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Briefly, a group of people are sealed into a Bio-Dome which is supposed to be a miniature self-sufficient ecology, sealed off from the outside world. One of these people is played by Pauly Shore. Allegedly, Hilarity Ensues.
In more detail: Bud Macintosh (Shore) and Doyle Johnson (Stephen Baldwin) are your average slackers, neither particularly bright, nor particularly attractive. Somehow they managed to get hot girlfriends, Monique and Jen (played respectively by Joey Lauren Adams and Teresa Hill). The two girls are very interested in environmental efforts and quite fed-up with the two slackers' indifference towards it.
While traveling in the Arizona desert, our not-too-bright duo discover the Bio-Dome. A group of scientists is about to be sealed inside for a year for research purposes. The duo decides it is a new mall and enters just before the building is sealed. Now the scientists have to endure the many ways the duo are destroying the environment within the Dome, while the lady scientists have just met their new stalkers. Not that the guys want to cheat on their girlfriends, they act as if flirting with any attractive woman is obligatory. Sleeping with her is not. Among the few actually named scientists is Dr. Petra von Kant (Kylie Minogue).
The film was not a box office hit, earning only about $13,427,615 in the United States market, the 107th most successful film of its year. It was critically scorned as well. Besides major criticism at the time of its release, it is still well remembered enough for several critics and sites to list it among their least-favorite films.
- Abusive Parents: In one flashback, Doyle's mom is seen drowning Bud to teach them how to hold their breath for several minutes at a time. Probably explains why they act like they're brain damaged.
- Affectionate Parody: Johnny Bravo did a spoof of this movie in one episode. Naturally, it turned out far better than its source material.
- Aluminum Christmas Trees: See Very Loosely Based on a True Story below.
- Did Not Do the Research: An airtight, completely self sufficient research station probably wouldn't have a back door with the key in it, which looks less solid and secure than most screen doors.
- They do in Pauly Shore movies. It's pretty obviously intended to be unrealistic and silly, since even Bud and Doyle, dimbulbs that they are, announce "No waaaay" in a tone that says even they find it ridiculous.
- Green Aesop: A relatively subtle and intelligent one.
- Hot Scientist: Dr. Petra von Kant.
- Idiot Houdini: Bud and Doyle.
- Jerkass: Again, Bud and Doyle.
- Leave the Camera Running: A whole chunk of the film is centered on our two "heroes" participating in unfunny stuff that contributes absolutely nothing to the plot.
- Loud of War: Subverted when the police try to get the protagonists out of the dome by blasting Men Without Hats' "The Safety Dance". It doesn't work; it just means they have a rhythm as they fix the place up.
- In a shout out to the music video, it also causes a dancing midget to suddenly show up...
- Protagonist-Centered Morality
- Black Comedy Rape
- Stoner Flick
- Swallow the Key: One of the characters does this, swallowing the key to the biodome in order to keep the project going.
- Too Dumb to Live: The main characters.
- Totally Radical: The main characters, again. After all, this is set in The Nineties.
- Even for the 90's, it was way over the top and unbelievable.
- Very Loosely Based on a True Story: Several experiments were done with self-contained ecologies (the most famous, the Biosphere, obviously being the inspiration for the title), but that's about it.