The Wayans brothers (Shawn and Marlon) are at it again, this time pushing the envelope with raunchy language and crass jokes in their latest film endeavor, Scary Movie.
Written and directed by big brother Keenan Ivory Wayans, Scary Movie is tailored mostly in part to the recent horror hit, Scream. That combined with significant elements of I Know What You Did Last Summer makes this one potpourri of a plot.
In fact, the plot is so complex it’s stupid. The opening scene starts identical to Scream. Drew (Carmen Electra in a cameo appearance based on the Drew Barrymore character) is making some Jiffy popcorn when she suddenly gets the infamous “Do you like scary movies?” phone call. Through a series of comical events, she ends up being the first victim, thus starting Scary Movie. What follows is more silliness. All it essentially amounts to is joke after joke and movie spoof after spoof. I must admit though, some of it is pretty damn funny.
And as funny as it may be at times, you can forget about any character development. I mean, how could it really exist in a movie without a plot anyway? Despite the emptiness, the young cast lets all inhibitions go as they ridicule and destroy some of Hollywood’s biggest names. Some notable characters include Shawn Wayans, who steals the show as Scotty, a carefree pot-smoker. In one particular scene, the killer calls his home and ends up in a humorous “Wassup” repertoire. Also, Cheri Oteri is hysterical as the pushy Gail Thunderstorm. Her representation of The Blair Witch Project monologue speech is an absolute riot. It’s scenes like these that make Scary Movie a witty dose of fun, but it’s too bad they are far and few between. Most other significant moments are too offensive and downright dirty to talk about.
With some fresh new faces and clever dialogue, Scary Movie spares nothing. Even the cult classic Usual Suspects is lampooned. I guess if you haven’t seen most of the movies they’re ripping on, the jokes will fly right over your head. And even if you do get it all, the humor is so over the top, you’ll feel guilty for cracking a smile. Though it’s original in content and sometimes so funny your stomach will hurt, the basis is pretty damn corny.
+ Ashley Adams
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.