Movie 43
3/4
Starring: Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Liev Schrieber, Anna Faris, Chris Pratt, Kieran Culkin, Emma Stone, Richard Gere, Jack McBrayer, Kate Bosworth, Aasif Mandavi, Justin Long, Jason Sudekis, Uma Thurman, Kristen Bell, Leslie Bibb, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jimmy Bennett, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Gerard Butler, Seann William Scott, Johnny Knoxville, Halle Berry, Stephen Merchant, Terrence Howard, Elizabeth Banks, Josh Duhamel
The version being reviewed is the unrated one. For the record, the theatrical cut was rated R for Strong Pervasive Crude and Sexual Content including Dialogue, Graphic Nudity, Language and Some Violence
"Movie 43" is like one long episode of "Saturday Night Live," only with a running story that fills in the space between the segments instead of a host, and a cast of movie stars instead of stand-up comics trying to act. There's also no hint of Judd Apatow's crew around (considering how far Rogen and Co have fallen, not to mention how over-exposed they are, that's a good thing), despite the fact that the film's raunchiness makes his movies seem like they came from Disney.
There are thirteen skits in the film. They vary in terms of quality, but most are pretty funny. The film opens up with "The Catch," where a woman (Winslet) goes on a blind date with the perfect guy (Jackman) who has a very strange physical deformity. Next up is "Homeschooled," where two parents (Schrieber and Watts) go to astonishing lengths to give their homeschooled son (Jeremy Allen White) a normal high school experience. Then there's "The Proposition," where a man (Pratt) rethinks his marriage proposal after his girlfriend (Faris) makes a strange request. After that, it's a weird segment with Emma Stone and Kieran Culkin called "Veronica." Richard Gere plays a dim-witted CEO who is oblivious to his new product's malfunction in "iBabe." Superheroes (Long, Thurman, Sudekis, Bell, Bobby Cannevale) go on a speed date in "Super Hero Speed Dating." Two brothers (Bennett and Mintz-Plasse) deal with a girl's (Moretz) problem in "Middle School Date." "Happy Birthday" has Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville duke it out with an angry leprechaun (Butler). Breaking the ice on a blind date between Halle Berry and Stephen Merchant goes way too far in "Truth or Dare." Inspirational speeches get skewered in "Victory's Glory," which features Terrence Howard. Finally, there's "Beezel," where Elizabeth Banks deals with her boyfriend Josh Duhamel's pet, an animated cat who has it in for her.
Like I said, some of these skits are funnier than others. My favorite was "Happy Birthday," which is hysterical (although I must say that the make-up/special effects that turned 6'2" Gerard Butler into a leprechaun are creepy, and I don't know if it was intentional). "Truth or Dare" and "Beezel" are also hilarious. "The Catch" is so gross you can't not laugh, and ditto for "Homeschooled." "The Proposition" is gross, but not all that funny. "Veronica" is just strange and non-sensical...nothing happens in it. "Victory's Glory" is amusing too, but the rest are forgettable. There are some faux-commercials in-between that are pretty funny as well.
The filler story changes depending on which version you watch. The R-rated version has something called "The Pitch," where a weird screenwriter (Dennis Quaid) pitches a bizarre story to a producer (Greg Kinnear). It's pretty lame. The unrated version has a trio of kids looking for "Movie 43," which is so bizarre that you wonder where it will go (and it goes in pretty unexpected directions).
When it was released, the movie bombed and was hated by just about everyone. I'm not sure why. I laughed hard, cringed, and laughed some more. This movie appealed to the kid in me who was getting away with watching an R-rated sex comedy. Plus, it's not every day that you see established actors like Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts being this gross. It's got that going for it too.
Starring: Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Liev Schrieber, Anna Faris, Chris Pratt, Kieran Culkin, Emma Stone, Richard Gere, Jack McBrayer, Kate Bosworth, Aasif Mandavi, Justin Long, Jason Sudekis, Uma Thurman, Kristen Bell, Leslie Bibb, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jimmy Bennett, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Gerard Butler, Seann William Scott, Johnny Knoxville, Halle Berry, Stephen Merchant, Terrence Howard, Elizabeth Banks, Josh Duhamel
The version being reviewed is the unrated one. For the record, the theatrical cut was rated R for Strong Pervasive Crude and Sexual Content including Dialogue, Graphic Nudity, Language and Some Violence
"Movie 43" is like one long episode of "Saturday Night Live," only with a running story that fills in the space between the segments instead of a host, and a cast of movie stars instead of stand-up comics trying to act. There's also no hint of Judd Apatow's crew around (considering how far Rogen and Co have fallen, not to mention how over-exposed they are, that's a good thing), despite the fact that the film's raunchiness makes his movies seem like they came from Disney.
There are thirteen skits in the film. They vary in terms of quality, but most are pretty funny. The film opens up with "The Catch," where a woman (Winslet) goes on a blind date with the perfect guy (Jackman) who has a very strange physical deformity. Next up is "Homeschooled," where two parents (Schrieber and Watts) go to astonishing lengths to give their homeschooled son (Jeremy Allen White) a normal high school experience. Then there's "The Proposition," where a man (Pratt) rethinks his marriage proposal after his girlfriend (Faris) makes a strange request. After that, it's a weird segment with Emma Stone and Kieran Culkin called "Veronica." Richard Gere plays a dim-witted CEO who is oblivious to his new product's malfunction in "iBabe." Superheroes (Long, Thurman, Sudekis, Bell, Bobby Cannevale) go on a speed date in "Super Hero Speed Dating." Two brothers (Bennett and Mintz-Plasse) deal with a girl's (Moretz) problem in "Middle School Date." "Happy Birthday" has Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville duke it out with an angry leprechaun (Butler). Breaking the ice on a blind date between Halle Berry and Stephen Merchant goes way too far in "Truth or Dare." Inspirational speeches get skewered in "Victory's Glory," which features Terrence Howard. Finally, there's "Beezel," where Elizabeth Banks deals with her boyfriend Josh Duhamel's pet, an animated cat who has it in for her.
Like I said, some of these skits are funnier than others. My favorite was "Happy Birthday," which is hysterical (although I must say that the make-up/special effects that turned 6'2" Gerard Butler into a leprechaun are creepy, and I don't know if it was intentional). "Truth or Dare" and "Beezel" are also hilarious. "The Catch" is so gross you can't not laugh, and ditto for "Homeschooled." "The Proposition" is gross, but not all that funny. "Veronica" is just strange and non-sensical...nothing happens in it. "Victory's Glory" is amusing too, but the rest are forgettable. There are some faux-commercials in-between that are pretty funny as well.
The filler story changes depending on which version you watch. The R-rated version has something called "The Pitch," where a weird screenwriter (Dennis Quaid) pitches a bizarre story to a producer (Greg Kinnear). It's pretty lame. The unrated version has a trio of kids looking for "Movie 43," which is so bizarre that you wonder where it will go (and it goes in pretty unexpected directions).
When it was released, the movie bombed and was hated by just about everyone. I'm not sure why. I laughed hard, cringed, and laughed some more. This movie appealed to the kid in me who was getting away with watching an R-rated sex comedy. Plus, it's not every day that you see established actors like Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman and Naomi Watts being this gross. It's got that going for it too.
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