Cast Of A Night At The Roxbury
A few years ago, I tried the Roxbury head-bob at a cousin’s wedding. My neck made a sound like a rusty gate, and the DJ immediately switched to “What Is Love.” That’s the stra...
A few years ago, I tried the Roxbury head-bob at a cousin’s wedding. My neck made a sound like a rusty gate, and the DJ immediately switched to “What Is Love.” That’s the strange power of A Night at the Roxbury: one ridiculous sketch became a cult movie with a cast that is absurdly stacked.
You probably remember the Butabi brothers, Steve and Doug. You might not remember everyone else who wandered through their velvet-rope fever dream. So let’s give the ensemble its due, one head-bob at a time.
The Brothers Who Started It All
Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan play Steve and Doug Butabi, two club-hopping brothers with more hair gel than sense. They originated the characters on Saturday Night Live, where the sketch was basically a repeated gag about bad dancing and worse luck. The movie rests entirely on their synchronized idiocy, and somehow it works.
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Ferrell’s post-Roxbury career is, well, history; he became one of the biggest comedy stars on the planet, from Anchorman to Elf to everything else. Kattan took a stranger path, but his commitment to Doug’s clueless enthusiasm is genuinely funny. You can practically smell the cologne through the screen.
The Parents Steal Every Scene They’re In
Dan Hedaya plays Kamehl Butabi, the brothers’ perpetually disappointed father. Loni Anderson plays Barbara, their mom, who seems to exist in a completely different, much sunnier movie. Together, they turn a dumb comedy into a weirdly functional family portrait.
Hedaya is a character actor’s character actor, with roles in Cheers, Blood Simple, and roughly a thousand other things where he glowers magnificently. Here, he gets to glower at his grown sons while they practice their dance moves in the living room. It’s a small role, but he owns it.
Anderson, meanwhile, was already TV royalty from WKRP in Cincinnati. Her Barbara is sweet, distracted, and oddly tolerant of the chaos around her. If you’ve ever wondered where the Butabi brothers got their delusion, look at mom.
A Night At The Roxbury
Molly Shannon, Richard Grieco, and the Club Crew
Molly Shannon plays Emily Sanderson, a love interest for Doug and a fellow SNL alum. She brings a sweet, slightly unhinged energy that balances Kattan’s manic routine. Their scenes together are goofy, but they have a genuine charm.
Richard Grieco plays himself, which is a perfect joke. The Butabi brothers worship him as the ultimate cool guy, and Grieco commits to the bit with a straight face. It’s the kind of cameo that could have been embarrassing, but somehow it’s endearing.
Colin Quinn shows up as Dooey, the club doorman who refuses to let the brothers in. Michael Clarke Duncan appears as a bouncer, using his imposing presence for comedy. Elisa Donovan and Gigi Rice play club dates.
Jennifer Coolidge pops up in a small role as a hottie cop. Yes, that Jennifer Coolidge. She’s already stealing scenes with a single look.
Chazz Palminteri plays Mr. Zadir, a club owner with questionable patience. Eva Mendes appears in an early, tiny role as a bridesmaid. It’s a game of “Hey, it’s that person!” before you even realize you’re playing.
Night At The Roxbury Cast _ Une Nuit Au Roxbury Scène – FJCY
A Few More Names to Watch For
Dwayne Hickman, best known as TV’s Dobie Gillis, plays Emily’s father. Lochlyn Munro shows up as Craig, a club guy with great hair and questionable intentions. Mark McKinney, another SNL veteran, plays a priest, because of course he does.
Raquel Gardner appears as a hot girl, and yes, that’s a real credit. The movie is packed with tiny roles that feel like Easter eggs for comedy nerds. You could pause it every five minutes and find someone you recognize from something else.
Why the Cast Still Matters
A Night at the Roxbury is not a masterpiece. It’s a 90-minute sketch stretched into a feature, held together by silly wigs and a killer soundtrack. But the cast is a time capsule of late-’90s comedy, and a bridge to the stars we know now.
Ferrell became a legend, while Kattan remained a cult favorite. Shannon, Coolidge, and Mendes went on to huge careers. Even the small roles are filled with people who would later pop up everywhere.
So next time you hear “What Is Love,” don’t fight it. Do the head-bob, but maybe stretch first. Your neck will thank you, and the Butabi brothers would definitely approve.
