Movie 43 Review

Bad comedy. Bad.

I’m going to be blunt with this review. Movie 43 is a terrible, agonizing experience. It amazes me how so many actors got roped into making this dreadful film. The movie is a collection of 12 shorts that features a cast that includes Elizabeth Banks, Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Emma Stone, Jason Sudeikis, Dennis Quaid, Richard Gere, Greg Kinnear, and other talented actors.

Eleven of the segments are related to the main short, which stars Dennis Quaid as a desperate screenwriter who is trying to pitch his idea to a studio executive. Quaid starts pitching his ideas, and this is when the film starts to become terrible.

Most of the shorts are crude, tasteless, and unfunny. One short involves Kate Winslet and High Jackman going on a blind date. To Winslet’s surprise, Jackman has a large scrotum hanging from his neck, and nobody seems to notice it except her. Another short stars Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts as parents trying to recreate the dangers and turmoil of high school for their homeschooled child. This short features bad jokes involving bullying, homosexuality, and even incest. Then, there is a short about a couple (Anna Faris and Chris Pratt) that thinks sex acts involving defecation will strengthen their relationship. This is complete garbage.

However, I did find three of shorts mildly funny. One short stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a girl who experiences her first period while hanging out at her boyfriend’s house. The short mocks how men are so clueless when it comes to female problems. At one point, one of the men suggests clogging her uterus with frozen peas and a sponge. Another one stars Terrence Howard as a basketball coach who is trying to inspire his African-American team to beat their arrogant white opponents. It puts a nice spin on those cliché true-life sports stories. Then there is a disturbing yet funny short about a couple that lives with their cartoon cat named Beezel. There are several other shorts, but the rest of them are not worth mentioning.

Movie 43 is an abomination, and is a movie that will be forgotten quickly. I still can’t figure out how so many good actors and actresses agreed to do this abysmal film. The only explanation I can think of is blackmail. Each segment is only around 5-10 minutes, but this is a blemish that I don’t think any actor wants on his/her resume. This has to be one of the worst comedies I have seen in a long time. Surprisingly it's not even the worst comedy of 2013. That honor belongs to a movie much worse. Hint: It's an Adam Sandler film.

Movie 43 - 1/5