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"Scary Movie 2"

Directed by Keenan Ivory Wayans.
Written by Shawn Wayans, Marlon Wayans, Craig Wayans, Alyson Fouse, Greg Grabianski, Dave Polsky and Michael Anthony Snowden.
Starring Anna Faris, Marlon Wayans and James Woods.
Release Year:  2001 
Review Date:  7/4/01 

Folks-- 

Hey, it was "Cats & Dogs" or this one...and, I chose this one.  Maybe I should have gone to the other one instead!

Well, maybe not.  There is some value to "Scary Movie 2"...mostly due to James Woods.  Woods appears in "Scary Movie 2" only at the beginning, as the minister that tries to exorcise a demon that looks VERY similar to the possessed little girl from "The Exorcist."  Along with fellow minister Andy Richter (Conan O'Brien sidekick), Woods has the best lines in the movie.

The plot of this sequel is ripped straight from the plot for "The Haunting"...or "House on Haunted Hill", depending on the scene.  From there, Keenan Ivory Wayans and his writers rip off about a dozen major releases from the last couple of years:  the aforementioned films, plus many others including "M:I-2", "Dude, Where's My Car?", "Charlie's Angels", "Dirty Harry", "What Lies Beneath", "Hollow Man", "Scream 2", "Ghostbusters", "Hannibal", the recent Nike basketball commercials featuring famous ballhandlers, and "Save the Last Dance."  This would be fantastic, if you have seen all of these films...lucky for me, I have seen them all.  If you haven't seen some of these movies, you miss the joke sometimes.

Here is the problem, though:  even though I HAVE seen all of those movies, the parody of them is not often very funny in "Scary Movie 2."  The "Charlie's Angels" sequence and the "M:I-2" scenes, for example, fall flat on their collective faces.  And, the scenes that aren't parodies are oftentimes some of the nastiest scenes you are going to see this year.  This is no different from the first "Scary Movie", but it did seem that Wayans relied more on nastier things in this sequel, like Chris Eliott's nasty caretaker character; his deformed hand is used in WAY too many situations for extended periods of time.  One too many penis sight gags and a few too many puke and excrement cracks make this one a little uncomfortable sometimes.  And, what is it with these movies and cum shots?  Once again, a character is literally blown through a wall by the force of someone else's ejaculation; it was almost completely unfunny because it was so predictable.

[As I was with the first "Scary Movie", I am absolutely amazed that this movie only got an 'R', not an 'NC-17.'  Clearly, Miramax exercised some more pull with the ratings board to get things like a "cameltoe" joke into this movie.  When you see it, you'll know what I mean.  Or, maybe it was when one character is giving himself a blowjob that I wondered, "Man, are you kidding me?"]

"Scary Movie 2" is horribly edited, acted, and written, but my roommate Keith and I (along with our packed house audience) did laugh heartily often enough to recommend a viewing when this one comes out on video.  The Nike sequence, along with Woods' exorcising and the "Hollow Man" interpretation all are funny and there are decent one-liners spouted by the cast along the way.  Catch this one around Christmastime, when it arrives on DVD.

Rating:  Rental

 

Comments?  Drop me a line at justin@bellviewmovies.com.

 

Bellview Rating System:

"Opening Weekend":  This is the highest rating a movie can receive.  Reserved for movies that exhibit the highest level of acting, plot, character development, setting...or Salma Hayek.  Not necessarily in that order. 

"$X.XX Show":  This price changes each year due to the inflation of movie prices; currently, it is the $9.50 Show.  While not technically perfect, this is a movie that will still entertain you at a very high level.  "Undercover Brother" falls into this category; it's no "Casablanca", but you'll have a great time watching.  The $9.50 Show won't win any Oscars, but you'll be quoting lines from the thing for ages (see "Office Space"). 

"Matinee":  An average movie that merits no more than a $6.50 viewing at your local theater.  Seeing it for less than $9.50 will make you feel a lot better about yourself.  A movie like "Blue Crush" fits this category; you leave the theater saying "That wasn't too bad...man, did you see that Lakers game last night?" 

"Rental":  This rating indicates a movie that you see in the previews and say to your friend, "I'll be sure to miss that one."  Mostly forgettable, you couldn't lose too much by going to Hollywood Video and paying $3 to watch it with your sig other, but you would only do that if the video store was out of copies of "Ronin."  If you can, see this movie for free.  This is what your TV Guide would give "one and a half stars." 

"Hard Vice":  This rating is the bottom of the barrel.  A movie that only six other human beings have witnessed, this is the worst movie I have ever seen.  A Shannon Tweed "thriller," it is so bad as to be funny during almost every one of its 84 minutes, and includes the worst ending ever put into a movie.  Marginally worse than "Cabin Boy", "The Avengers" or "Leonard, Part 6", this rating means that you should avoid this movie at all costs, or no costs, EVEN IF YOU CAN SEE IT FOR FREE!  (Warning:  strong profanity will be used in all reviews of "Hard Vice"-rated movies.)