Scary Movie

Directed by Keenen "Ivory" Wayans
Starring (Alphabetically): Jon Abrahams, Carmen Electra, Shannon Elizabeth, Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Marissa Jaret Winokur.
MPAA Rating: R for strong crude sexual humor, language, drug use and violence.

Review by Lauren Snyder <lauren@filmhead.com>
July 7, 2000

Sometimes when a new film appears, I like to imagine the pitch given to the studios by the scriptwriter. In the case of this film, I'd bet that at some point during the conversation, the writer used the phrase: "the Airplane! of the teen horror genre".

I saw Scary Movie at a special Miramax-sponsored screening on Thursday, and was one of an audience of hip, savvy twenty-somethings. The mood was festive and the movie didn't disappoint, delivering all of the cinematic convention spoofs, recent film parodies, high-octane sight gags, surprise cameos, cartoon violence, and racy sex talk and situations expected.

Wait a sec -- did I say "racy sex talk and situations"? You'd better believe it. My friend Andy told me on our way to the theatre that the Wayans brothers' parents walked out of this movie because of the content. Frankly, I'm not surprised. This one's got American Pie whipped like a dominatrix's boy-toy for smutty dialogue and scenes. In fact, not to sound like a 23-year-old prude, but that's why I couldn't give the film more stars. I appreciate the satirical stab (ha-ha) at the sex-driven plots of today's high school pictures, but satire and gross-out humour are an odd combination at best, and a cheap attempt at laughs at worst.

To sum up, there was so much I liked about this film. It was worlds better than the dreadful things that Mel Brooks has been passing off as comedy these days. It'll be a surefire hit with men ages 18-29, as the ones in the theatre laughed so hard at some jokes that they missed pages of dialogue. The actors acquitted themselves nicely, including funny gal Cheri Oteri as Gail Hailstorm (à la Scream's Courteney Cox-Arquette), and the hysterical Marlon Wayans as the Gold Standard of recent movie stoners.

If you can get past the frequent lowbrow humour, you'll love this film. If that stuff isn't your bag, avoid it like the plague.

Note: Thanks to Andy Adelewitz and the people at Little Big Man for the free tickets, and good luck to the cute guy sitting next to me who was reviewing this film for another venue!

Here's some merchandise for sale at

Scary Movie (2000)	-- VHS
Scary Movie (2000)	-- DVD
Scary Movie: Soundtrack	-- Compact Disc

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