Movie 43: "You Look Like You Slept In A Soup Kitchen Urinal"

Director: Various Directors
Writer:    Various Writers
Starring: Dennis Quaid
               Greg Kinnear
               Seth MacFarlane
               Kate Winslet
               Hugh Jackman
               Jeremy Allen White
               Liev Schreiber
               Naomi Watts
               Anna Faris
               Chris Pratt
               Kieran Culkin
               Emma Stone
               Richard Gere
               Kate Bosworth
               Jack McBrayer
               Justin Long
               Jason Sudeikis
               Uma Thurman
               Kristen Bell
               Christopher Mintz-Plasse
               Chloe Garace Moretz
               Patrick Warburton
               Gerard Butler
               Seann William Scott
               Johnny Knoxville
               Halle Berry
               Stephen Merchant
               Snooki
               Elizabeth Banks
               Josh Duhamel
Rating:    **

Release Date: Out Now

Sometime you are forced to wonder what in the world makes some actor's make the choices they make. Admittedly they sometimes want to just have some fun and step out of their comfort zone, but when you have Academy Award winning actors degrading themselves this far, you really have to wonder: "What were they thinking" and "Was the film company somehow blackmailing the many stars of Movie 43".

Kate Winslet & Hugh Jackman

So despite the fact Movie 43 is a series of sketches starring Hollywood's finest, the filmmakers have tried to piece together some sort of storyline to join the many scenes. In some countries you will be treated to the pitch concept; the storyline where Greg Kinnear ad Dennis Quaid are pitching various movie ideas in a meeting, each sketch being a different movie. However, elsewhere (like in the UK) you will see a group of teenage boys searching for the mysterious 'Movie 43', a film that was banned and never to be seen again; in searching for it they fall across all these other movies. 

The sketches all fall in the category of desperate, offensive and tasteless (all except Emma Stones, the superhero skit, and a boy being home-schooled), and when watching it you will be treated to a girl who loves skat (Google it), a man with balls on his chin, and a pair of teens freaking out over a girls period.

My issue with the film is that out of the 12 sketches, only three were funny; so that to me basically says disaster. The nine other sketches are so dated in their comedy style and are so needy for laughs from the audience instantly don't find them funny. Why the likes of Winslet, Berry, Jackman and Watts agreed to it I'll never know; this is the sort of film you expect of them at the start of their careers, not in the middle when they have made their mark on cinema in many profound ways.

Each skit has a different director, but none of the directors manage to bring anything fresh or special to their 10 minutes of film time; I get it won't be easy to do that considering, but you'd think they at least try. It's a real shame as I was really looking forward to seeing this massive ensemble of terrific actors pull of something special, instead I got a complete cinematic flop.

Movie 43 - Trailer