Wordiezett So much average

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Mark Cutshall I was expecting a comedy and what I received was a tragedy! I continued to watch this movie just to see how bad it really could get. It was like a car wreak and I was a rubber necker. I would consider "It's Pat", "Manos: The Hands of Fate", the "Police Academy" series movies and others were better than this! I lost an hour and 25 minutes of my life that I wish I could get back. I can't believe that Stephen Colbert read the script and said to himself "Wow, this is a film I want to do!" The acting is horrible, the timing of jokes is even worse. I almost gouged out my eyes, shaved my head and threw dirt over myself. This movie wouldn't even be good on drugs! IMHO, avoid this movie at all cost!

Ed Uyeshima What remains remarkable in the translation from Comedy Central TV show to mainstream feature film is Amy Sedaris' complete lack of vanity in replaying her comic alter-ego, the aptly named Jerri Blank, a 47-year old ex-con who decides to return home after a lengthy prison term and finish high school. The original concept for the three-season cult series was a fun idea full of possibilities, satirizing the high-minded seriousness of the ABC Afternoon Specials in the 1970's by having the hapless Jerri learn some significant life lesson after going through some humiliating situation. Probably a disappointment to dedicated fans of the show, the 2006 movie is really no different except the paper-thin plot feels dragged out to its eighty-minute length (wisely cut from its 97-minute length in theaters). It has the additional burden of feeling repetitive of the series without providing much more in the way of texture or complexity.Director Paul Dinello (who plays effete art teacher Geoffrey Jellineck), along with co-writers Sedaris and Stephen Colbert (who plays closeted science teacher Chuck Noblet), uses the opportunity to fill in a bit of Jerri's back story in coming back to the family home and dealing with her father's comatose state. According to kindly Dr. Putney, the only cure lies with Jerri's efforts to do her father proud by winning the school science fair. Of course, the easily misdirected Jerri wants to be part of the in-crowd, in particular, getting horizontal with Brason, the school's hunky squat-and-thrust champion. This consequently means turning her back on her science project team, the Fig Neutrons, which includes Tammi, Jerri's best friend and object of Sapphic desire, and Megawatti, the Indonesian geek who has an unexplainable crush on Jerri. Lots of hijinks ensue until the inevitable conclusion, including the insertion of several star cameos - Allison Janney and Philip Seymour Hoffman as bickering school board members, Sarah Jessica Parker as self-absorbed grief counselor Peggy Callas, Ian Holm as Dr. Putney, Dan Hedaya as Jerri's comatose father; and Kristen Johnston as a wheelchair-bound coach. Matthew Broderick actually has a bigger role as Noblet's adversary, the preening Roger Beekman.Much of the TV series cast is here as well with Colbert the standout as the blustery, uptight Chuck who secretly yearns for Geoffrey, who spurns him to be Roger's idea man. For most of the time, it is fitfully funny if only because the scabrous screenplay takes no prisoners in its approach. Consider this the comic flipside to "Sherrybaby" with plenty of familiar elements from "Carrie" and "Napoleon Dynamite" thrown in for good measure. But most of all, it is a tribute to Sedaris' Borat-like transformative skills as a comic actress. The 2006 DVD has a commentary track by Sedaris, Colbert and Dinello, and although they are obviously having a good time together, much of that rapport surprisingly does not translate well for the viewer. There are eighteen minutes worth of deleted scenes, most understandably excised though interestingly, it looks like Parker's counselor was the chief victim of the cuts. Also included are the theatrical trailer (another case of a promising trailer that's a lot funnier than the movie itself) and a music video for Delano Grove's "Atomic Car".

