Review: Scary Movie (2000)
Susan Granger
Susan Granger's review of "SCARY MOVIE" (Dimension Films/Miramax)
It's ironic that Miramax, the studio that launched the
teen-horror satire genre back in 1996 with "Scream," has now done its
own raunchy spoof of the trend. Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, it
dives into Farrelly brothers territory, wallowing in obscenity,
profanity and splashing semen, boldly challenging the accepted NC-17
taboo of male genitalia. The shallow, sketchy plot, attributed to six
different screenwriters combining two different screenplays, involves
a serial killer who is pursuing a group of young people. In the
opening scene, lifted directly from Drew Barrymore's sequence in
"Scream," nubile starlet Carmen Electra gets a mysterious phone call,
expels gas, sheds her clothes, runs through a sprinkler and gets
stabbed in her breast implant. But Carmen and the other hapless
actors are stereotypical caricatures of teenagers, played by 20 30
year-olds. They don't converse; they chatter. And most of the jokes
are gross and offensive, centered about the pubic region of human
anatomy - funny only to those with the most sophomoric taste. There's
already much controversy about the R-rating for "strong, crude sexual
humor." Obviously, the 13-member, Los Angeles-based MPAA rating
committee is tougher on serious, rather than comedic, sexuality. Among
the movies parodied are the "Scream" series, the "I Know What You Did
Last Summer" series, "The Usual Suspects," "The Matrix," "American
Pie," "The Blair Witch Project," even "The Sixth Sense." On the
Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "Scary Movie" is a crude, lewd 2 - its
full 88-minutes are aimed specifically at the Gen-X and Gen-Y
audience. What's really scary is the amount of money it will probably
earn while far more worthy films pass, unnoticed, onto the video
shelf.
Laura Clifford
-----------
The Wayans Brothers ("I'm Gonna Get You Sucka, TV's "In Living Color")
go the way of the Zucker Brothers ("Airplane") with their parody of
recent teen scream flicks "Scream" "Scream 2" and "I Know What You Did
Last Summer" with the ironically titled "Scary Movie" ("Scream's"
original title).
LAURA:
Not since "Kentucky Fried Movie" (written by the Zucker Brothers, directed
by John Landis) in 1977, has a parody flick been so gleefully vulgar.
"Scary Movie" pushes the limits of the R rating even further than last
year's "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut." It's also pretty funny
in the Zuckers' tradition - if one joke falls flat, two or three more
will come along rapid fire that work.
The story most closely follows the plot of the original "Scream," with
Carmen Elektra gamely appearing in the infamous first scene (her character's
appropriately named Drew), being tormented by the Edvard Munch masked killer
over the telephone as she makes popcorn. Within minutes, the Wayans have
established good will by larking on the likes of Dennis Rodman, Jiffy Pop,
and teen flick T&A.
Cut to seven friends. Cindy and Bobby (nudge, nudge) are the Neve
Campbell/Jennifer Love Hewitt, Skeet Ulrich standins with virginal Cindy
leading on the always enthusiastic Bobby. Regina Hall ("Love and Basketball")
is Brenda, a "Clueless" standin and girlfriend of the sexual
identity-challenged Ray (Shawn Wayans, getting one of the best laughs early
on while asking for fashion advice). Greg's (Lochlyn Munro) obnoxiousness
teamed with girlfriend Buffy's (Shannon Elizabeth, "American Pie") beauty queen
dreams recall the "Last Summer" couple played by Ryan Philipe and
Sarah Michelle Gellar. Marlan Wayans is Shorty, a stoner who tries
to remind the others how a black man can survive a horror flick.
Just by the character's name (Gail Hailstrom), it's easy to guess
who SNL'er Cheri Oteri is spoofing, although she only gets to shine in
the Wayan's refreshing brief (and therefore more effective) "Blair Witch"
reference. Hilariously over-the-top, to the point of near cruelty,
is their handling of "Scream's" Dewey (played in those films by David
Arquette) as Doofy, although actor Dave Sheridan gets to redeem Arquette's
name in an amusing coda.
David L. Lander (TV's "Laverne & Shirley") has a cameo as Principal Squiggy
(take that, Henry Winkler!) and Jayne Trcka gets the loudest howl as
the girls' gym coach, Miss Mann.
Along the way, the Wayans have a ball with the "Scream" killer and his
mask, particularly in a scene where he gets stoned off an aquarium bong set
up by Shorty and his pals after receiving an invite that spoofs
a popular TV ad. The essential mask changes shape to fit
the mood, such as the killer's befuddlement at some of his victim's utter
stupidity.
It's a credit to the Wayans (Keenen Ivory directs and cowrote with Shawn,
and Marlon as well as Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron
Seltzer) that even cultural references which seem already overmined for
parody still come off well in their hands.
It's tight, it's outrageous and it's definitely not for small kids.
"Scary Movie" will have audiences screaming - in either laughter or in
surprise at the lengths the filmmakers go to gross people out.
B
ROBIN:
"Airplane" collides with the Wayans brothers' "In Living Color" as helmer
Keenen Ivory Wayans leads his ensemble cast of family and friends in the spoof
that spoofs the spoofs, "Scary Movie."
>From its hilarious ode to "Scream" beginning to its "The Usual Suspects"
sendoff ending, "Scary Movie" takes no prisoners and bars no holds. Strongly
influenced by the zany, machine-gun paced humor of the Zucker brothers, the
screenplay, with a bevy of credited writers including many of the Wayans
family, hits the comic bull's-eye more often than not. The raunchy nature of
a lot of the gags caused screams - mostly of laughter, but sometimes, of shock
- at the screening we attended. Shock value is definitely an important aspect
of the humor here, but it is certainly not the only humor.
