Scary Movie 4

Year of Release: 2006
Genre: Comedy
Rating: Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor throughout, some comic violence and language.
Director: David Zucker
Starring: Anna Faris, Regina Hall, Craig Bierko, Leslie Nielsen, Bill Pullman, Carmen Electra, Shaquille O'Neal, Dr Phil, Chris Elliott, Molly Shannon, Michael Madsen, Charlie Sheen, Anthony Anderson, Chingy, Cloris Leachman, James Earl Jones.

Date Of Review: April 2008

The fourth and so-called final installment in the long running “Scary Movie” film series is exactly as expected, 83 minutes of hit and miss gags and plenty of high profile movies getting the spoof treatment. “Scary Movie 4” uses the plotline of “War Of The Worlds” as a backdrop, it begins and bookends the film with a spoof of the horror movie “Saw” and throws in elements of “The Village” and “The Grudge” for good measure.  In the grisly pre-credit sequence we get millennium pop-culture icon Dr. Phil and 90s pro basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal attempting to escape the dreaded “Saw” room. The film then quickly throws in a Charlie Sheen cameo (reprising his role from “Scary Movie 3”) that see’s him come to a quick end via an elaborate Viagra joke. There’s also a brief cameo by “The Girls Of The Playboy Mansion” who have apparently spent the night in Charlie’s bed, an obviously pun at Sheen’s off-screen image. The film then settles into the “War Of The Worlds” storyline with spoof scenes from popular movies of the day appearing and disappearing with frequency. There is an amusing spoof of “Brokeback Mountain” featuring funnyman Anthony Anderson; Clint Eastwood’s "Million Dollar Baby" gets a look-in with a tongue-in-cheek peak at the infamous Mike Tyson ear-biting scandal, while James Earl Jones lends his voice to the shenanigans as the film’s narrator. To top off the “War Of The Worlds” plotline they call the film’s lead character Tom, just in case anybody didn’t get the joke. Also, thrown in for more pop culture hilarity is a giant Trojan “I-pod” called a “Tri-pod” which just so turns out to be an alien spaceship.

Director David Zucker is no newcomer to this type of comedy having already set the bar high with his involvement in popular spoof films such as “Airplane!”, “Top Secret” and of course the first two “Naked Gun” films. Zucker even convinces his “Naked Gun” star, Leslie Nielsen, to make a few appearances in this one. Funnyman Leslie pops in and out of his clothes as The President of the United States in gags that reminded me of the old Maxwell Smart movie “The Nude Bomb”. Regular spoof babe, Carman Electra plays a blind village woman who mistakes the local court house for her house and proceeds to go to the toilet on full public display. A Michael Jackson impersonator drops in and attempts to take all of the children to safety, while Tarantino favorite, Michael Madsen turns up in a parody of the Tim Robbins role from “War Of The Worlds”. Plus, on the end credits we get a bonus scene that almost steals the show, when an Oprah Winfrey knock-off gets a lot more than she bargained for as she attempts to interview Tom in an amusing rip-off of the infamous Tom Cruise couch-jumping fiasco.  The jokes come thick and fast in this outrageous sequel that in its tagline humorously promises is “The Fourth And Final Chapter Of The Trilogy”, but with box office takings of $90 million in the US alone and with an estimated budget of $50 million, the series still churns out a mean a profit, so I would be surprised if the “Scary Movie” franchise did not raise its head once again in the near future.

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The Films That Inspired "Scary Movie 4" - Now on DVD:

War Of The Worlds (2005) (Limited Edition) [DVD]
Steven Spielberg's masterful take on the H.G. Wells classic stars Tom Cruise as a divorced New Jersey Everyman whose weekend with kids Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin is shattered by an alien invasion. As the decidedly unfriendly E.T.s and their menacing tripods devastate the planet, Cruise bravely attempts to travel to Boston to reach ex-wife Miranda Otto. Along the way, he encounters enigmatic stranger Tim Robbins and witnesses the worst--and best--of humanity. 117 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital stereo, DTS 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; documentary; featurettes; art gallery; photo gallery; theatrical trailers. Two-disc set.

The Village (2004) (Widescreen Version) [DVD]
Mindbending M. Night Shyamalan thriller chronicles life in a 19th-century Pennsylvania community surrounded by woods inhabited by deadly creatures. Wanting to venture outside the borders of his home, headstrong Joaquin Phoenix faces off against the disapproving town elders while becoming entrenched in a love triangle with blind clairvoyant Bryce Dallas Howard and doltish resident Adrien Brody. But when he attempts to leave, it sets in motion a series of shocking events that will forever change the hamlet. With William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver. 108 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, French Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: Spanish, French; alternate ending; deleted scenes; featurette; photo gallery.

Saw (2004) (Uncut Edition) [DVD]
Would you kill someone to save your own life or the lives of your loved ones? For the victims of the psychopath known as the Jigsaw Killer, this isn't just a hypothetical question, and two men abducted and held in chains by the madman are faced with playing his gruesome game for their own survival. Gripping, spine-chilling shocker stars Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, and Leigh Whannell (who also scripted). Unrated version; 103 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English DTS ES 6.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary; theatrical trailers; "making of" documentary; featurette; bonus short "Head Cage." Two-disc set.

Other Spoof Films - Now Available on DVD:

Meet The Spartans (Unrated Pit-Of-Death Edition (2008)) [DVD]
No movie left unspoofed, no pop culture reference left unmade, this hilarious parody from the crew who brought you "Epic Movie" lampoons "300" as it follows leather underwear-clad Spartan king Leonidas' quest to defend his people against a Persian army that counts Ghost Rider, Rocky Balboa, Transformers, and Paris Hilton among its ranks. Sean Maguire, Carmen Electra, Ken Davitian, Kevin Sorbo, Method Man star. Unrated version; 87 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary; featurettes; trivia; more.

Scary Movie (2000) [DVD]
"Scream," "I Know What You Did Last Summer," "The Blair Witch Project" and other horror films are spoofed to outrageous effect by director Keenen Ivory Wayans, as brothers Shawn and Marlon are among the teenage targets of a white-masked, hooded, hook-handed killer terrorizing B.A. Corpse High School. Shannon Elizabeth, Cheri Oteri and Carmen Electra also star. 88 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1; Subtitles: Spanish; "making of" featurette; deleted scenes; DVD-ROM content; scene access.

Date Movie (2006) [DVD]
"From two of the six writers of 'Scary Movie'" comes this skewering of the romantic comedy genre! Julia Jones (Alyson Hannigan) does her best to shed her fat (suit) and escape the dreary life of a big, fat Greek restaurant waitress by landing the perfect guy (Adam Campbell) who knows what women want. Will they soon be calling the wedding planner? Will he say anything to win the girl of his dreams? Jennifer Coolidge, Fred Willard, Eddie Griffin also star. 83 min. Standard and Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary; featurettes; theatrical trailers; deleted scenes; extended scenes.

Epic Movie (Unrated Version) (2007) [DVD]
If you loved "Scary Movie" and "Date Movie," check out this equally uproarious skewering of big-budgeted Hollywood spectacles. When orphan characters from flicks that are oddly reminiscent of "The Da Vinci Code," "Nacho Libre," "Snakes on a Plane," and "X-Men" are taken out of their respective blockbusters, they team up and encounter a Willy Wonka-esque candy maker before entering the not-so-magical world of "Gnarnia." Kal Penn, Adam Campbell, Jennifer Coolidge, and Crispin Glover star. Unrated version; 93 min. Widescreen; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital Surround; Subtitles: English, Spanish; alternate ending; audio commentary; featurettes; gag reel.

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