Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Disaster Movie
*½ Disaster Movie.
Directed by: Jason Friedberg, Aaron Seltzer.
Starring: Matt Lanter, Vanessa Minnillo, Nicole Parker, Crista Flannagan, Kimberly Kardashian, Carmen Electra, Tony Cox
We just got back from watching this at the theater on post. I really wish I could get that hour and a half back.
Billed as a spoof of disaster movies, it's mostly just a collection of references to current movies, TV shows, commercials, and popstars. Off the top of my head, I recognized Batman, Iron Man, Hancock, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Juno, a Dr. Who episode, Enchanted, Sex and the City, Kung Fu Panda, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Amy Winehouse, High School Musical, Hannah Montana, Beowulf, Get Smart, American Gladiators, Prince Caspian, Hellboy, Jessica Simpson, Dr. Phil, Justin Timberlake, The Incredible Hulk, Night at the Museum... I'm sure there are more, but you get the idea.
Unfortunately, that's all it was. I had the impression that it was a contest, to see how many pop culture references they could squeeze into 90 minutes. I'm pretty sure they won.
There's no plot, and less humor. A couple of minutes into the movie, there's an extremely long belch from "Amy Winehouse" that goes on long after anyone who was remotely amused would be tired of it. We took a fourteen-year-old boy with us. He wasn't amused.* That set the tone for the entire movie: unfunny "jokes" that go on for far too long.
I gave it the extra half star because I did... well, not laugh exactly, more like going "heh," on three separate occasions. One was during the Hancock scene, one from one of the Enchanted scenes, and one from Beowulf (he keeps saying "I am Beowulf"--which, in retrospect, probably isn't all that funny, but it was later in the movie and I was desperate to find something entertaining about it at that point).
Also, Nicole Parker, who played the enchanted princess, was a bright spot in an otherwise abysmal film.
Lest you haven't been around here before, let me assure you that I'm not comedy-challenged. Check here, here, here, here, here, and, most pointedly, here. I like comedy. Even, or maybe especially, silly comedy. This was not it.
I really, really wish I'd checked the reviews before deciding to go see this one. But hey--at least it's rounding out my ratings average.
*Note: in other words, the apparent target audience--a teenage boy--didn't like it either.
Categories: Movies, 1.5stars, Comedy
Labels: 1.5 stars, comedy, Movies