"Scary Movie" takes on the task of making a parody of the film that
re-established the horror spoof as a genre, "Scream." At the start, we see Drew
Decker (Carmen Electra), a beautiful high school student with a flatulence
problem, being stalked a la Drew Barrymore in the original - but with slapstick
hilarious, not tongue-in-cheek witty, results. Electra shows one hell of a good
sense of humor in capitalizing on her voluptuousness in the film's extended
opening before the title. The film goes on to poke fun at "Scream" from
beginning to end.
"Scary Movie," though, is not just a spoof on "Scream." As you watch, the
sizable ensemble cast move on to make fun of a bunch of horror flicks like "I
know What You Did Last Summer," "The Sixth Sense," and "The Blair Witch
Project." The parodies are almost universally over the top as the
comedian-actors slap you along side the head with their nasty, in your face
gags. And horror movies aren't the only ones that are used for the fun of it.
"The Matrix" gets its nod, as does the aforementioned "The Usual Suspects."
But, they don't stop there as they move on to all sorts of teen cliches, with
no sacred cow un-skewered. Gays, virgins, handicapped people, retarded people,
straight people, stoners, beauty queens, transvestites, weird sex practices,
snot, movie goers, fat people, pubic hair, penises, dildos and more are fodder
for the many gags. It's surprising how many of them work, too.
The big cast got the chance to adlib and put their own spin on their
characters. The free flow of imaginative humor is evident here as the actors
give their own personalities to their roles. You can match the characters to
their counterparts in the films being spoofed. Marlon Wayans as the constantly
stoned Shorty, is like the Randy character in "Scream." He knows everything
about horror movies and what you shouldn't do - split up, go into a dark room
alone, answer the phone - but is too wasted to be of any help. Newcomer Anna
Faris makes her debut as the central character, Cindy Campbell, putting a
good-natured spin on the dour Neve Campbell role in the original. Regina Hall
("Love and Basketball") plays the girlfriend to the sexually uncertain Ray
(Shawn Wayans), the BMOC football player who likes to take showers with his
teammates and has Brenda dress up in his football pads and helmet. Hall is
outstanding when she gets to be the movie-goer-from-hell and a film critic's
worst nightmare. The other players - Dave Sheridan as town simpleton Doofy,
Shannon Elizabeth as high school sex kitten Buffy, Cheri Oteri as the
cutthroat TV reporter Gail Hailstorm, and the rest - also help make the
humor happen.
The behind the camera work befits the efforts of those in front of it with
costuming, by Darryle Johnson ("The Wood"), matching the tone of the films
being spoofed. The same goes for the production design by Robb Wilson King
("Rush Hour") and photography by Francis Kenny ("Harriet the Spy").
To tell you about all the gags, puns, funny bits and shocks of "Scary Movie"
would be to deprive you of the pleasure of having it all come as a nice
surprise. But, be forewarned, the "R" rating for this film is completely
warranted for the raunch factor. Some think that an "NC-17" rating would be
more suitable. I go with the hard "R" and it is very hard. Parents beware of
taking younger teens and below to this one. I give it a giggling B.
For more Reeling reviews visit www.reelingreviews.com
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Jon Popick
"We Put the SIN in Cinema"
Making a film that’s a spoof of an entire movie genre is kind of a
strange proposal. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery, and even though Mel Brooks has built a pretty successful
career out of sending up westerns, space adventures and (unfortunately)
vampire flicks, the whole idea of the genre parody doesn’t seem much
different than Beavis, Butt-Head, Tom Servo or Crow tearing movies apart
in their living rooms.
But what about a movie that spoofs a movie that spoofed a genre? That’s
what we have with Scary Movie, the latest collaboration from the
brothers Wayans. They’ve already lampooned blaxploitation flicks (I’m
Gonna Git You Sucka!) and gangsta films (Don’t Be a Menace to South
Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood), and here they satirize
the Scream trilogy, among other horror films. Even its title is taken
from the one that Scream abandoned.
Scary Movie begins with Carmen Electra (Hyperion Bay) making popcorn and
receiving a phone call from a masked killer, a la Drew Barrymore’s
memorable opening scene in the first Scream picture. The story is more
than a little familiar – knife-wielding lunatic begins slashing his way
through a small clique of friends and is pursued by a soulless news
reporter (Cheri Oteri, Saturday Night Live) and a retarded deputy (Dave
Sheridan, MTV’s short-lived Buzzkill). Even the school principal is
played by a down-and-out ‘70s television sitcom star (Henry “The Fonz”
Winkler in Scream, and David “Squiggy” Lander here).
It isn’t long before Scary Movie moves from Scream to I Know What You
Did Last Summer. After a funny automobile accident involving oral sex
and a beehive (don’t ask) that occurred exactly one year ago, the band
of boobs starts receiving notes that threaten to expose their big
secret. While they’re at it, the Wayans also toss in a scene right from
Dawson’s Creek, a show that was created by Scream and IKWYDLS
screenwriter Kevin Williamson.
