Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - You'll wanna visit Preston, Idaho!

♥♥♥♥♥

+ Best Dance Movie of the Year + Best Dollar Return of the Year: 115.25 Times the Cost + Best Idahoan Movie of the Year + Best High School Movie of the Year + Best Independent Movie of the Year + Best Low-Budget Movie of the Year + Best Youth Movie of the Year

Jon Heder looks, well, ridiculous in moonboots and a brown suit on this funny poster for Jared Hess' Napoleon Dynamite

In small Idaho town Preston, Napoleon lives with his grandmother and uncle. His best friend is Pedro, who is running for student president at their high school. And a dance there is fast approaching.

Napoleon Dynamite is written by Jerusha Hess and her husband, debuting great Arizonan co-writer/director Jared Hess (Don Verdean (2015)). This cursing and sex-free teenage romcom lights up with originality and humanity in all of its groovy parts.
We are invited to get to know all the weirdos, all the imperfect people of Preston, and if the script is a bit lean, the film makes up for it with wonderful music and precise, memorable photography full of good, static compositions, (by Munn Powell (Gentlemen Broncos (2009))). And, of course, Jon Heder (Wildlife (2014, short)) is a dancing sensation as the title character, and Efren Ramirez (Mad Families (2017)) is hilarious as his buddy Pedro.

 

Related post:

 

Jared Hess: 2004 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the film here 

Cost: 400k $
Box office: 46.1 mil. $
= Mega-hit (returned 115.25 times its cost)
[Napoleon Dynamite premiered 17 January (Sundance Film Festival, Utah) and runs 95 minutes. The film is inspired by Hess' short film Peluca (2003). Shooting took place in Idaho, including the real Preston, and in Utah in 23 days from July - August 2003. A reportedly substantial part of the tiny budget was spent on music rights licensing. Heder was paid only 1,000 $ for his performance but later renegotiated and received an undisclosed cut of the film's profits. The film opened #29 to a 116k $ first weekend in 6 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #8 and in 1,024 theaters, grossing 44.5 mil. $ (96.5 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 1 mil. $ (2.2 %) and Australia with 0.38 mil. $ (0.8 %). Roger Ebert gave the film a 1.5/4 star review, translating to 4 notches worse than this one. It was nominated for 3 Independent Spirit awards and a Grammy, among other honors. The cast and filmmakers returned with a same-titled TV-series in 2012, which was canceled after 6 episodes. Hess returned with The Postal Service: We Will Become Silhouettes (2005, short) and theatrically with Nacho Libre (2006). Heder returned in 2 shorts and a TV-series, before he returned to the big screen in Just Like Heaven (2005). Napoleon Dynamite is fresh at 71 % with a 6.31/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Napoleon Dynamite?

Epic Movie (2007) - Friedberg/Seltzer deliver the tasteless fun

♥♥♥♥

+ Most Under-appreciated Movie of the Year + Best Low-brow Movie of the Year

A simple and very silly-looking poster for Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer's Epic Movie

Four unrelated orphans find each other with four golden tickets and venture through a wardrobe that's really a trap into a cold world, which is ruled by a tyrannical white bitch!

- She is played with usual comical panache by Jennifer Coolidge (The Jack of Spades (2010)). Epic Movie distinguishes itself by having lovely comedians bring their chops to the spoof: Besides Coolidge there's Fred Willard (Max Rose (2013)), who is priceless as a randy half-lion; Kevin Hart (Little Fockers (2010)) is a blood-thirsty albino, and Crispin Glover (Dead Man (1995)) is Willy Wonka. Darrell Hammond (Agent Cody Banks (2003)) is really funny as 'Jack Swallows', the movie's take on Johnny Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean character, Jack Sparrow. There's also David Carradine (Karate Cop (1991)) and several other stars and wannabees.
Epic Movie is full of babes, piss, vomit, farts and crap. Its pace is high, and although it is undeniably lowbrow, it is fun lowbrow and good entertainment for all youthful laugh-oholics, - especially if approached with low expectations. It is written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (Vampires Suck (2010), both).

