Scary Movie 2
*1/2
Cinema
Releases - September 7, 2001
Rated on a 4-star scale. Certificate 18. 82
minutes. Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans. Written by Alyson Fouse, Greg
Gabianski, Dave Polsky, Michael Anthony Snowden, Craig Wayans, Marlon Wayans,
Shawn Wayans; based on characters created by Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg,
Buddy Johnson, Aaron Seltzer, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans. Starring Marlon
Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Anna Faris, Regina Hall, James DeBello, Chris Elliot,
Kathleen Robertson, Tim Curry.
There is a parrot in "Scary Movie 2"
who insults people's mommas and brags about how well hung he is.
That's about the funniest thing in the movie. There was a point in the film
in which I mused that the filmmakers should base a whole movie around this
parrot; it wouldn't be a masterstroke, but it would be an
idea.
The original "Scary Movie" was essentially a retread
of "Scream" with all the jokes explained. "Scary Movie 2" takes the basic
plot of "House on Haunted Hill" -- a bunch of young people stuck in a spooky
castle at the whim of a wealthy maniac -- and uses it as a clothesline for
a bunch of vulgar sketches that pop up randomly and formlessly, involving
detailed reference to bodily functions and vague satire of popular horror
movies.
The film begins with a spoof of "The Exorcist"
that turns out to have nothing to do with the rest of the movie. There's
an amusing cameo by James Woods as the senior priest, and I started to think
that maybe I was in for good fun. But then the filmmakers attempt to send
up the scene in which Linda Blair urinates on her carpet by simply making
an exact replica of it with much more pee. The moment further degenerates
by becoming an exchange of people vomiting on each other. I've finally found
the movie that puts the fairground scene of "Problem Child 2" to
shame.
Time goes on, more and more repetitive gross-out
jokes appear. A cripple gives himself a blowjob. A mangled freak molests
a turkey at the dinner table. A stoner is attacked by a giant spliff.
Occasionally there is an amusing moment, like when the kids venture into
the basement and discover a pile of ashes marked 'Florida Ballots', but still,
spending two hours reading the video sleeve for any of the "Naked Gun" movies
would be a more enjoyable experience than actually seeing "Scary Movie
2".
As I was not a fan of the original picture, I
didn't expect to like this one, but interestingly enough even critics who
liked the first movie have called "Scary Movie 2" a comic dead zone. The
film had eleven writers. I don't see why it needed any. It's unstructured,
plotless, and even the truly funny moments are merely juvenile stabs in the
dark. It is possible to sit through this thing, but if there's a "Scary Movie
3", I'm gonna have to panic.
COPYRIGHT©
2001 Ian Waldron-Mantgani
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