Good Burger

Before Disney Chanel Original Movies were picking up any traction, top competing children’s programming network Nickelodeon was laying the groundwork for the next decade of children’s programming. While it isn't free of plot-holes, there’s no other movie that triggers 90s nostalgia like Good Burger.

Produced as a spin-off of Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy show All That, the 1997 comedy film has had a significant impact on pop-culture since its release over two decades ago and has since become a cultural touchstone for American millennials.

The children's film was originally distributed on the legendary orange VHS tapes and features its fair share of zany CGI and limited profanity to maintain a PG rating.

Good Burger also played a significant role in launching the careers of Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. The two actors, who were relatively unknown before Good Burger, became household names after the movie's release. The pair continued to work with Nickelodeon, starring in shows like Kenan & Kel and All That, with Thompson continuing to have a successful career in comedy and is now the longest tenured actor on Saturday Night Live.

Trigger warning: the notorious Dan Schneider makes his acting debut as the head cook at Good Burger.

"Welcome to Good Burger, Home of the Good Burger!"

On the first day of summer, 16-year-old Dexter Reed takes his mom's car on a joyride and is unintentionally involved in a crash with his school teacher, Mr. Wheat. Wheat agrees to let Dexter pay for the damage in exchange for not involving the police due to his lack of license and insurance.

Dexter flunks out from onboarding at the new Mondo Burger restaurant, but is accepted at the failing Good Burger joint, where he formally meets Ed and Monique. Ed finally has a stroke of genius, in which he invents a new sauce that restores their customer base.

Monique and Dexter quickly bond over mini-golf, but the following day, she rejects his further advances after finding the contract in Dexter's jacket. Dexter meets to apologize to Ed when a stray dog approaches. Though the dog is pleased to eat the Good Burger patty, it does not touch the patty from Mondo Burger.

"When You Mess with Good Burger, You Go in the Grinder"

Ed and Dexter infiltrate Mondo Burger's kitchen in disguise and discover that their burgers are artificially enhanced with an illegal food chemical known colloquially as "Shark Poison."



The pair is somehow sent to the Demented Hills asylum. While in the asylum, Ed meets a girl, leading us to believe he isn't as functionally asexual as previously thought. Ed and Dexter escape the asylum and hijack an ice cream truck to return to Good Burger, arriving just in time to prevent anyone from eating the poisoned sauce.

As the burgers start exploding due to the excessive Shark Poison, the building's large artificial burger falls from the roof and smashes Mr. Wheat's newly repaired car.

Where to Watch Good Burger:

Good Burger is available for free on YouTube.