What if Amadeus and There’s Something About Mary had a baby—and fed it nothing but yogurt enemas? In this episode of Movie Memory Machine, Landen and Truman dive headfirst into The Road to Wellville (1994), a baffling, big-budget health spa satire starring Anthony Hopkins as cereal tycoon Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in a performance that must be heard to be believed.
Directed by Alan Parker (Evita, Pink Floyd: The Wall) and based on the novel by T.C. Boyle, this forgotten 90s movie is part cult curio, part studio misfire, and entirely unlike anything else. We unpack its shocking budget, overloaded cast, box office faceplant, and why this bizarre film might actually be the missing link in the history of adult-targeted Hollywood comedies.
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Matthew Broderick, Bridget Fonda, Dana Carvey, John Cusack, Colm Meaney, Lara Flynn Boyle
Directed by: Alan Parker
Written by: Alan Parker, based on the novel by T.C. Boyle
What We Cover:
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Forgotten 90s movies with giant budgets and no audience
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Anthony Hopkins’ most unhinged role (yes, more than The Father)
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The real Dr. Kellogg: eugenics, gut flora, and wellness gone wrong
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Why Alan Parker followed The Commitments with this
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1990s retro-futurism and health fads on screen
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Studio comedies for grown-ups: a dead genre?
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Dana Carvey’s physical comedy masterclass
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The box office bomb and bizarre marketing strategy
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Does this film deserve cult classic status—or a yogurt cleanse?
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Our final verdict: back to modern memory, or leave it forgotten?
Links & More:
🌐 Website: https://www.moviememorymachine.com
💥 Patreon: https://patreon.com/gruntworkpod
📽 Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/moviememorypod/
Subscribe to Movie Memory Machine for weekly deep dives into forgotten films, underseen bombs, and baffling studio choices that time tried to erase.
If you love forgotten 90s movies, cult comedies, and Anthony Hopkins giving 110%, this episode is for you.
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