There isn’t really too much else to say about Scary Movie without giving
away a lot of its gags. Some of the jokes fall flat, but most are direct
hits. In addition to sending up the two recent horror hits, the film
also briefly tackles The Matrix, The Blair Witch Project and The Sixth
Sense. There are also unexpected homages to Amistad and The Usual
Suspects (the latter seemed to go over the head of just about everyone
in the theatre), and a sick, X-rated version of Johnny Depp’s death
scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Scary Movie was directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans (A Lowdown Dirty Shame)
and its script was cobbled together by no less than six screenwriters.
Originally, the film’s production was supposed to take just a few weeks
at the end of the summer of 1999 and slated for a fall release. But then
the Wayans’ script (originally titled Last Summer I Screamed Because
Halloween Fell On Friday the 13th) merged with a similar project that
spoofed horror pictures (called Scream If You Know What I Did Last
Halloween), and the production was stretched out long enough for the
film to include a parody of the “Wassup” Budweiser commercials.
1:26 - R for strong crude sexual humor, language, drug use and violence
Edward Johnson-Ott
Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Cheri Oteri, Shannon Elizabeth, Anna Faris, Jon
Abrahams, Lochlyn Munro, Regina Hall, Dave Sheridan, Dan Joffre, Carmen
Electra, Kurt Fuller, David L. Lander. Screenplay by Shawn Wayans, Marlon
Wayans, Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer.
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. 88 minutes
Rated R, 4 stars (out of five stars)
Review by Ed Johnson-Ott, NUVO Newsweekly
www.nuvo.com
Archive reviews at
http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?Edward+Johnson-Ott
To receive reviews by e-mail at no charge, send subscription requests to
ejohn...@prodigy.net or e-mail ejohnsonot...@onelist.com with the
word "subscribe" in the subject line.
How raunchy is "Scary Movie?" Director Keenan Ivory Wayans held a private
screening of the comedy and, when the camera got up close and personal with
a high school girls' gym teacher, his own parents walked out of the theater.
They won't be the only ones. The spoof of teen slasher flicks pushes the
R-rating envelope further than any other film to date, including "South
Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut." Make no mistake, "Scary Movie" is
unbelievably gross and juvenile. It's also the funniest thing I've seen
since the Farrelly brothers' "There's Something About Mary."
A love-it-or-hate-it film, "Scary Movie" will likely provoke a slew of "how
low can we go?" articles from self-appointed social guardians. Already,
several early reviewers have had conniption fits over the film's graphic
sexual imagery. Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke. For all of our
freewheeling posturing, the United States remains painfully squeamish about
carnal matters. It's part of the lingering fallout from peer pressure
exacted by the Puritans on neighboring communities over 200 years ago, which
resulted in our collective "sex is great as long as you feel terrible about
it afterwards" mentality. Many years ago, at a Caribbean cultural festival,
a gorgeous Haitian fire dancer summed up our national mindset beautifully
when she said to me, "America is such a constipated country."
For 88 sidesplitting minutes, Keenan Ivory Wayans takes the sexual images
that make us squirmy and rubs them in our faces, one-upping the Farrellys
along the way. Did the "buns and wieners" scene in "There's Something About
Mary" make you wince? Keenan gives us an erect penis used as a lethal
weapon. And where "Mary" featured the legendary "hair-gel" scene, "Scary
Movie" offers a geyser of semen.
Utilizing the scattershot comedy approach that filmmakers have tried to
replicate (usually without success) since "Airplane," the story is a
take-off of "Scream," meshed with "I Know What You Did Last Summer."
Somebody dressed up in a ghost-face costume is murdering teenagers and
stalking four kids who accidentally killed a man on a dark highway a year
earlier. The most memorable scenes from both movies get spoofed here, along
with loads of other films, including "The Exorcist" and "The Usual
Suspects." Wayans and company even manage successful send-ups of "The
Matrix" and "The Blair Witch Project," two films that have been parodied to
death.
"Scream" honey bunnies Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette receive
special attention. In a lively performance, "Saturday Night Live's" Cheri
Oteri tweaks Gale Weathers, Courteney Cox Arquette's take-no-prisoners
newscaster character, as Gail Hailstorm (hey, I never said the writing was
sophisticated), author of the hit exploitation book, "You're Dead, I'm
Rich." Dave Sheridan tackles David Arquette's Deputy Dewey, along with the
actor's real-life goofball persona, as Doofy, a drooling idiot with a paper
star pinned to his chest. Doofy, incidentally, is the creepiest element in
the production, playing too much like a mean-spirited mockery of a retarded
person.
Most of the cast does solid work, primarily because the filmmakers
remembered the most important lesson from "Airplane": Actors in spoofs
aren't funny unless they play it straight. Kurt Fuller adopts a riotous
deadpan as the local sheriff (at a press conference, he solemnly intones
"The killing of these teenagers is tragic, but, you know, shit happens") and
Anna Faris, in the Neve Campbell spot, creates the film's most well rounded
character.
The slapdash production, while extremely funny overall, contains some
missteps. Lochlyn Munro, whose turn as a lunatic student in "Dead Man on
Campus" was the one great note in an otherwise leaden movie, disappears
early in the story. A running joke about a barely closeted gay football star
(Shawn Wayans) is beaten into the ground. And, on several occasions, the
filmmakers merely recreate scenes from slasher films without bothering to
enhance them.
Still, the laughs come fast and furious, with Wayans tackling everything
from "Riverdance" to race relations (when the killer comes after Anna, she
e-mails the authorities with the message "White woman in trouble!" and a
slew of police cars show up in seconds). As with "Airplane," "Scary Movie"
lobs dozens of jokes at the wall and, while some fall to the floor, most of
them stick. That's pretty good for a film SO FOUL, SO DISGUSTING AND SO
DEPRAVED THAT IT WILL LIKELY MEAN THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT!!!!
