When Nature Calls
When Nature Calls is a 1985 spoof comedy written and directed by Charles Kaufman and starring Academy Award nominee David Strathairn in an early performance. The film was distributed by Charles Kaufman's brother, Lloyd Kaufman, of Troma Entertainment (sister Susan Kaufman worked as an art director and their father Stanley appeared as an actor in the film).
| When Nature Calls | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover for 'When Nature Calls' | |
| Directed by | Charles Kaufman |
| Produced by | Charles Kaufman Susan P. Thomases Frank Vitale |
| Written by | Charles Kaufman Straw Weisman |
| Starring | Gates McFadden David Orange Barbara Marineau David Strathairn Morey Amsterdam |
| Music by | Arthur Custer |
| Cinematography | Mike Spera |
| Edited by | Michael Jacobi |
Production company | Mach Studios, Inc. Vitale Films Cox Productions |
| Distributed by | Troma Entertainment |
Release date | 1985 |
Running time | 88 minutes |
| Language | English |
The film is packed with visual gags, non sequiturs, fake previews for non-existent movies, and, one of the film's more notable sequences, an obscene stop-motion montage involving food products. The (loose) plot of the film follows a man (David Orange) who, fed up with the hassles of city living, decides to move his reluctant family into the woods, only to find out that they're in way over their heads with outdoor living. The video box proudly claims that the film includes the most romantic scene between a woman and a bear shot on celluloid.
The film features cameos from such notable people as baseball legend Willie Mays, professional wrestler Fred Blassie, comedian Morey Amsterdam, and Watergate icon G. Gordon Liddy.
Troma boasts When Nature Calls as one of the company's best comedies. The response from Troma fans has been largely positive as well, with most comparing it to such early Troma comedy classics as The First Turn-On! and Squeeze Play!.