A Classic Adam Sandler And Brendan Fraser Comedy Is Impossible To Stream Today

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

In Michael Lehemann's 1994 comedy "Airheads," Brendan Fraser plays Chazz Darby, the lead guitarist and lead singer of the struggling local heavy metal band The Lone Rangers. His bandmates are Rex (Steve Buscemi) and Pip (Adam Sandler), and they are all becoming increasingly frustrated with the Los Angeles music scene. No one will give them a gig, and they simply cannot manage to arrange their Big Break. Indeed, they've been stuck in a rut for so long that Chazz's girlfriend Kayla (Amy Locane) has kicked him out of their apartment.

As a last resort, the Lone Rangers go to a local radio station with their demo tape, hoping to beg the DJ (Joe Mantegna) and station manager (Michael McKean) to give it some airplay. Neither man is impressed with the Lone Rangers, however, forcing them to take drastic measures. They then extract guns from their bag and take the radio station hostage. They will get their Big Break, even if they have to threaten gunplay. Of course, the Lone Rangers are actually gentle, kind dudes at heart, so their guns are actually only squirt guns filled with hot sauce. They won't be able to hurt anyone, but they can certainly distract some attackers by squirting them in the eyeballs. Naturally, there are further plot complications. The tape they bring in gets wrecked, and Chazz has to call up his old girlfriend and beg for a demo cassette he once gave her. Meanwhile, the police gather outside.

If you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket, you can mail-order DVDs and VHS cassettes of "Airheads" from Amazon. Sadly, that will be the only way you can see "Airheads," as the film is currently not available to stream or rent on any service.

Although "Airheads" is a genial mid-level 1990s comedy, its cast is stacked with talent. In addition to giant actors like Fraser, Buscemi, Sandler, Mantegna, and McKean, the cast also boasts some of the best known comedic actors of the day. The late Chris Farley plays one of the cops outside the station, and he has a notably painful scene wherein he rips out a punk's nipple ring. The radio station employees are similarly recognizable. The station accountant is played by Michael Richards, right in the middle of his award-winning run on "Seinfeld," and David Arquette has a small role as a random radio guy. Elsewhere, Judd Nelson plays a smarmy music executive, and the legendary Harold Ramis plays an undercover cop. Likewise, the cop in charge of the hostage situation is portrayed by Ernie Hudson.

The cameos are also plentiful. Mike Judge voices his famous Beavis and Butt-Head characters, who call into the radio station, meaning that "Airheads" technically takes place in the same universe as the "Beavis and Butt-Head" TV series. The band White Zombie even shows up in a bar scene, while Kurt Loder plays himself in one scene, and Lemmy from Motörhead plays a school magazine editor.

The general consensus on "Airheads" seems to be a widespread team of Gen-Xers repeating "Oh yeah, I liked that when I saw it on cable." It's a well-liked movie, even if it was a bomb at the box office. (It only made $5 million in theaters against its $15 million budget.) It's affable, fun, and pleasant. "Airheads," however, was disliked by critics, and many felt that its satire of the music industry could have been much sharper; it was too whimsical for its own good.

The film boasted an awesome soundtrack, though, and its soundtrack sales may have offset some of the movie's financial losses. It features Lemmy, of course, as well as a cover of Van Halen's "I'm the One" by 4 Non Blondes. Many notable '90s bands also appear, including Primus, Candlebox, Prong, Dig, and Stick. The Lone Rangers' own song –"Degenerated" — appears on the album as well. It's an engaging album of era-appropriate alterna-rock tracks and proper headbangers. White Zombie's "Feed the Gods" is on there too, naturally.

The setting is equally amusing. "Airheads" was filmed at the Fox Plaza in Los Angeles, which served as the Nakatomi Plaza building in "Die Hard."

But it's not online. Amazon has stated that the rights have expired. The film was distributed by Fox, which means the ball is now in Disney's court. Sadly, because the movie bombed so hard, and because it was critically panned, there seems to be little impetus for Disney to make the extra effort to put "Airheads" on Hulu or Disney+. Recall that the film made worst-of lists at the end of 1994, so there doesn't seem to be a lot of demand.

But one might be able to sell it on star power alone. Fraser is now an Oscar winner for his work on "The Whale," Buscemi has won Emmys, and Sandler remains one of moviedom's most bankable stars (in addition to being an Emmy and Grammy nominee). Sandler is also one of the most nominated actors in Razzie history, which is a dubious honor unto itself. Meanwhile, Farley and Ramis are beloved late stars, and Mantegna and McKean's performances are always worth appreciating. Come on, Disney. Let's see it.