Or so I've been told.
© 2000 Ed Johnson-Ott
Bob Bloom
Scary Movie (2000) 3 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Jon Abrahams, Carmen
Electra, Shannon Elizabeth, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, Cheri Oteri, Marlon
Wayans, Shawn Wayans and Regina Hall. Written by Phil Beauman, Jason
Friedberg, Buddy Johnson, Aaron Seltzer, Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans.
Directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans. Rated R. Running time: about 88
minutes.
"Scary Movie" sets new highs in low comedy.
It is crude, vulgar and provides something to offend everyone — blacks,
women, teens, gays, lesbians, the mentally challenged, cops and
teachers.
"Scary Movie" also is the funniest movie of the year, a shameless,
unapologetic, savage spoof of teen slasher flicks such as "Scream," "I
Know What You Did Last Summer," their sequels and various rip-offs, as
well as a satiric tip of the cap to "The Sixth Sense," "The Blair Witch
Project" and "The Matrix."
Despite all its crassness, "Scary Movie" is a very smart and expertly
done burlesque, ranking with the likes of "Blazing Saddles," "Young
Frankenstein" and "Airplane."
Director Keenan Ivory Wayans, with the help of six screenwriters, has
created a movie that not only lampoons the genre’s well-worn formulas,
but does so by reproducing the cinematic techniques familiar from those
films: the closeup of the hand reaching for the locked door, the
character who suddenly jumps into frame, the telephone unexpectedly
ringing, and so on.
Usually when you see six names in a writing credit, it means trouble;
the cliché about too many cooks is true, especially in screenwriting.
But "Scary Movie" is an exception. The movie has a cohesiveness and
single-minded focus that is maintained from opening reel to closing
credits — and beyond. (Viewer alert: Do not leave after the end credits,
there’s more to see.)
This is one movie in which you cannot discuss the jokes. Most are too
tasteless, involving various sexual organs, bodily functions and fluids,
appliances and garden tools. Ironically, the nudity is held to a
minimum, and it’s mostly male.
The cast consists basically of young, bland performers, the types you
usually find in such movies. The “Drew Barrymore cameo” role is played
by Carmen Electra as the flatulent Drew.
Also in the cast are Marlon and Shawn Wayans, as well as "Saturday
Night Live" regular Cheri Oteri as Gail Hailstorm, doing a broad spoof
of Courtney Cox’s "Scream" news reporter, Gail Weathers.
Oteri also figures in a wild salute to "The Blair Witch Project" that
will leave you reaching for a hankie and laughing until you hurt.
For a film buff such as myself, there is nothing as satisfying as a
top-notch sendup. And "Scary Movie" fits that description. I laughed
from beginning to end, not only at the jokes, but at the recognition of
the ambiance created by director Wayans.
"Scary Movie" is hilarious. Filmgoers without a sense of humor or who
are easily offended might as well stay home. This is not for you.
But for the rest of us who want to feel our bellies shake and we
guffaw, giggle and scream with delight, "Scary Movie" scores a
bulls-eye.
It’s a gem, a small treasure, a bit tarnished as well as ribald,
scatological and unrefined. And the first chance I get, I’m going to
rush out and see it again. You’ll want to do the same, I guarantee it.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette,
IN. He can be reached by e-mail at bl...@journal-courier.com or at
bobb...@iquest.net
Bloom's reviews can be found on the Internet Movie Database at:
http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
Berge Garabedian
RATING: 7.5/10 --> Very good movie
For more reviews and movie screensavers, visit http://www.joblo.com/
I generally rate "spoof films" by the number of jokes that work in the film
versus those that didn't. Classics like AIRPLANE, TOP SECRET and NAKED GUN
get high marks for achieving an exceptionally high ratio of jokes that hit
their mark, while others like MAFIA, HOT SHOTS and HIGH SCHOOL HIGH barely
rattle off an average of 50%. This film is Keenen Ivory Wayans' third shot
at the "spoof movie" gold, and after a decent effort with I'M GONNA GIT YOU
SUCKA and lackluster results with DON'T BE A MENACE..., it looks like he's
finally found the right formula. SCARY MOVIE is a funny movie.
PLOT:
Hmmm...how could I put this? Do you remember the story line from the
original SCREAM? Well, it's basically the same story but played out as a
parody. A bunch of teens pursued by an unknown mask-wearing killer. That's
about it. Mix in a few other lampoons of other films, and there you have it.
CRITIQUE:
The funniest movie that I've seen so far this year, I couldn't help but
crack up during every other second of this film's first 30 minutes, with
jokes a-plenty, an excellent re-creation of the spoofed films and spot-on
potshots at the teen horror genre. Parody films work when most of the jokes
in the film click, and this one had no problem delivering plenty of gross,
over-the-top and clever moments in supposed tribute to those films which
passed before it. Admittedly, the second half of the movie doesn't really
keep up the joke-a-minute pace that the first half hour establishes early
on, but plenty of funny moments still reside, lots of big laughs and a
pretty neat ending keep it enjoyable all the way through. Mind you, I was a
little hesitant about the film initially. I love the whole "spoof" genre and
worried about the six (count 'em, six!) people credited as screenwriters for
this movie. Fortunately for me, my worries were very short-lived as the
jokes began rattling of my funny bone within the first few seconds of this
flick.
Of course, the actors are always a very big part of movies such as this.
