Genre: Comedy
Sub-categories: Parody, Teen Comedy
Laugh Factor: Hee-hee
Look-at-these: No Nudity
Synopsis: A parody of Signs and The Ring, among other recent cinematic fare.
Title: Part 3 of a soon-to-be foursome.
Analysis: Keenen Ivory Wayans gave up the Director's chair for this third edition of the horror spoof Scary Movie, and the film takes on a completely different feel from its prequels. Ever since In Living Color, I've been a fan of the Wayans Brothers' work. Unfortunately, Shawn and Marlon were never quite as adept as Keenan at executing some rather bizarre (and really quite brilliant) characters. One would probably imagine that director David Zucker (Airplane, Naked Gun) would be able to fill-in quite nicely, especially when backed up by writer Pat Proft (Naked Gun, Police Academy). However, I'm sad to report that they've lost their touches and Scary Movie 3 is a lackluster addition to a genre that's already suffering badly.
Scary Movie 3 is less a parody of horror films in general, and more a parody of 2002's blockbuster hits. Proft primarily takes aim at Signs, The Ring and 8 Mile (which might not seem scary if you haven't seen it). Frankly, these were all good candidates for a good flogging. In my estimation, Signs was the worst movie of 2002. It makes me sick to think $2 of my Netflix subscription went to it. Mel Gibson can't write, can't act and he lost his looks years ago, so right on. The Ring was one of my favorites in a long time, but it was basically ripped-off of an extremely talented Japanese artist. That'll show them. The purpose of 8 Mile completely escapes me, although I'm guessing it's because there will only ever be an Eminem autobiography if it's a picture book. I mean, honestly, we've all had our troubles growing up and I don't think there's anything particularly touching or genuine about 8 Mile. Of course, the targets aren't confined to these. There are a number of more limited cinematic references (The Matrix, The Others, etc), as well as a tasteless (although quite hilarious) jab at the Catholic Church and a worthwhile spoof of the Coors Light Twins commercials.
By hammering only movies released since Scary Movie 2 (2001), Scary Movie 3 is focused and it's prerequisite viewing manageable. On the upside, this avoids the problems associated with broad parodies like Not Another Teen Movie, which zings too many movies over too many decades to count. Unfortunately this approach comes with a colossal downside, which is the lack of fodder material. The jokes are often stretched far beyond what is prudent, or even funny. There are also an inordinate number of lulls in a movie that isn't even an hour and a half long. The film's contents could easily be crushed into a 10-minute Saturday Night Live bit. I don't, however, want to minimize the amount of effort it must have taken to pull the film together. The bridging together of the stories and characters from three decidedly different films was done masterfully, and could have been no small task. Regrettably, continuity isn't important, or even necessary, for a successful parody. Make the joke, and move on to the next. The audience should be laughing so hard that awkward transitions aren't even noticed.
The cast is a good mix of all-stars and up-and-comers. Anna Faris returns as the spoofed-heroine Cindy Campbell. She's hotter than ever, and plays the bubbly blond quite nicely. It's Cindy's son, however, that steals the show. For such a young kid, he's got the spoof down on Aidan (David Dorfman) from The Ring. The subtlety with which he mocks Dorfman is something to truly behold. Charlie Sheen was a good pick to burn Mel Gibson (Signs), but I wasn't overly impressed by his lackluster execution. Simon Rex (The Forsaken, Going Greek) is a little awkward as Eminem's flamer, but he's too cute to really be disappointed by. It's the all-star cast that carries us through some of the lamer points in the movie. There's too many names to list, but I was glad to see Leslie Nielsen drop in, even if he was underutilized. Queen Latifah, Darrell Hammond, Camryn Manheim and Ja Rule make some of the other more impressive additions.
Scary Movie 3 stays clean to keep it in the PG-13 realm of The Ring and Signs, although I don't think this was worthwhile considering how little movie ratings mean nowadays. I mean, how can you feature Pamela Anderson and Jenny McCarthy having a pillow fight without any nudity? It just doesn't seem right, if you ask me. Besides, it's moving in the wrong direction off of two R-rated prequels. Disappointing, indeed.
Scary Movie 3 is a spoof and not a satire, so it's unfair to criticize it for a lack of wit. I also don't think of one as any less than the other. It all depends on what you're in the mood for. There's a time for dicey repartee, and there's a place for mindless humor. Scary Movie 3 knows which one it is.
Final Comments:Scary Movie 3 puts a whole lot of effort into all of the wrong places. There is some solid comedy in a well-structured architecture of good production values, but the worthwhile content is rather slim. Judging by the laughter in the theater, I enjoyed it more than most, but I'll laugh at almost anything. Too much emphasis was placed on form, and not enough on the function of keeping us rolling through the aisles. I had some good laughs with Scary Movie 3, and I still have hopes for a recovery in Scary Movie 4. It's worth a half-priced rental, but not $8 in the theater.
Similar Movies:Scary Movie 1,2, Not Another Teen Movie
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