Scary Movie 3

Reviewed by Demetrius Payne

for Reel Movie Critic

H½

Cast

Charlie Sheen Tom

Anna Faris Cindy

Directed by David Zucker. A spoof, fantasy, sci-fi comedy. Rated PG-13 for pervasive crude & sexual humor and language, comic violence and drug references.

Cindy is a news reporter in Washington D.C., trying to unravel the double-sided mystery surrounding a strange video tape that kills people within seven days of viewing it (sound vaguely familiar?), and crop circles that appear in farmlands outside the D.C. metro area (another familiar scenario). She intends to prove that somehow the two have the potential to lead to an alien invasion of earth, if the mystery isn't solved. Sounds like a Scooby-Doo episode, and that's because that's what they go for.

You see, if it sounds like the story line in this movie is real thin it's because the "Scary Movie" franchise is not based on original plots, but rather making fun of the plots of other successful movies. The two central themes for this version's spoof are the films "The Ring" and "Signs." One of the ways this movie tries to cover up its weaknesses is by throwing in a bunch of faces and names you have seen before in small roles here. By my count, the final tally was something like the 12 days of Christmas, let's see, Jenny McCarthy, Pamela Anderson, 10 rappers, a Michael Jackson look alike (a real good one too, too bad that's such a short-term job)… and a partridge in a pear tree.

At the start this movie is funny, including some hilarious scenes that almost make you feel bad for laughing; that deep down "did I just see what I think I saw" laughter. But after about 30 minutes of that, there is too much humor that you've already seen in movies like "Naked Gun" & "Airplane," which is not too surprising as David Zucker, the director of this movie also directed those spoof films. I guess if you liked them you'll like this, but to me, the slap in this movie just did not stick.