They have to able to play their roles very seriously, and I give the most
credit to Anna Faris in this regard, as she nailed the lead role down to a
tee. Shannon Elizabeth was also good as the big-boobed bimbo, as was Marlon
Wayans as the heterosexual jock with a few issues locked away in his closet.
I think Cheri Oteri's character was a little underused, and despite finding
most of the pot jokes pretty hilarious, I didn't really appreciate Shawn
Wayans' over-the-top goofy pothead character. But hey, maybe that's just me!
I also could have done without the whole MATRIX parody, which was already
covered in DEUCE BIGALOW, earlier this year. Overall, the movie delivers
laughs, clever moments a plenty, references galore, a cameo here and there,
and even some pretty gruesome moments of murder (although they do still
manage to lace those moments with humor just the same). In the end, I really
liked the movie because it basically made fun of all of the stuff we always
find unbelievable in horror films, and they did it while maintaining the
authenticity from the original films.
Incidentally, this film also makes fun of retarded people, is loaded with
fart jokes, gay humor, dick shots, sexual innuendo and provides enough
disgusting behavior to disgust anyone who...well, is disgusted by stuff like
that! For the rest of ya'll, if THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY and SOUTH PARK
were enjoyable to you, this one should be just another walk in the park.
Little Known Facts about this film and its stars:
SCARY MOVIE was the original title of Kevin Williamson's SCREAM screenplay.
Some of the films that are spoofed in this one include the SCREAM flicks,
the I KNOW WHAT YOU DID... flicks, THE SIXTH SENSE, THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT,
PULP FICTION, AMISTAD, TITANIC, THE USUAL SUSPECTS, THE MATRIX and a couple
of others, which I am sure to have missed. There is also an entire sequence
which essentially parodies a complete "whazzup!" commercial.
Carmen Electra's character spoofs the role Drew Barrymore played in the
original SCREAM movie. Which is why her character's name is Drew in this
one. Get it?
Shannon Elizabeth's name is Buffy in this film, an obvious reference to
"Buffy, The Vampire Slayer", the popular TV series starring Sarah Michelle
Gellar. Note that Shannon's dad in this film is referred to as "Mr. Gellar".
Just as in the original SCREAM movie, in which Henry Winkler played the
principal (he's best known for having played The Fonz on TV's "Happy Days"),
this one slapped another goofy leather-jacket wearing TV-star from the 70s
as the principal. Principal Squiggy is played by David Lander (best known
for his role as Squiggy on TV's "Laverne & Shirley").
This film was spliced together from two spoof scripts respectively named:
"Last Summer I Screamed Because Halloween Fell On Friday the 13th" and
"Scream If You Know What I Did Last Halloween".
Review Date: July 4, 2000
Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans
Writers: Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, Buddy
Johnson and Aaron Seltzer
Producers: Eric L. Gold, Lee R. Mayes
Actors: Anna Faris as Cindy Campbell
Shannon Elizabeth as Buffy Gilmore
Shawn Wayans as Ray
Marlon Wayans as Randy
Genre: Comedy
Year of Release: 2000
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(c) 2000 Berge Garabedian
Harvey S. Karten
Reviewed by Harvey Karten
Dimension Films/Wayans Brothers Entertainment
Director: Keenen Ivory Wayans
Writers: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy
Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer
Cast: Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Chari Oteri,
Shannon Elizabeth, Anna Faris, Jon Abrahams, Lochlyn
Munro, Regina Hall, Dave Sheridan, Dan Joffre, Carmen
Electra, Kurt Fuller, David L. Lander
What's the story on this movie? Is this the sort of film
that requires the mentality of an immature 12-year-old or
by pushing the envelope on vulgarity has crossover appeal
and the makings of a breakout smash? The first, if you go
along with AP critic Christie Lemire, who's apparently
afraid of being considered a prude. The latter if you're at
one with Joe Leydon of "Variety," whose mind is keen and
way, way open for the likes of the Wayans brothers.
To get the answer simply add those reviews and divide
by two and you get a movie which, when it's funny, it's
very funny; when it's vulgar, it's very very vulgar; and as
for immature and repetitious and bordering on tedium, it's
that too.
If you took your Aunt Sherry from Sioux Falls to see this
and if the last movie she saw fell under the Hollywood
code, "If a couple are in bed, each must have at least one
foot on the floor," she'd disinherit you. She wouldn't
believe her eyes. If you introduced the movie to your
open-minded intellectual friend Herbie and Herbie never
saw Scream 1, 2 or 3, he wouldn't have the foggiest about
what's going on. But if you've been brought up on the
likes of "Friday the 13th," the "Scream" Trilogy, "The Blair
Witch Project," "Amistad," "The Sixth Sense" and others
and at the same time appreciate some darn good smut
and offensiveness (think "Clerks" or anything by the
Farrelly Brothers), you are the targeted audience whether
you're 18 or 80.
The no-holds-barred script is by committee and it shows.
"Scary Movie" does not have a tight narrative. In fact you
could not be faulted for wondering whether the plot serves
only as Krazy Glue for a succession of one-liners, sit-
comish wisecracks and practical jokes, the best coming
during the opening half hour when the unwavering, swift
pace hits you with the first gag within 30 seconds. The
movie is so up-to-the-minute, citing even a quickie from
"Big Momma's House," that you'd think it was made fresh
for the audience of the day only to be recycled for the next
day's crowd with the addition of something to rib the
producers of whatever came out last Friday. Keenan Ivory
Wayans is best known to the movie crowd for his take-off
of the 1970s blaxploitation films with his "I'm Gonna Get
You, Sucka" (with Wayans in the role of Jack Spade out to
avenge the death of his brother who died of an o.g., or
overdose of gold chains). Wayans has not changed his
style in the dozen years since that one hit the market, still
playing it loose and good-natured, making clear at every
point that we're watching actors who are self-consciously
watching the cameraman. The performers playing high-
school kids are all in their twenties and thirties, co-opting
those who would find fault with that sort of casting by
cracking a joke about that very shortcoming.
