Scary Movie (2000, DVD)

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In olden days a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking, but now God knows, anything goes.
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Cole Porter may have written his classic lyrics decades ago, but the truth behind the words seems especially true after seeing Scary Movie, a truly raunchy---but frequently clever---spoof of recent horror movies.

Movie doesn t merely push the envelope of bad taste; it runs the envelope through a shredder and turns it into confetti. It s a movie that makes There s Something About Mary look like it came from the mind of Walt Disney by comparison.

For example, there was the joke about---no, wait, I can t really repeat that one on a family-friendly forum. Oh, wait, there s the scene where---no, can t tell that one either. All of which begs the question of exactly how the film snuck through with an R rating from the MPAA. There may not have been blatant sex, but the sexual humor was non-stop.

Without a doubt, this is not a movie for everyone. Generally, I m not a fan of stooping to gags about sex and bodily functions. While I love Something About Mary, that s more of the exception than the rule for me. Scary Movie though, had me laughing most of the way through...when I wasn t groaning at an exceptionally vulgar scene.

Mocking Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer is not exactly the most challenging undertaking---both movies virtually scream, er, um, beg for someone to skewer them. Scream is something of a spoof in itself---becoming even more laughable with each passing installment. There s plenty of material to mine, and director Keenan Ivory Wayans brings his sharpest wit to the project, loading the film with dead-on satire and sometimes-hilarious jokes. Too bad I can t repeat most of them.

The opening sequence mimics Scream in a beautifully tongue-in-cheek manner. Carmen Electra takes on the Drew Barrymore role (her character s name is Drew, not surprisingly), falling for every horror movie clich in the book. She even gets to deliver an amusing in-joke alluding to ex-hubby Dennis Rodman. Electra manages to escape her attacker thanks to some strategically placed silicone, but inevitably starts to suffer from that run-down feeling.

From there, the movie follows Scream s basic outline, with tips of the hat to everything from The Blair Witch Project to The Matrix. Even The Brady Bunch manages to get a tribute, in the form of the names of several lead characters. And the principal of the high school is Mr. Squiggy---yes, that Squiggy.

One of the clean sight gags in the movie is the name of the school B.A. Corpse High. On the school cafeteria s menu board is a (blurry) confirmation of what most of us have said at one time or another about cafeteria food. Check out the names of the beers as well they re pretty clever.

Wayans brothers Shawn and Marlon are featured in the cast, along with Anna Faris, Regina Hall and Jonathan Abrahams. Cheri Oteri does a turn in the Courtney Cox role as an intrepid reporter following the grizzly murders.

Most disturbing to me was the number of young people in the audience. How a parent with a shred of responsibility could actually bring a child to see a movie like this is beyond me. No review that I have read anywhere regarding this movie fails to mention how inappropriate the material is for children, yet there were numerous children who looked to be as young as 10 in some cases. At one point, a mother (I m assuming) walked out with what looked to be a roughly 13-year-old girl. Perhaps the scene where Sean Wayans learns a whole new definition to reach out and touch someone after an ill-advised trip to the restroom finally convinced the mother the material was not suitable for her daughter. By that time, though, it was a bit late to be worrying about corrupting a child.

Tell me, am I missing something here? Shouldn t an R rating be tip off to parents that perhaps this isn t the wisest choice for young eyes and ears? Or have we just stopped caring about such things? (And don t even get me started on the unescorted teens watching the movie---theatre operators should be penalized far more severely for disregarding the little matter of teens without an adult in an R movie.)

That said, I give Scary Movie three Reeses Cups out of 5, for doing a credible job making a parody of recent horror movies. The gross factor could have been turned down a few notches without sacrificing the satire, though. Parents, please note: this is not suitable viewing for children or teens.