Release Date: April 14, 2006
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual humor throughout, some comic violence and language
Directed by: David Zucker
Starring: Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Craig Bierko, Leslie Nielsen, Carmen Electra, Shaquille O'Neal, Dr. Phil, Bill Pullman, Chris Elliot, Molly Shannon, Michael Madsen, Chingy, Lil' John
Plot:
The Scary Movie gang is back with send-ups of "War of the Worlds," "The Grudge," "The Village," "Saw" and "Saw II," "Million Dollar Baby" and much more. Legendary comedy director David Zucker ("Airplane!," the "Naked Gun" franchise, "Scary Movie 3," and "Ruthless People") and producer Bob Weiss reunite to take aim at some of the best fright films, the latest box office hits, music, current events, pop culture, and your favorite celebrities. Anna Faris and Regina Hall are back as the loveable, dim-witted Cindy Campbell and her self-serving, sex-crazed pal, Brenda, respectively - joined this time around by Craig Bierko ("Cinderella Man"), as the cute-but-utterly clueless Tom Ryan. Together, they battle to save the world from a ruthless alien invasion. And the outrageous celebrity cameos include: Carmen Electra, Shaquille O'Neal, Dr. Phil, Bill Pullman, Chris Elliott, Molly Shannon, Michael Madsen, rappers Chingy and Lil' John, Leslie Nielsen returning as our fearless Commander in Chief, plus many, many more surprises.
Review:
When do you know when a series has gone on long enough. In Hollywood terms, the answer is when the people stop paying to watch the film. In other words, when a sequel fails at the box office, that will more than likely be the end of the series. Its very unlikely that this will happen to Scary Movie 4, so it would be appropriate to say that Scary Movie 5 will be in theatres in just a couple of years. Each Scary Movie film offers something new, but its becoming more tedious as the series continues.
Scary Movie 4 is directed by David Zucker who also directed Scary Movie 3. In this film, there is spoofing on Saw, Saw II, War of the Worlds, The Grudge, The Village, Million Dollar Baby, Brokeback Mountain, Fahrenheit 9/11 among others. So obviously, the series is no longer spoofing just horror films, but even some oscar nominated films. Does Scary Movie 4 do a good job at spoofing them, in some accounts, Yes. However, the film overall is made to be funny, really funny and that is something that is lacking in this installment.
What Zucker can be proud of is that this film runs smoothly. The transitions between films is put together nicely and is edited to seem like if it is all really just one film. Zucker succeeds in that department, but he does not succeed in the laughs he could have had. There were plenty of films here to get major laughs out of, but instead we are given giggles. In this film there is also toilet humor which is something that will make some people laugh, but its nothing original and overused.
The screenplay in this film is what hurts the overall experience of Scary Movie 4. The dialogue is missing its wit and punchlines and its never intelligent. It seems like a child wrote this screenplay when in fact it was two grown men who have helped Zucker along the way with his filmography. One can even come to blame the actors because quite frankly its hard to tell in comedies if one is a bad actor or a good one. Either way, Anna Faris is back in this installment as Cindy Campbell as well as Regina Hall as Brenda Meeks, Leslie Nielson as President Harris and other new cast members.
There are plenty of jokes in Scary Movie 4 that fall flat. When this occurs, not only is it not funny, but it makes one roll their eyes in shame for the picture. Much like Date Movie, which debuted earlier in the year, Scary Movie 4 isn't much different, its a misfire. Its intentions are clear and while it wants to be one hundred percent satisfying, in actuality its only about forty percent satisfying. The series is overblown and this installment has a very poor execution.
Scary Movie 4 is probably the least funniest out of all the films. This won't be the worst film of the year, but it shows that its time for the series to put to the grave. Spoofs are effective when you attempt to watch the films they spoofed once again. When you watch the films again and the scenes that were spoofed aren't funny, then you know that this film did not do its job correctly. Scary Movie 4 tried to be clever and funny, but its hardly any of those, its all pretty old and the series has overstayed its welcome.