Some plot points: Having run over a pedestrian on the
highway whom they thought dead and dumping him into the
river, the kids have made a pact to tell no-one about their
actions that night. But when a knife-wielding creature with a
scream mask begins drawing blood on the campus of B.A.
Corpse High School, they naturally assume that the brute is
the hapless pedestrian out for revenge. The first juicy killing
brings in reporter Gail Hailstorm (Cheri Oteri), who will do
anything to get a story--and she means anything--thereby
leading to a line of smutty jokes that pop up here and there in
this freewheeling story. We are soon introduced to the
characteristics of each player, including the virginal Cindy
(Anna Faris) and her horny boy friend Bobby (Jon
Abrahams); a goofy cop named Doofy (Dave Sheridan)
who is modeled on the slow-thinking Dewey of the Scream
series; a sheriff with an eye for the young 'uns (Kurt
Fuller); a pot-smoking doofus and bmoc football player
(Marlon and Shawn Wayans); and a number of others,
each with a sharply individual personality.
At time these individuals take themselves so seriously--
steering clear of winking to the audience in a way that
could ruin the effect of the satire--that feminists in the
audience might actually take offense at the beatings that
only the women seem to be getting at the hands of the
men. If the great English satirist Jonathan Swift were
alive today, he'd think his "A Modest Proposal" was too
modest indeed.
Rated R. Running time: 88 minutes. (C) 2000 by
Harvey Karten, film_...@compuserve.com
Shannon Patrick Sullivan
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. Screenplay by Phil Beauman, Jason
Friedberg, Buddy Johnson, Aaron Seltzer, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans.
Starring Anna Faris, Marlon Wayans, Regina Hall. Running time: 86 minutes.
Rated AA for mature subject matter and offensive language by the MFCB.
Reviewed on July 7th, 2000.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
How do you review a film like "Scary Movie"? Certainly not on the basis of
plot. The "story" of a spoof is usually just a framework for gags -- to
assess it on that criterion would be like judging a dress on the quality
of the hanger. Acting isn't really all that important either, as long as
the performers possess a certain amount of charisma and some notion of
comic timing. Direction? Virtually irrelevant. Cinematography? Get real.
No, all that matters in deciding whether or not "Scary Movie" is any good
are the laughs. And "Scary Movie" is the first parody I've seen in years
that has laughs in droves. But fair warning first: I'm a big fan of the
"Naked Gun" movies. I enjoyed "Spaceballs". If your sense of humor runs
contrary to my own, this review likely won't apply much to you.
"Scary Movie" started life as two separate screenplays -- "Scream If You
Know What I Did Last Halloween" and "Last Summer I Screamed Because Friday
The 13th Fell On Halloween" -- which were merged into one by director
Keenen Ivory Wayans. Ironically, the final moniker was a working title for
"Scream", the progenitor of the current crop of teen-oriented slasher
films. If you haven't already guessed, "Scary Movie" is a pastiche
of this whole genre. If you've been avoiding these sorts of pictures, you
might want to give this one a pass too, as you might not get many of the
jokes.
The storyline of "Scary Movie" broadly follows the plot of "Scream", with
elements of other films (notably "Scream 2" and "I Know What You Did Last
Summer") thrown in for good measure. We again start off with a Big Star
making popcorn. In "Scream" it was Drew Barrymore (playing "Casey
Becker"), here it's Carmen Electra (playing "Drew Becker", wink wink). The
phone rings, and sure enough it's a serial killer on the other line,
wearing the same Ghostface get-up as in "Scream". The voice on the phone
wants to know what the noise is. Carmen explains she just farted. The
killer was referring to the popcorn.
Soon Carmen is racing through the house and across her lawn. She comes to
a signpost with arrows reading "Safety" and "Death" pointing in opposite
directions. You can probably guess the rest. The movie plays out
predictably from there, as teens are stalked and slain by the masked
villain -- or is it villains? But, really, who cares about the story?
It barely even makes sense, and the ending is particularly incredulous.
What is important is the way "Scary Movie" subverts its source material,
and this it does very well. The "Father Death" mask, for instance, has
gained the miraculous ability to reflect its owner's mood, generating some
bizarre visuals when the killer is toquing up. Toward the end, the(?)
murderer does a terrific imitation of Matthew Lillard, one of "Scream"'s
homicidal teenagers.
"Scary Movie" doesn't just target the slasher genre, either. Everything
from "The Matrix" to "Dawson's Creek" is up for grabs here, and there are
some great send-ups of human behaviour. One of my favourite scenes has
black actress Regina Hall attending a showing of "Shakespeare In Love". In
a terrific pastiche of rude moviegoers (and, in particular, the reputation
African-Americans have of talking back to the screen), Hall just doesn't
stop chattering. She even talks on her cell phone, loudly, to the disgust
of the all-white, upper-middle-class crowd. Ghostface slinks into the
audience to stab Hall, but the audience gets to her first, pulling out
their own weapons. "This is for 'Schindler's List'!" exclaims a
Hassidic Jew. You'll have to hear for yourself what film Hall ruined for
the Pope.