Related post:

2007 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2007 in films - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

 Watch a scene from the directors' previous film, Date Movie (2006) here, spoofing the legendary orgasm-faking scene from When Harry Met Sally... (1989). - If this makes you laugh, own it and go get Epic Movie as well, because it's for you

Cost: 20 mil. $
Box office: 86.8 mil. $
= Big hit
[Epic Movie premiered 27 January (Australia and Malaysia) and runs 85 minutes. It was shot in California and New Jersey in and around July 2006. It opened #1 to an 18.6 mil. $ opening weekend in North America, where it fell to #3 in its second week and then out of the top 5, grossing 39.7 mil. $ (45.7 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 10.1 mil. $ (11.6 %) and Australia with 5.1 mil. $ (5.9 %). The film was axed by critics and today holds #42 on IMDb's user-generated Bottom 100 list, between Surf School (2006) and Alone in the Dark (2005). It sold in excess of 1 mil. DVDs in North America alone, adding another 16.8 mil. $ to its gross, (which, however, wouldn't change its big hit status if counted in.) Epic Movie is rotten at 2 % with a 2.3 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Epic Movie?

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) - Wright's comic book nonsense is a terrible and costly studio misstep

♥

 

+ 2nd Worst Movie of the Year

 

Michael Cera appears on this poster for Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World to be a rock guitar-loving kid (in a mysterious movie that promises 'epicness')

 

Scott is a lazy teenager who is dating another lazy teenager, but to win her over, he must beat her seven evil exes.

 

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is an adaptation of Bryan Lee O'Malley's (Lost at Sea (2003)) first five (2004-09) Scott Pilgrim comic books, which very quickly grows very tiring. It appears to have been created for the more irksome segment of emo youths as a busy, speed-talking explosion of colors, graphics and chop-chop editing, which is all over the place and nowhere at all at the same time. The film is not fundamentally about anything and what's worse, it isn't exciting, romantic or funny.

Michael Cera (Juno (2007)) has lots of fight scenes (...!), but most of all I felt like punching him in the throat during Scott Pilgrim. Quite a few talented actors have been attracted to the film's nonsense material, (probably by handsome studio paychecks and co-writer-director Edgar Wright's (Shaun of the dead (2004)) previous films.

Wright co-wrote the script with Michael Bacall (21 Jump Street (2012)). From watching Scott Pilgrim, you'd think the two must be as immature as their awful teen-pandering turkey.

Piece of advice: The outtakes on the DVD last less than 10 minutes and are a lot more fun than the film itself.

 

Related posts:

 

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]

2010 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: Around 60 mil. $ (down from 85-90 mil. $ through Canadian tax rebates)

Box office: 47.6 mil. $

= Huge flop

[Scott Pilgrim vs. the World premiered July 27 (Fantasia Festival) and runs 112 minutes. Filming took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada from March - August 2009, reportedly the biggest film identifiably set in Toronto to date. The film opened #5 to a 10.6 mil. $ first weekend in North America, behind The Expendables, Eat Pray Love, The Other Guys and Inception, dropping to #10 in its second week and grossing 31.5 mil. $ (66.2 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 8.4 mil. $ (17.6 %) and Australia with 2.8 mil. $ (5.9 %). Strangely for a film that is a US/UK/Canadian/Japanese co-production, the film has no Japanese gross listed on Box Office Mojo. The film made in excess of 27.3 mil. $ on DVDs and Blu-rays in North America, which, if taken into account, changes the film's status to big flop only. Although the film was lambasted by several critics, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is certified fresh at 81 % with a 7.5 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World?

Mean Girls (2004) - Lohan, Waters and Fey's high school satire triumph

♥♥♥♥

Lindsay Lohan and, behind her, 'the Plastics' (Amanda Seyfried, Rachel McAdams and Lacey Chabert) for Mark Waters' Mean Girls

Cady has been home-schooled in Africa until her 16th year, in which she will start in a regular American high school. There she soon falls into a difficult dilemma: Should she avoid the popular, shallow girls, try to expose and bring them down, or join them?

