Scary Movie 4 (2006)

Directed by: David Zucker | 83 minutes | horror, comedy | Actors: Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Simon Rex, Leslie Nielsen, Carmen Electra, Craig Bierko, Dr. Phillip C. McCraw, Beverly Breuer, Link Baker, Chris Elliott, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Madsen, Bill Pulman, Molly Shannon, Chingy, LilJohn

In fact, the Scary Movie series doesn’t have to end. That is, as long as there is enough public to bring in some more money. And, as bad as the reviews are, this has always been the case until now. These films will find their way to the target group, so as long as films come out to parody, we can look forward to a new ‘Scary Movie’. However, of course complete with the obligatory shit-and-pee humor and stupid bimbos. Without these elements, many potential visitors would probably drop out, and more importantly, make a real effort to make a good parodying film.

‘Scary Movie 4’ often seems fun to start out, but then milks one joke so long that it becomes annoying, or leaves jokes behind and starts humorless side paths. In addition, the first humor is often not so much the credit of ‘Scary Movie 4’, but of the film that is being ridiculed. It’s just nice to recognize the movie in question. And. admittedly, the sets often look very believable and similar. It’s like you’re actually in Ray’s street from ‘War of the Worlds’, and the alien tripods aren’t even that badly recreated. They even reconstructed many shots in the same way, with identical camera angles. When a well-functioning joke is put into these carefully recreated environments, the effect is even more effective.

The problem is that there aren’t that many well-functioning jokes in the film. Take a scene at the beginning of the movie, where Charlie Sheen accidentally downs a bottle of Viagra pills while trying to take sleeping pills. He gets a gigantic, unmanageable erection from which he has to get a cat loose in a ‘There’s Something About Mary’-like way. However, the thing is so grotesque and shapeless that it doesn’t even offer vicarious shame anymore. He’s just plain ramming a big balloon that has manifested itself in his pants. The way he runs around the room, while his girlfriend doesn’t notice, must seem hilarious, but has little effect.

Not enough humor is taken from the movie references either. Tom Cruise was very competent as a container operator in ‘War of the Worlds’. Here, his doppelganger (a well-cast, dry-acting Craig Bierko) falls asleep and dumps containers on top of each other. What is the parody or satire of this? It’s more fun when Ray’s exaggerated incompetence and indifference as a father is ridiculed, and the lack of control he has. His ex-wife took everything with her with the divorce, even his name: his name is now Horace van Tits. And when his children arrive by car, he doesn’t recognize them and accidentally addresses a pair of conjoined twins. Then his rebellious son kicks in the door. Not great, perhaps, but the reference is clear.

Furthermore, self-mockery is always to be welcomed, as in the case of some cameos. That’s how Dr. Phil Shaquille O’Neal in the basement of ‘Saw’ vs. He states that he was just on a show with children with separation anxiety. “And then suddenly I was here. Those kids will be pissed off…”. We also “learn” that Phil is not a doctor at all, but a plumber. We cannot suppress a smile here. Perhaps the funniest end of the movie is when Bierko visits Oprah Winfrey (not the real one) and we see that over-the-top behavior of the celebrity, Oprah, and especially the artificial furry cattle who scream and laugh. for everything they see happening on stage.

But none of this has anything to do with film specifically. Unfortunately, the film references often miss their mark. In ‘The Grudge’ episodes, a landlord must keep all ghosts at bay when the Sarah Michelle Gellar clone (Anna Faris) makes her appearance. Pretty obvious and only mildly humorous. But if a scene with an old woman getting a sponge bath of urine appeals to you, you’re in the right place. The ‘The Village’ part is pretty much stripped of good working humor, with Chris Elliott screaming and bell-ringing Chris Elliott continuously, and a church-pooping Carmen Electra as apparent highlights. And who else is waiting for a naked Leslie Nielsen in a stale Austin Powers prank with strategically placed objects in the environment to hide his private parts? Or another joke about Michael Jackson as a child molester? And how funny is it to see dozens of people break their necks in a boxing ring, as part of a ‘Million Dollar Baby’ parody?

But, even though the film references are not terribly successful and everything hangs together from scratch, there are moments that just automatically make an attack on the laughter muscles, no matter how stupid they are. ‘Dodgeball’ has built an entire movie around the idea of ​​people throwing objects at their heads, and here again this kind of humor is used effectively. So entertainment. In ‘Scary Movie 4’ we see Craig Bierko throwing a baseball with his son and Anna Faris getting the ball hard in her face. But luckily she reassures us with the comment that her throat fortunately took the blow. Or with the confession: “Don’t worry. I have taken balls to the face before”. Just like the previous ‘Scary Movie’ films, this variant will again attract the necessary visitors, no matter how loud the critics shout. Yes, there are still quite a few things that work in the film and it is also nice to be able to recognize the parodied films. However, this is far from enough to be able to speak of a successful and long-lasting entertaining film.