Robert_Hearth "Strangers with Candy" (2005) Directed By: Paul Dinello Starring: Amy Sedaris, Greg Hollimon, Paul Dinello, Deborah Rush, Stephen Colbert, Dan Hedaya, Allison Janney, & Philip Seymour Hoffman MPAA Rating: "R" (for sexual content, language and some drug material) "Strangers with Candy" started out as a short-lived television series on Comedy Central. It lasted, I believe, for eleven episodes in 1999 before being cancelled. It told the story of a forty-six year old ex-drug addict who went back to high school. I never caught the series on television…and, obviously, I was not the only one. However, the people who did watch it loved it. It became an instant cult classic. I still haven't seen a single episode so, to be perfectly honest, I couldn't care less about seeing this movie. But, having heard great things about the series, I decided I would give it a chance. Now, I can honestly say that the plot is nothing special and really isn't that funny. What makes "Strangers with Candy" so wonderful is Amy Sedaris. Her performance makes the entire movie click. Watching Sedaris work makes this experience one that everyone should check out at some time or another. She allows the movie to transcend its rather typical plot to become a surprisingly funny comedy.This movie is a prequel to the television series mentioned above (or, at least, that's what they tell me--I don't really know). Jerri Blank (Sedaris) is a middle-aged woman who has just been released from jail after being imprisoned on drug charges. When she gets home, she finds that her father, Guy (Hedaya), remarried, had a son, and happened to fall into a coma. Jerri decides that becoming "special" will help her dad recover so she returns to high school in hopes of excelling. Immediately, things go from bad to worse. She just cannot find a place in the vastly-different school system and seems to be making enemies left and right. The school, itself, is a blend of back-stabbing teenagers and careless, thoughtless administrators. What kind of grief counselor requests tips and a strict ten minute session limit, you ask? Well, the one working at this school does. But, Jerri hatches an ingenious plan (okay, as "ingenious" as one that Jerri could device) to take part in the school's science fair. Winning, she hopes, will be the perfect key to bring her dad back to her.The performances in "Strangers with Candy" work quite well and, really, they make the movie what it is. Amy Sedaris gives one of the best comedic performances of the year, proving that she is Jerri Blank. There is no substitute. I found myself laughing every time she was on the screen (which was almost always). She just had an undeniable charm about her and is a true comic genius. Deborah Rush also does a nice job as Jerri's spiteful stepmother. She was great. Greg Hollimon, who plays Principal Blackman, aced the material, coming off as a satirical look at the educational system without appearing to be ridiculous or cheesy. He just worked. I really enjoyed his performance. Stephen Colbert, another comic genius (if I do say so myself), is hilarious as the flamboyantly gay teacher. Granted, the material given to him was just perfect, but he really owned the role and made it his own. On a special note, what was with Dan Hedaya? He was unconscious for almost the entire movie. Couldn't they get just some random actor to lie in a bed for an hour and a half? It just seemed a little strange to me.On the downside of this movie, there were a few moments when I thought the plot kind of slacked. The plot itself wouldn't have worked had it not had been for the great cast. It was predictable, clichéd, and a little silly, but, because of such actors and actresses as Amy Sedaris, it worked well enough. This movie reminded me (oddly enough) of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan". "Borat" also had a rather dull plot--okay, in all actuality, there was hardly a plot at all, but, because of Sacha Baron Cohen, the movie worked like a charm. This was also the case with "Napoleon Dynamite". Jon Heder, whether you die-hard fans will admit it or not, made that movie. Amy Sedaris did the same thing with "Strangers with Candy". Her wonderful performance made this movie a gem--forgotten by the general public (it only grossed a little over $2 million)--but a gem nonetheless.Final Thought: "Strangers with Candy" has Amy Sedaris to thank for its effectiveness.Overall Rating: 7/10 (B+)

Ursula 2.7T Just watched this last night and all I can say is, "Wow, what the h*ll happened????" The TV series was outrageously hilarious. The things that came out of Jerri Blank's mouth would make a sailor blush! But the movie? Oh my, it was a completely watered-down, lame version of the TV show -- in fact many lines spoken during the movie I recognized from the TV show. I'm very embarrassed for Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert, two otherwise hugely talented people. I'm at a loss to understand how these two could've let this movie hit the streets.If you've never seen the "Strangers with Candy" TV series, get it and see some really funny, whacked-out comedy. It's available on DVD, all three seasons. Please don't judge SWC by this movie.If you're a fan of the show but haven't seen the movie yet, then please take my advice and don't see the movie. It will just make you really, really sad. It may even ruin the show for you, and I don't want that to happen to you! I had to watch season 1 of the series last night after watching the movie, as an antidote to the movie. I'll be watching season 2 this evening for further therapy, with season 3 at the ready for further ministrations as needed.