(When I saw "Scary Movie", there was a moron waving a laser pointer across
the screen during certain scenes -- the first time I've encountered this
particular brand of rudeness at a local theatre. Intriguingly, they
stopped doing it after the scene I've just described. Coincidence?)
Not all the jokes are winners, though, and "Scary Movie" is hamstrung by
following the plot of "Scream" a little too closely; greater variation
would have made for a funnier, more dynamic film. Some of the humor is
rather tired -- the gag of giving the characters cutesy, referential names
("Buffy" Gilmore) was even done already in "Scream 3". And sometimes
"Scary Movie" just doesn't know when enough is enough, like the running
gag about Ray (Shawn Wayans) being a closet homosexual.
Furthermore, whereas the truly great spoofs set you up with an obvious
joke, then knock you down by taking it one step further, "Scary Movie" is
often content to go only halfway. A parody of the confession scene from
"The Blair Witch Project", for example, is an awful lot like every other
"Blair Witch" parody of the past year.
No doubt the most controversial aspect of "Scary Movie" will be the sheer
explicitness of many jokes. Remember two years ago, when the "franks and
beans" scene in "There's Something About Mary" was considered
groundbreaking? Well, there's a "franks and beans" scene about every
fifteen minutes here, although for the most part they're pretty amusing,
fortunately. Consequently, parents may want to be wary of letting younger
children attend "Scary Movie". It strikes me as a movie for strictly high
school age at minimum, and even that might be pushing it.
Amongst the cast, the only real standout is newcomer Anna Faris, playing
Sidney -- er, Cindy Campbell, succeeding impressively at portraying the
virginal heroine while uttering and engaging in sheer filth. It's almost
eerie. Otherwise, the castmembers are basically just vehicles for the
jokes. There aren't characters here, just ciphers and cliches.
Yes indeed, "Scary Movie" is plotless, crude, and possessed of mostly
marginal performances -- all the things film critics are supposed to
abhor. But did I laugh my ass off anyway? You bet I did. Do I recommend
"Scary Movie"? God help me, yes.
Copyright © 2000 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
Archived at The Popcorn Gallery,
http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies/ScaryMovie.html
_______________________________________________________________________
/ Shannon Patrick Sullivan | "We are all in the gutter, but some of us \
| sha...@mun.ca | are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde |
\___________________________|__________________________________________/
| Popcorn Gallery Movie Reviews www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html |
| Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time (Travel) /drwho.html |
Dustin Putman
Scary Movie * * * (out of * * * * )
Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans.
Cast: Anna Faris, Jon Abrahams, Shawn Wayans, Regina Hall, Shannon Elizabeth,
Marlon Wayans, Dave Sheridan, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Carmen Electra,
Kurt Fuller, David L. Lander.
2000 - 88 minutes
Rated R (for comic violence, gore, profanity, sex, male and female nudity,
and extreme scatological humor).
Reviewed by Dustin Putman, July 8, 2000.
A "Naked Gun/Airplane!"-style parody of the recent '90s resurgence of slasher
movies was bound to happen sooner or later, and using the mother of them all,
"Scream," as its major outline, one couldn't ask for a film much more funny
or outrageously ballsy as "Scary Movie," mercilessly directed by Keenen Ivory
Wayans (1988's "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka"). Borrowing major plot points, and
then skewering them, from "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "The Blair Witch
Project," "The Matrix," "The Usual Suspects," and, yes, "Scream," the act of
watching "Scary Movie" is akin to getting, on average, five jokes, puns, and
one-liners, thrown at you per minute. As is always the case with spoofs, not
every comedic moment works, but so many are thrown at you, and there is such
an unusually high success rate, that anyone open-minded about humor that is
almost always in bad taste should have the most rib-ticklingly good time at
the movies this year so far.
Occasionally a scene-for-scene lampoon of the original "Scream," "Scary
Movie" has taken its basic plot, and added a prominent plot point from "I
Know What You Did Last Summer," to unleash its rapid-fire line of gags.
Carmen Electra opens the film in the Drew Barrymore role of Drew Decker, a
high school student home alone who receives a phone call from a stranger.
While jiffy popping some popcorn, they prattle on about their favorite scare
movies, including Drew's personal favorite, the Shaquille O'Neal genie movie,
"Kazaam!" Soon, however, the fun ends as she is being chased around her house
by a killer in a ghostface Halloween costume. She inevitably is killed (but
not before getting her clothes torn off and given the opportunity to strike
some tantalizing poses while in the midst of her yard sprinkler; getting her
breast implant stabbed out; and getting hit by her dad's car while he is
receiving roadhead from her mother). If this already doesn't sound like your
cup of tea, I hasten to add that this opener is only a relative taste of far
raunchier things to come in the next 80 minutes.
The next morning, rumors are abuzz at B.A. Corpse High School, where the
innocent virgin Cindy (Anna Faris) suspects the murder is related to a man
she and her friends, including her boyfriend Bobby (Jon Abrahams); closeted
football player Ray (Shawn Wayans) and his sassy girlfriend Brenda (Regina
Hall); hunky Greg (Lochlyn Munro); and his lover, the snotty sex-on-legs
Buffy (Shannon Elizabeth), accidentally hit with their car and dumped in the
lake a year before, on Halloween. Soon, the six students are receiving
threatening notes and being slaughtered one at a time, by someone who knows
what they did. Also getting in on the action is cutthroat bitch reporter Gail
Hailstorm (Cheri Oteri), who will go to any lengths to get her story, and
Deputy Doofy (Dave Sheridan), Buffy's retarded brother.
