Contains about enough laugh-out-loud sight gags and non sequiturs to justify what it demands of a viewer's time and money.

Fans of unashamedly low-brow comedies may well be amused by the eccentricities of Cabin Boy, but more conventional viewers should probably beware.

Chris Elliott is appallingly bad as the title character. Although his role cries out for an over-the- top performance, Elliott's grating personae cancels out any positive contributions he can offer in that area.

As a condescening moron who natters on non-stop in this simplistic comedy, Elliott doesn't just wear out his welcome, he nukes it. [14 Jan 1994]

Few comedies have worked this hard to make everyone on screen look this dumb.

The problem is that it doesn't find a lot of laughs in much of anything, referential or otherwise. [7 Jan 1994]

[Chris Elliott]'s spoof of a young seaman's apprenticeship seems desperate as he piles special effects willy-nilly atop jibes at stupid old salts. [14 Jan 1994]

All this is bizarre without being funny. [7 Jan 1994, p.C12]

Obnoxious, snide and pointless , this ill-fated spoof carries the bonus of being as crude and gamy as the hold of an old fishing barge.

It is possible to watch 90 minutes of this comedy without once cracking a smile. [12 Jan 1994]