SCARY MOVIE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2000 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
Keenen Ivory Wayans's SCARY MOVIE is a sweet little farce in the spirit
of the old AIRPLANE movies. Every sentence has a different joke with
each being sillier than the last. Although called SCARY MOVIE, the film
spoofs everything from horror movies (I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER)
to teen sex comedies (AMERICAN PIE) to action flicks (THE MATRIX). And
if the humor eventually starts getting a little repetitive and tiresome,
you can't fault the large writing committee of Phil Beauman, Jason
Friedberg, Buddy Johnson, Aaron Seltzer, Marlon Wayans and Shawn Wayans
for not trying hard, as they throw everything they can think of at us in
the hopes that we'll find something to laugh at.
Without a pretentious bone in its body, the movie is 100% spoof. One of
its favorite subjects of ridicule is the movie itself. "This is like a
movie," remarks Cindy (Anna Faris), the movie's canonical virgin. "It
is a movie," says her boyfriend Bobby (Jon Abrahams), pointing off
camera. We then cut to the film's director, camera operator and script
supervisor.
In the opening episode, a blonde bimbo is being chased by the story's
villain, a masked guy with a hook -- quick, name that movie. The mask,
cleverly, has different expressions, depending on the killer's mood. As
the blonde runs away, she freezes in her tracks. Two warning signs, one
labeled "Death" and the other labeled "Safety," point in different
directions. She is confused as to which one to choose. She doesn't
choose well, but her silicone gel implant momentarily saves her from the
killer's knife.
When we meet Cindy, her sexual escapades are severely restricted. Her
father has put a chastity belt on her in the form of an electrified
chain link fence, complete with warning sign. Subtlety is not the
movie's strong suit.
The teenage girls in the film are environmentally concerned. Cindy
tells her friends to abandon the use of their brand of lipstick because
the manufacturer tests it on animals. She shows them a picture to prove
it. Imagine the shame of that poor animal in the picture with lipstick
on his face.
The story's most enjoyable sequence comes in the retribution that a
movie audience inflicts on a talkative viewer. The audience eventually
has enough of the inconsiderate woman and engages in a slash-a-thon.
Maybe in the future theaters could run this sequence when it is time for
their "Silence is Golden" message. There is nothing worse than asking
people to be quiet only to have them look at you like you are an idiot
for asking and then go on talking anyway. Maybe if they felt a little
fear, they wouldn't run roughshod over the rights of others.
SCARY MOVIE runs 1:28. It is rated R for strong, crude sexual humor,
language, drug use and violence and would be acceptable for most
teenagers.
Email: Steve.Rhodes@InternetReviews.com
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