Mean Girls became a teen sensation 10 years ago, - mostly for teen girls, understandably, - and it's a smart high school satire comedy/chick flick with a romance subplot. Based on a non-fiction self-help-book book by Rosalind Wiseman (Queen Bees and Wannabes (2002)), the script is written by Tina Fey (This Is Where I Leave You (2014), actress), who also plays a funny supporting role as Cady's struggling, good-hearted math teacher. It's good writing, basically, with many amusing ideas played out in the well-paced movie. In the end, though, SPOILER things come together somewhat too neatly for Cady, I think, and Mean Girls loses some of its realism and ends as a package a little too clean for my taste. I was also a little disappointed to see Cady's friend Janis, who more or less outs herself as gay towards the end, in which everything else seems to come together, began dating a guy (...), - while the other gay male friend went nowhere. In the end of Mean Girls, you might say that Fey chose to dump the two substantial gay characters of her teen movie into a black hole.
Mean Girls features a young Lindsay Lohan (The Canyons (2013)), who is both very charming and a natural, good center for the film. Rachel McAdams (Morning Glory (2010)) is fun as the insidious 'queen bee', and SNL-regulars Amy Poehler (They Came Together (2014)) and Tim Meadows (The Ladies' Man (2000)) are hilarious as McAdams' racy mom and the principal.

Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Cabert next to an uncomfortable Lindsay Lohan in Mark Waters' Mean Girls

The details:

Many people really love Mean Girls, and it is a fun and entertaining film to watch, while it also has some edifying points about the futility and hurtfulness of bullying. It is high-paced and a little talky, and some may be put off slightly by the bitchy teen girl characters in it and draw a big breath after, happy that their general level of drama isn't a norm in most people's lives.
The film won Lohan a string of Teen Choice and MTV awards and was the preliminary peak of her career, before things started going awry and down-hill with DUI's, rehab visits, legal problems etc. etc. Film Excess is still hoping that she'll emerge on the other side as a strong woman sooner rather than later.
Mean Girls is directed by Mark Waters, who lately put out the overlooked Vampire Academy (2014), (many of us have simply had a little much of teenage vampires, I suppose.) He has also directed such hits as Freaky Friday (2003), - another Lohan-starring hit comedy, - and Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), a delightful family comedy with Jim Carrey.

Watch the trailer here

Cost: 17 mil. $
Box office: 129 mil. $
= Huge hit
[With happening young actors, first class comedic material, a pop star-studded soundtrack and good reviews, no wonder that Mean Girls struck gold. 66 % of its earnings were from North America.]

What do you think of Mean Girls?
What's your favorite high school comedy?

17 Again (2009) or, Teentainment Deluxe

♥♥♥♥

+ Best Fantasy Comedy of the Year

A preppy Zac Efron fronts this enticing French poster for  Burr Steers' 17 Again

A down on his luck, 37 year-old divorce-stricken man magically turns into his 17 year-old self and regains his sense of living and priorities.

17 Again is a wonderfully executed high-concept romcom/guilty pleasure for all lovers of Zac Efron (Me and Orson Welles (2008)), closeted or otherwise, written by Jason Filardi (Bringing Down the House (2003)) and directed by great Washingtonian filmmaker Burr Steers (Igby Goes Down (2002)). 
Efron is feisty, cute and funny in the film, and he gets backed up by lovely young actors Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl (2008-12)), Sterling Knight (Monster Heroes (2010)) and Hunter Parrish (Still Alice (2014)), as well as older, gifted comedians Leslie Mann (This Is 40 (2012)), Thomas Lennon (Knight of Cups (2015)), Matthew Perry (Mr. Sunshine (2011), TV-series) and Melora Hardin (Transparent (2014-15)), the wonderful comedienne oft remembered as Jan from The Office (2005-13).
17 Again is perfect, breezy marketing of the US of A for the world, a shining, delicious joy.

Related posts:

2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2009 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I] 

Watch the trailer for the film here

Cost: 40 mil. $
Box office: 136.2 mil. $
= Box office success (returned 3.4 times the cost)
[17 Again premiered 11 March (Sydney, Australia) and runs 105 minutes. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles, ending in January 2008. The film opened #1 with a 23.7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another 2 weeks in the top 5 (#2-#4) and grossed 64.1 mil. $ (47 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 18.3 mil. $ (13.4 %) and Australia  with 10 mil. $ (7.3 %). Roger Ebert agreed with Film Excess and awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars. Steers returned with Charlie St. Cloud (2010), also Efron's subsequent feature. 17 Again is rotten at 56 % with a 5.4/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of 17 Again?