TOUR DE PHARMACY is a far tighter comedy routine than 7 DAYS IN HELL and that is what makes it work. The tennis mockumentary had a few moments that seemed added bits to flesh it out to 43 minutes where this spoof of the Tour De France is a solid 41 minutes of well-placed humor and no padding.
Not only does it offer the spoof in a fit, fun package, but it utilizes its cast very well. And the most underplayed is Andy Samberg himself I thought. Most characters had two actors; one playing out the race in 1982 and one reflecting on it today. For example, Danny Glover played an older Daveed Diggs, Dolph Lungren as older John Cena, Jeff Goldblum as older Andy Samberg and Julia Ormond played an older Freddie Highmore. Not a typo there, Julia’s character wanted to race in a male-dominated field so disguised herself as male. Just one gimmick that fleshes out this witty show.
The whole premise lies on the thought that no one was concerned about drug testing and all these colorful characters are out to win it, each with their own style. Inner cut that with great commentary from Mike Tyson, Kevin Bacon and, the biggest get of the show, Lance Armstrong. His scenes alone are a hilarious gag. He is on camera to talk about pro cycling and that specific 1982 race complete with modulated voice and sitting in low lighting as not to be seen. But, his face is discernible anyway.
Hey, this piece isn’t a review, just a reminder that TOUR DE PHARMACY is still available on HBO and its streaming sites. It does have some racy R-rated material so if seeing Cena raise and shake a nude man over his head before earned. Very simply it is a fun, fun time. So much so, that you will hope Samberg and company find another sport to spoof real soon.
