“Scary Movie” is dumb, it’s sometimes offensive, it makes fun of seemingly defenseless people and it continues the recent Hollywood trend of playing up the scatological humor.
The flick is also a laugh riot.
A satirical spoof on teen slasher movies is just what the summer cinema season should be offering and it’s no surprise that “Scary Movie” was at the top of the box office list after its Friday opening.
The Wayans brothers — director Keenen Ivory, and script writers Shawn and Marlon — have teamed up in this rollicking romp through the inanity of the more dramatic teen slasher movies. Of course, movies such as “Scream” and “I Know What You Did Last Summer” are parodied relentlessly with the Wayans’ style.
But the Wayans take their shots at more “artistic” type horror films, i.e., “The Sixth Sense” and “The Blair Witch Project” with equal glee and rarely do they miss their target. Not many puns are left out in the scatter-shot approach.
Some scenes definitely stand out. One is when a character talking to the screen during a showing of “Shakespeare in Love” gets stabbed by other movie patrons. Of course, while I watched “Scary Movie” the other night, people yelled at the screen throughout. There it’s acceptable, but there was a certain sense of satisfaction to watch someone get an over-the-top punishment for the same behavior in “Scary Movie.”
Another scene that is right on the money is when four characters — including the “Scream”-inspired serial murderer — make fun of the “Wassup?” commercial for Budweiser.
Of course, drug and sex references abound throughout “Scary Movie,” but again, the scenes are probably nothing more shocking than someone might see on “Saturday Night Live.”
So, is all of it funny? No. Some of the attempts at humor are just gross or even border-line racist and sexist. But, whatever. Watching summer movies such as “Scary Movie” is the time to turn off the politically-correct radar and just sit back and relax.