You know the beat. You can probably feel your neck muscles twitching just thinking about it. Haddaway’s "What Is Love" starts thumping, and suddenly two guys in shiny rayon suits are rhythmically hitting their heads against their own shoulders. It's ridiculous. It's over-the-top. Honestly, it’s one of the most specific bits of physical comedy to ever come out of Saturday Night Live.
But here’s the thing about A Night at the Roxbury.
When it hit theaters in 1998, critics absolutely trashed it. Rotten Tomatoes was not kind. They called it thin, repetitive, and proof that a three-minute sketch can't survive a 90-minute runtime. Yet, if you walk into any wedding reception or retro club today and that song comes on, at least five people are going to do "the move."
The movie followed Steve and Doug Butabi, played by Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan. They were losers. Total outsiders who thought they were the kings of the Los Angeles club scene. They lived with their parents, worked at a fake plant shop, and spent their nights getting rejected by bouncers at the hottest spots on the Sunset Strip.
Why the Roxbury Guys still feel relevant
Most people think the movie is just about the dancing. It isn't. It’s actually a pretty weirdly sweet story about brotherhood and the desperate desire to belong to something "cool."
We’ve all been there.
Maybe you didn't wear a floral print shirt unbuttoned to your navel, but you’ve definitely felt that anxiety of standing outside the velvet ropes of life. The Butabi brothers are blissfully unaware of their own failure. That’s the magic. They have this impenetrable shield of confidence that only comes from being slightly dim-witted and having your best friend by your side.
Will Ferrell was just starting to become Will Ferrell back then. You can see the flashes of the absurdist energy that would later define Anchorman and Step Brothers. Chris Kattan brought a hyper-kinetic, almost feline energy to Doug. Together, they created a duo that was annoying but somehow impossible to hate.
The Cameos and the Chaos
Let’s talk about Molly Shannon. She plays Emily Sanderson, the neighbor who is basically being forced into an arranged marriage with Steve by their parents (played by Dan Hedaya and Loni Anderson). The "wedding" scene is pure chaos.
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Then you have Richard Grieco. Playing himself.
He’s the one who actually gets them into the Roxbury after a minor car accident. It’s such a specific 90s reference. Grieco was the "cool guy" from 21 Jump Street, and seeing him play a slightly washed-up version of himself who just wants to avoid a lawsuit is gold.
The film also features a very young Jennifer Coolidge and a brief appearance by Chazz Palminteri as the club owner, Benny Zadir. It’s a stacked cast for a movie about two guys who can’t stop nodding.
The "What Is Love" Phenomenon
The soundtrack did a lot of the heavy lifting. While the Haddaway track is the anthem, the movie is a time capsule of Eurodance and late-90s pop. We're talking Amber, La Bouche, and Ace of Base.
Music supervisor Eloise Chietti leaned hard into the "Euro-trash" aesthetic. It worked. The rhythm of the movie is dictated by the 120 BPM tempo of those tracks.
Interestingly, the "head-bob" wasn't just a random invention for the movie. It started on the SNL stage. The original sketches often featured a third guest host—Jim Carrey being the most famous—who would join the brothers in their synchronized nodding. Carrey’s performance in that sketch is legendary because he brought a level of facial contortion that even Ferrell couldn't match.
What most people get wrong about the production
There’s a common myth that the movie was a massive flop.
Actually, it made about $30 million on a $17 million budget. It wasn't a blockbuster, but it was a solid "hit" for the era of mid-budget comedies. It found its real life on VHS and DVD. It became a sleepover staple.
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People also forget that Amy Heckerling—the director of Clueless and Fast Times at Ridgemont High—produced it. She had a knack for capturing subcultures, even ones as goofy as the "club rat" scene. The movie was directed by John Fortenberry, but it has Heckerling’s fingerprints all over the costume design and the satirical take on social hierarchies.
The suits were a character of their own. Costume designer Mona May, who also did Clueless, chose fabrics that looked like they would melt if they got too close to a cigarette. Polyester, lamé, and various synthetics that screamed "I’m trying too hard."
The Butabi Philosophy
Steve and Doug aren't trying to hurt anyone. They just want to open their own club. They want a place with a cool exterior that looks like a "high-end boutique" but is actually a club.
Their ideas were actually ahead of their time.
Think about it. Today, we have "speakeasies" hidden behind laundromats and phone booths. The Butabis wanted a club that was a "gym during the day and a club at night." That’s basically just CrossFit with better lighting. They were visionaries in the most ridiculous way possible.
The Impact on Modern Comedy
Without the success of these types of SNL movies—even the ones that critics hated—we might not have gotten the more experimental comedies of the 2000s. It proved there was an audience for "vibe" movies.
Movies where the plot is secondary to the characters' specific quirks.
You can see the DNA of the Butabi brothers in characters like Zoolander or even the Napoleon Dynamite crew. It’s that celebration of the weirdo. It’s the idea that being uncool is actually okay as long as you have a partner in crime.
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Living the Roxbury Life: Practical Takeaways
If you're looking to revisit the film or just want to channel that energy, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, the fashion is back. Believe it or not, the oversized, bold-print shirts and shiny fabrics of the late 90s are cycling through thrift stores and high-end runways again. You can unironically wear a Butabi-style shirt now and people will just think you’re into "vintage streetwear."
Second, don't take the club scene too seriously. The whole point of the movie is mocking the gatekeeping of nightlife. If you’re standing in line for two hours to get into a place where the drinks cost $25, you are the joke. The Butabis were happy just sitting in their car eating Credit Card cookies.
Finally, find your person. The movie works because of the chemistry between the two leads. It’s a buddy comedy at its core. Whether you're hitting the gym, trying a new hobby, or actually going out, having someone who matches your energy—no matter how weird that energy is—is the real win.
How to watch it today
You can usually find the film on Paramount+ or for rent on the major digital stores. It’s best watched with a group of friends and maybe some neon-colored drinks.
Don't go into it expecting a cinematic masterpiece. It’s a 90-minute sketch. But it’s a sketch with a lot of heart, a lot of hair gel, and a soundtrack that will stay stuck in your head for the next three days.
Just try not to hurt your neck.
Next Steps for Fans of 90s Comedy:
- Watch the Jim Carrey SNL Sketch: If you’ve only seen the movie, go back to the source material. The December 1996 episode of SNL features the definitive version of the Roxbury guys.
- Explore the Soundtrack: Beyond "What Is Love," tracks like "Beautiful Life" by Ace of Base and "Be My Lover" by La Bouche are essential for any 90s dance playlist.
- Look for the Easter Eggs: Watch closely for the scene in the boutique where the brothers try on hats; much of that was improvised and shows the raw comedic timing Ferrell and Kattan had at the time.
- Research the "Groundlings" History: Both actors developed their characters at The Groundlings improv theater in LA. Looking into their early sketches gives you a great look at how these characters evolved from stage to screen.
The movie is a relic, sure. But it’s a fun one. It reminds us that sometimes, you just need to put on a shiny suit and dance like nobody—or everyone—is watching.