Dana Carvey builds characters from precise vocal rhythms and physical habits. We like him best beside Mike Myers in Wayne's World, where he can be ridiculous without having to sustain every joke himself.
Fi1m perspective
Garth Algar's awkward enthusiasm is a large part of the pleasure of Wayne's World (1992). Carvey and Mike Myers, as Wayne Campbell, let these two be ridiculous without constantly asking us to congratulate them on it. We laughed at the abrupt 'not' reversals because the second half of the joke simply knocks down the first. The joke gets less funny with repetition, but we do not need the pair to say something clever to enjoy their company.
Carvey's years on Saturday Night Live (1986–1993) established the method: give a character a particular voice and way of moving. The prudish Church Lady and his Johnny Carson impression show how much of his comedy depends on mannerisms and vocal rhythm. Those are skills suited to a sketch, where a recognisable person can be established quickly. A film needs somewhere to take them once the audience has got the idea.
In Wayne's World, director Penelope Spheeris supplies that movement by keeping the sight gags brisk and letting other performers interrupt the double act. Tia Carrere's Cassandra has enough presence to stand alongside them, while Rob Lowe's Benjamin Kane gives us a change of company. Carvey benefits from a film that knows when to look elsewhere. The juvenile dialogue sometimes amounts to the whole joke, and some of the jokes at women's expense are lazy. Even so, the interruptions keep the central pairing from becoming exhausting.
Garth returned in Wayne's World 2 (1993), followed by a less successful move into leading film roles, including Clean Slate (1994). Carvey created the short-lived sketch series The Dana Carvey Show (1996). The Master of Disguise (2002) became another poorly received film built around him. The uneven move from sketches to film leads suggests how much he benefits from a partner and a director who can vary the pace.
His later work has concentrated on stand-up, animation voices and occasional returns to Saturday Night Live. We would still start with Spheeris's film, for the simple pleasure of Carvey and Myers being foolish together. If the first exchanges irritate, there is no particular reason to keep going.
Biography
Dana Carvey is an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was a cast member on the sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1993, where he was known for his impressions and characters including the Church Lady.
Carvey played Garth Algar opposite Mike Myers in the 1992 film Wayne's World and its 1993 sequel. He has appeared in other comedies including Moving (1988), Opportunity Knocks (1990), Trapped in Paradise (1994) and The Master of Disguise (2002), and has provided voice work for animated films such as The Secret Life of Pets (2016). He studied at San Francisco State University.
