1993 mockumentaryRating: 16/20
Plot: Clive Walton and Marvin Handleman--the producer/director team that brought the world
such gems as The Airport, Dial "S" for Sex, She Beast, and Nude Ninjas--decide to make a Biblical epic based on a 2,000 page script. The problem is that they have no budget, and after just a few hours, they're already hopelessly behind schedule. Numerous problems arise and begin to strain Walton and Handleman's relationship.
First off, I have to give the makers of this props (wait, do we still give props?) for the Fitzcarraldo reference. Nice. This pokes fun at the film industry more than Christianity. In fact, I really doubt it would offend too many Christians, and even if I'm wrong, it's still mighty funny. The production's nearly as cheap as the Biblical epic they're trying to film, and not every single gag connects, but it squeezed more than a few laughs from me despite the gloomy mood I was in before watching. Like the best of the genre, it's really the little moments (the ones you almost miss if you don't pay attention) that are the funniest. Everything Fred Kaz (Noah) says is funny ("I was a Klingon for a few minutes."), and I also loved the sound effect guy, a discussion about how many disciples there were, a dead buffalo, some hilarious product placement, and "What lovely Frankenstuff!" Oh, and "I could do it with or without my teeth." This has a few famous faces, too. Soupy Sales, oddly enough, is Moses. Jan Brady plays Noah's wife, and Lou Ferrigno and Andy Dick play Cain and Abel respectively. I'm sure reading about this movie has done little to convince you to watch it. Do it anyway and thank me later!
I watched it purely on your recommendation...and I'm glad I did. I actually learned quite a bit of filmmaking and trivia knowledge.
ReplyDelete1. There were 10 disciples, not the 12 I thought.
2. Don't do pushups in dusty dirt.
3. Don't play Able if Lou Ferrigno is Cain.
4. Eve Plumb didn't die after the Brady Bunch, and she looks better with shortish red hair.
5. When planning for a blast radius of 25-30 feet, it is a good idea for people to stand more than 25-50 feet away...especially if the explosive explodes.
6. "Soupy Sales" is one of the strangest names I have ever considered.
7. God wears glasses.
8. Sit in the back of the screening room if the film you're screening for people is total crap.
I really liked the wry, dry humor and laughed quite a bit. It is not quite on the "This Is Spinal Tap" level, but it is brief and a lot of fun. The whole thing just felt right, especially the upbeat ending. A 16, and thanks for the good recommendation. Got another?
7b. God also has taken acid and likes the Grateful Dead.
ReplyDeleteI laugh every time I think about Soupy coming down from Mt. Sinai with that six pack.
I also thought it was hilarious when they decided, for financial reasons, that they'd have to cut Jesus out of the movie.
Chris Kattan of SNL fame (or infamy?) is also in this.
It is very funny, though I do think if they had made "Nude Ninjas" instead, it would have gotten a higher grade.
ReplyDeletebest mockumentary ever made and maybe the best comedy.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite movies ever.
ReplyDelete