Men at Work

Two garbage collectors in a California coastal town stumble onto something far worse than the usual refuse on their route: the body of a local politician, stuffed into a trash bin. Convinced the police will treat them as prime suspects, Carl Taylor and James St. James decide the safest course is to hide the corpse themselves and start their own investigation. Their plan drags them into a mess involving hired killers and a real murderer, all while they try to stay one step ahead of the authorities. Their friendship, and a shared dream of opening a surf shop, frames the chaos.

Emilio Estevez directed the film and wrote the screenplay, with Cassian Elwes producing. It was Estevez's first time in the director's chair, and he also plays James opposite real-life brother Charlie Sheen as Carl. Leslie Hope, Keith David, Dean Cameron and John Getz round out the cast.

Released in August 1990, the comedy cost about 9 million dollars and took in roughly 16 million worldwide, a modest return. Audience response has been middling: on IMDb it holds 5.9 out of 10 from around 29,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.7 out of 10 from a much smaller pool of voters. Estevez went on to direct three further features, beginning with Bobby in 2006.