, write down our favorite lines, and watch it over and over again.” He’s seen “Dirty Dancing” nearly 100 times. “I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for the dance musical pictures from my childhood — some of my favorite films to play with are ‘Dirty Dancing,’ ‘Flashdance,’ ‘Footloose,’ ” he said. “Any movie that takes itself seriously is right for mockery.”

Not that he is laughing at the movies, exactly. “You spend enough time with a film, and you learn to love it,” he said. How long until someone makes a joke about Jennifer Grey’s nose job? “I think just past the opening credits,” Mr. Pollet said. (Friday and Saturday at midnight, Clearview Cinemas, 260 West 23rd Street, Chelsea, 212-691-5519, clearviewcinemas.com or raspberrybrothers.com; $15.)

MELENA RYZIK - The New York Times

Voted "Best Comedy Act for the University Setting."

-Study Breaks, the most popular national college magazine. - Study Breaks

"The can't miss hit of the year, the must see ticket of the millennium. And why not? These three guys prove that comic actors can be strong, sassy, and above all - fashionable!"

(Voted Best Comedy Act 3 years in a row!)

- Austin Chronicle "Best of" Award issue.

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"We hate people who talk during movies, unless they're really funny!
And these guys are! If you miss the old Mystery Science Theater 3000 (and who doesn't?) then these sarcastic quipsters, working live without a net, will do your heart good."

-J.C Shakespeare, Austin Chronicle - Austin Chronicle

This is THE funniest show I have seen in a very long time. Every time I go I laugh solidly for the full 2 hours the movie plays. The show is extremely therapeutic for any difficult situations you may be facing at the time.

-City Scoops, NY - City Scoops, NY

Where comedy is concerned, it's hard to go wrong with a cast of writers and comedians whos credits include both Saturday Night Live and the Onion and that kind of talent is exactly what's behind the Raspberry Brothers!

-Flavorpill, NYC - Flavorpill, NYC