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Scary
Movie 3 Movie Review: The third installment of the “Scary Movie” franchise’s script has the talents “Airplane!” co-creator David Zucker, “Hot Shots” co-creator Pat Proft and indie film-maker phenom Kevin Smith all attached. The film also stars ZAZ alumni actors Charlie Sheen and Leslie Nielsen and it is also directed by co-writer David Zucker. How could it not be a laugh riot? “Scary Movie 3” has very little in common with its predecessors other than returning cast member Anna Faris as “Scary Movie” staple character Cindy Campbell. Cindy is now a television journalist and has a young son. Her first major assignment finds her meeting farmer Tom Logan (Charlie Sheen) and his brother George (Simon Rex). When Cindy finds out that the Logan farm is the key to an all-out alien invasion this alerts the President of the United States (Leslie Nielsen). If an alien invasion weren’t enough, Cindy also has to deal with a mysterious videotape and a mysterious death. Let the parody begin! “Scary Movie 3” is a hilarious entry in the franchise as it re-awakens what this series is all about, poking fun at horror movies. There are so many hilarious moments that are sure to make the stiffest audience howl. There is a lot controversial jokes but given the over-the-top context they come off as just plain goofy. The film pokes fun at such films as "The Ring," "Signs," "Matrix Reloaded," "Eight Mile," "The Others" and even "American Idol." It is so clever how each is woven into each other. For me what was the best part about watching this film were the performances of Charlie Sheen, Leslie Neilsen and Anna Faris. Sheen’s mannerisms and dialogue reminded me so much of his beloved character from “Hot Shots!” Topper Harley but he was also able to meld those with a caricature of Mel Gibson in “Signs”. I loved Leslie Nielsen who plays his president a lot like the great Lloyd Bridges did in “Hot Shots!” and probably the most treasured scene for me was an honorary line Nielsen delivers near the end of the film in homage to “Airplane!” if you love that film as much as me then it will make you fall out of your chair. I also found some similarities to Anna Faris’s Cindy to that of Julie Hagerty in “Airplane!”. The film was a pleasure ride for the comedic senses. A couple small problems I had with the film were how short it is and how the filmmakers could have parodied so many more films. I wanted more. I also felt that a couple of the gags did go a little overboard especially at the wake. When doing or watching a parody, you are bound to offend someone but it takes a real master to offend so many people but still keep them laughing. That is exactly what “Scary Movie 3” is. If you
love parodies, ZAZ movies or the movies made fun of here,
then you are sure to love this film. (3.5 out of 5) It wouldn't have been too difficult to make a comic spoof better than Scary Movie 2, but best idea here is to hand the reins over to the Naked Gun team for a fresh stab at it, so to speak. The result has just as many jokes, sight gags and parodies ... but far more hit the target. The plot is a mixture of Signs, The Ring and 8 Mile, with references to The Matrix Reloaded and The Others, among others. Journalist Cindy (Faris) is investigating a mysterious videotape that has something to do with aliens who are putting crop circles in the cornfield of a local farmer (Sheen), whose brother (Rex) wants to be a rap star. To find the answers, Cindy must consult the Oracle Shaneequa (Latifah) and work with an increasingly paranoid US President (Nielsen). Every
scene is so packed with jokes that some of them are bound
to work. And at a late-night screening, this film will get
you giggling right from Pamela Anderson and Jenny McCarthy's
hilarious opening scene, after which it never pauses to
let you catch your breath, rocketing through its chaotic,
nonsensical plot so fast that you barely notice the gaping
holes. It's also sophisticated enough that you really do
have to pay attention; tiny gags are set off in far corners
of each frame, often having nothing to do with the scene
at hand. This Naked Gun-style approach actually works more
often than not, mixing silliness and absurdity with rude
jokes and outrageous vulgarity. There are also some rather
pointed jabs at political correctness, racism, gun control,
actor politicians and Michael Jackson. The least successful
plot strand is the 8 Mile bit, which is ludicrously pasted
in for no reason at all. The best is the continual undermining
of the contrivances and effects in The Ring. Yes, it's very,
very stupid. But it's also full of hilariously inspired
comedy as well as sharp spoofs of movies that, frankly,
are difficult to poke fun at because they're so corny themselves.
While investigating a mysterious crop-circle that has appeared in farmer Tom Logan’s (Sheen) field, TV reporter Cindy Campbell (Faris) comes across a video tape. It is said that anyone who watches the tape will receive a phone call that tells you that you will die in seven days. Her friend Brenda (Hall) has already watched it and her seven days are just about up. Meanwhile on the Logan farm, strange things start occurring but Tom’s brother George (Rex) wants to leave to pursue his dream of being a rapper. Anything in the synopsis sound familiar? Scary Movie is back for a third outing and the good news is that the Wayans have nothing to do with it. After two truly appalling films that for some unknown reason did reasonably well at the box office, the powers-that-be have mercifully taken the franchise away from the Wayans and given it to someone who knows parody, David Zucker. The man behind the ‘Airplane’ and ‘Naked Gun’ series removes all the excessive bad language and goes back to the parody basics, slapstick and innuendo. The problem is that the film misses more times than it hits. Taking the Mickey out of everything from Signs, The Ring, 8-Mile and The Matrix Reloaded, the movie hits the spot so infrequently that you cringe more times that you ever laugh. It does have some laugh-out-loud moments, like the Pamela Anderson and Jenny McCarthy cameos, Charlie Sheen slowly investigating his daughter’s scream and the autocue fight but these are too sporadic in the mediocre script. In fact if you have seen the trailer, then you have seen most of the best jokes. The performances are fine. Anna Faris does her best with a script tailored for her but that never really gives her character the chance to grow. Simon Rex tries again at spoof after appearing in ‘Sheik if you know what I did last Friday the Thirteenth’ and does really add to his comic potential. Anthony Anderson is his usual annoying self but does poke fun at his own on-screen persona. Leslie Nielsen brings abit of class to the proceedings as the paranoid President and Charlie Sheen eases back into old habits with a slightly underused character. Also watch out for numerous cameos from some well known B & C-list actors. The problem with the Scary Movie franchise is that they concentrate on the movies they are parodying far too much. Films like ‘Airplane’ and ‘Naked Gun’ succeed because they parody the whole genre and don’t rely on lifting entire sections from the movies they are trying to take the Mickey out of. This limits their appeal in the long run and it is just a quick way of cashing in on recent cinematic successes. The Scary Movie films are for those of you who will quite literally laugh at anything. The third movie is better than the first two however but that isn’t saying much as they where absolutely awful anyway. Star Rating = * *
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