‘Half Baked’ Features a Classic Bob Saget Cameo, Yet ‘Dirty Work’ Might Be Most Under Appreciated Thing He Gave Us

Earlier this week, Bob Saget left us at the age of 65. Saget was made famous as the all-American dad-type on TV shows such as Full House and America’s Funniest Home Videos. In truth, he was America’s dad. But like most dads, he had a raunchy side.

Bob Saget was, by all accounts, a beloved personality. He was instantly recognizable, yet down-to-earth at the same time. Yet, for all his accolades, Saget is largely remembered for one hilarious scene in Half Baked. In the film, Saget plays a recovering Cocaine addict who puts Dave Chappelle’s Thurghgood Jankins to shame. 

In case you’ve been somehow living under a rock, here’s the scene in question:

Bob Saget may have given us this famously indelible cameo, but his most enduring legacy is undoubtedly Dirty Work. While Saget was famous for his acting and comedy, he was also a director. Although Bob Saget mostly directed TV movies, his one theatrical feature was 1998s Dirty Work. Interestingly enough, Saget recalled that he was asked to shoot the Half-Baked cameo during the production of his theatrical debut as a director. We’ll just come out and say it – Dirty Work is an absolute comedy masterpiece and might be the most underappreciated thing Saget ever gave us. 

While Dirty Work was considered a critical and commercial flop upon its release, the film quickly gained a cult following. The movie was based on the Roald Dahl book Vengence is Mine, Inc. and stars Norm Macdonald and Artie Lange who start a revenge-for-hire business. On the surface, the film fits the mild of your prototypical 90s comedy. Sure, it can be basic and dated, but the execution is so perfect that you can’t help but laugh most of the time. 

With a crisp runtime of 82 minutes, Dirty Work is the precursor to raunchy teen comedies of the late 90s, but it’s also so much more. Aside from having a shocking number of memorable cameos (including a Waterboy-era Adam Sandler), the great thing is how timeless the film actually is. The pacing of the jokes is laugh-a-minute, but more importantly, it features just about every style of comedy imaginable. It’s basically a masterclass in visual comedy storytelling.

All in all, there’s no doubt that Dirty Work should be considered a classic comedy. Is it fair to argue that Saget’s masterpiece should be in the library of congress for being “culturally, aesthetically, and historically significant”? Debatable. Hell, if A Nightmare on Elm Street can get in then anything is possible, right? Until this happens, you can watch Dirty Work on HBO Max right now. You won’t regret it.

Cover Photo: HBO Max