# Scary Movie (2000)

### reviewed by
Laura Clifford

    SCARY MOVIE
    -----------

The Wayans Brothers ("I'm Gonna Get You Sucka, TV's "In Living Color") go the way of the Zucker Brothers ("Airplane") with their parody of recent teen scream flicks "Scream" "Scream 2" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" with the ironically titled "Scary Movie" ("Scream's" original title).

    LAURA:

Not since "Kentucky Fried Movie" (written by the Zucker Brothers, directed by John Landis) in 1977, has a parody flick been so gleefully vulgar. "Scary Movie" pushes the limits of the R rating even further than last year's "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut." It's also pretty funny in the Zuckers' tradition - if one joke falls flat, two or three more will come along rapid fire that work.

The story most closely follows the plot of the original "Scream," with Carmen Elektra gamely appearing in the infamous first scene (her character's appropriately named Drew), being tormented by the Edvard Munch masked killer over the telephone as she makes popcorn. Within minutes, the Wayans have established good will by larking on the likes of Dennis Rodman, Jiffy Pop, and teen flick T&A.

Cut to seven friends. Cindy and Bobby (nudge, nudge) are the Neve Campbell/Jennifer Love Hewitt, Skeet Ulrich standins with virginal Cindy leading on the always enthusiastic Bobby. Regina Hall ("Love and Basketball") is Brenda, a "Clueless" standin and girlfriend of the sexual identity-challenged Ray (Shawn Wayans, getting one of the best laughs early on while asking for fashion advice). Greg's (Lochlyn Munro) obnoxiousness teamed with girlfriend Buffy's (Shannon Elizabeth, "American Pie") beauty queen dreams recall the "Last Summer" couple played by Ryan Philipe and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Marlan Wayans is Shorty, a stoner who tries to remind the others how a black man can survive a horror flick.

Just by the character's name (Gail Hailstrom), it's easy to guess who SNL'er Cheri Oteri is spoofing, although she only gets to shine in the Wayan's refreshing brief (and therefore more effective) "Blair Witch" reference. Hilariously over-the-top, to the point of near cruelty, is their handling of "Scream's" Dewey (played in those films by David Arquette) as Doofy, although actor Dave Sheridan gets to redeem Arquette's name in an amusing coda.

David L. Lander (TV's "Laverne & Shirley") has a cameo as Principal Squiggy (take that, Henry Winkler!) and Jayne Trcka gets the loudest howl as the girls' gym coach, Miss Mann.

Along the way, the Wayans have a ball with the "Scream" killer and his mask, particularly in a scene where he gets stoned off an aquarium bong set up by Shorty and his pals after receiving an invite that spoofs a popular TV ad. The essential mask changes shape to fit the mood, such as the killer's befuddlement at some of his victim's utter stupidity.

It's a credit to the Wayans (Keenen Ivory directs and cowrote with Shawn, and Marlon as well as Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer) that even cultural references which seem already overmined for parody still come off well in their hands.

It's tight, it's outrageous and it's definitely not for small kids. "Scary Movie" will have audiences screaming - in either laughter or in surprise at the lengths the filmmakers go to gross people out.

    B

    ROBIN:

"Airplane" collides with the Wayans brothers' "In Living Color" as helmer Keenen Ivory Wayans leads his ensemble cast of family and friends in the spoof that spoofs the spoofs, "Scary Movie."

>From its hilarious ode to "Scream" beginning to its "The Usual Suspects" sendoff ending, "Scary Movie" takes no prisoners and bars no holds. Strongly influenced by the zany, machine-gun paced humor of the Zucker brothers, the screenplay, with a bevy of credited writers including many of the Wayans family, hits the comic bull's-eye more often than not. The raunchy nature of a lot of the gags caused screams - mostly of laughter, but sometimes, of shock - at the screening we attended. Shock value is definitely an important aspect of the humor here, but it is certainly not the only humor.

"Scary Movie" takes on the task of making a parody of the film that re-established the horror spoof as a genre, "Scream." At the start, we see Drew Decker (Carmen Electra), a beautiful high school student with a flatulence problem, being stalked a la Drew Barrymore in the original - but with slapstick hilarious, not tongue-in-cheek witty, results. Electra shows one hell of a good sense of humor in capitalizing on her voluptuousness in the film's extended opening before the title. The film goes on to poke fun at "Scream" from beginning to end.

"Scary Movie," though, is not just a spoof on "Scream." As you watch, the sizable ensemble cast move on to make fun of a bunch of horror flicks like "I know What You Did Last Summer," "The Sixth Sense," and "The Blair Witch Project." The parodies are almost universally over the top as the comedian-actors slap you along side the head with their nasty, in your face gags. And horror movies aren't the only ones that are used for the fun of it. "The Matrix" gets its nod, as does the aforementioned "The Usual Suspects." But, they don't stop there as they move on to all sorts of teen cliches, with no sacred cow un-skewered. Gays, virgins, handicapped people, retarded people, straight people, stoners, beauty queens, transvestites, weird sex practices, snot, movie goers, fat people, pubic hair, penises, dildos and more are fodder for the many gags. It's surprising how many of them work, too.

The big cast got the chance to adlib and put their own spin on their characters. The free flow of imaginative humor is evident here as the actors give their own personalities to their roles. You can match the characters to their counterparts in the films being spoofed. Marlon Wayans as the constantly stoned Shorty, is like the Randy character in "Scream." He knows everything about horror movies and what you shouldn't do - split up, go into a dark room alone, answer the phone - but is too wasted to be of any help. Newcomer Anna Faris makes her debut as the central character, Cindy Campbell, putting a good-natured spin on the dour Neve Campbell role in the original. Regina Hall ("Love and Basketball") plays the girlfriend to the sexually uncertain Ray (Shawn Wayans), the BMOC football player who likes to take showers with his teammates and has Brenda dress up in his football pads and helmet. Hall is outstanding when she gets to be the movie-goer-from-hell and a film critic's worst nightmare. The other players - Dave Sheridan as town simpleton Doofy, Shannon Elizabeth as high school sex kitten Buffy, Cheri Oteri as the cutthroat TV reporter Gail Hailstorm, and the rest - also help make the humor happen.

The behind the camera work befits the efforts of those in front of it with costuming, by Darryle Johnson ("The Wood"), matching the tone of the films being spoofed. The same goes for the production design by Robb Wilson King ("Rush Hour") and photography by Francis Kenny ("Harriet the Spy").

To tell you about all the gags, puns, funny bits and shocks of "Scary Movie" would be to deprive you of the pleasure of having it all come as a nice surprise. But, be forewarned, the "R" rating for this film is completely warranted for the raunch factor. Some think that an "NC-17" rating would be more suitable. I go with the hard "R" and it is very hard. Parents beware of taking younger teens and below to this one. I give it a giggling B.

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