The less you know going into "Scary Movie," the more unexpected and humorous
it will undoubtedly be, so to discuss many of the brighter moments would be
unfair. Suffice to say, if ever there was a movie that proves how unjustified
the MPAA actually is, it is "Scary Movie." With no less than three scenes
showing the male organ (one of which portrays it erect), and an unstoppable
barrage of equally naughty behavior and images (does an "orgasmic explosion"
mean anything to you?), the film has somehow passed as an R-rating, when much
less extreme films have received (1998's "Orgazmo," 1995's "Showgirls") or
been wrongfully threatened (1999's "Eyes Wide Shut") with an NC-17. Alas,
"Scary Movie" turns out to, indeed, be scary--scary that director Keenen
Ivory Wayans and screenwriters Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Buddy Johnson,
Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg, and Aaron Seltzer (whew!) had the courage to
write such un-PC, potentially offensive material. That there are six writers
involved in the film is usually a negative sign, but not this time.
Apparently, all six had some really slam-bang, witty ideas and they morphed
them all together into a sure-to-be-classic whole.
The whole cast of "Scary Movie" keep straight faces throughout, which is the
right way to go. By making everything seem serious and real, it only proves
more funny for the audience watching it. And if the sold-out audience whom I
saw it with is any indication, there is going to be major repeat business
just to catch all of the jokes that were easily missed the first time around,
in part due to the loud, infectious laughter that swept over everyone.
The token virginal heroine, Cindy, is played by newcomer Anna Faris, and her
delicious, likable turn is as good as it possibly could have been. Also
taking advantage of the chance to test out their comedic skills are Shawn and
Marlon Wayans; the delightful Regina Hall (1999's "The Best Man"), as
loudmouth Brenda, who gets her much deserved comeuppance in one of the
picture's best scenes, when she causes an uproar at the local movie theater
showing "Shakespeare in Love;" Shannon Elizabeth (1999's "American Pie"), who
is distraught that her boyfriend is killed until she learns she has just won
the town's beauty pageant as Miss Fellatio; and Dave Sheridan and the sadly
underused Cheri Oteri (TV's "Saturday Night Live"), as Deputy Doofy and Gail
Hailstorm, obvious takes on the David Arquette and Courteney Cox Arquette
characters in the "Scream" movies.
"Scary Movie" is never anything less than silly, but amidst it all are some
fairly knowing moments of social commentary, including material on race
relations, homosexuality, the portrayal of teenagers in Hollywood movies, as
well as sly truths about teenagers and young adults. After hitting the
unknown man with their car and deciding to do away with the body, Buffy says
to Cindy, "We'll just pretend it never happened. Like the time we were drunk
and went down on each other." It may not be art, but it does have a ring of
honesty to it.
When film parodies work, they really smoke, but it is a particularly tricky
genre in which most attempts fail. For every "Airplane!," there is a "Spy
Hard," a "Wrongfully Accused," and a "Jane Austen's Mafia!," and "Scary
Movie" is one of the very, very few recent ventures that belong in the former
category. If you are in the mood to go to the movies, have a great time and a
lot of big guffaw laughs--oh, and if you aren't faint of heart--it would be
absolutely foolish to pass up "Scary Movie."
- Copyright 2000 by Dustin Putman
Http://www.young-hollywood.com
Http://www.atnzone.com
Ram Samudrala
Scary Movie
http://www.ram.org/ramblings/movies/scary_movie.html
Simply outrageous. That's the best description I can provide for
/Scary Movie/, an extremely clever satire of movies that satirise the
teen slash-and-gore horror genre.
The number of novel jokes packed into the script is enormous, and if
one misses, then another will surely delight. In the first ten minutes
(the best), the movie clearly shows its ingenuity in its parodying of
the opening scene from /Scream/. From the killer's ineptitude to
hiding himself behind the couch, to the sprinkler and breast implant
scenes, one hilarious gag after another is thrown at you before you
can recover from the last one. The first ten minutes alone make the
film worth watching!
The movie then continues, going off on /I Know What You Did Last
Summer/, /The Matrix/, /The Sixth Sense/, /Titanic/, /The Blair Witch
Project/, and /The Exorcist/, finally culminating with a take off on
/The Usual Suspects/.
The film does push the envelope, and in comparison to /Me, Myself, and
Irene/ also playing in theatres, this film has a higher number of gags
(albeit less of a plot, as it were), and consequently, it ends up
being more funny. Even the most painful gags (the penis through the
head) had me laughing in a "I can't believe they're doing this"
manner.
The fact that the film makers involve the Wayans brothers (who may well
display the Farrelly brothers at this rate) adds an interesting touch,
as it showcases blacks in the film in a completely irreverent manner
(consider what the character played by Regina Hall is doing before she
gets killed off as in the /Scream/ films).
/Scary Movie/ has no real plot (it follows the /Scream/ plot most
closely) and it's hard to say when exactly it will end. By the time
that happened, I was getting a bit impatient, but only slightly.
There is a limit to how outrageous a film can get before being
completely desensitised and the movie stops just short of that
happening (to me at least).
/Scary Movie/'s abundance of clever references to other films makes it
must-see for any pop culture aficionado, and people who are into
humour that pushes the envelope will like it also. Definitely worth
the full price of admission.
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