Common Sense Note
Just about everyone is the butt of a joke or two--including African Americans, the elderly, homosexuals, the mentally handicapped, and overweight people. Frequent extreme profanity, with the majority of it sexually-themed. Every character acts questionably, from the sometimes drunk and stoned killer to Cindy's drug-dealing criminal father. Drug use is prevalent. Countless references to oral sex. Graphic photographs of a penis, a pair of bloated testicles, and an erect penis in a gay character's ear. One gag involves semen. Jokes about virgins, pubic hair, and sticking a penis in a vacuum cleaner. The characters all have sex, and we see lots of groping. A male gym teacher cross-dresses to have access to female students. Many bloody stabbings. A girl is electrocuted. Characters are killed for laughs. One is beheaded. Another kills himself.
Families can talk about what's funny, and what's offensive and/or stupid. Why do different people find different things funny? Why do parents and kids often laugh at such different things?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Beth Pratt
A costumed killer chases a flatulent, underwear-clad character and stabs her, piercing her breast implant. A grandmother is thrown down steps to impede a killer's progress. A retarded deputy soils his pants. Are you in hysterics yet? If not, SCARY MOVIE will only frighten you with its crudeness.
This isn't to say that all the movie's humor is as juvenile as it might seem. Some jokes evoked hearty laughter from a teen audience. When a group of guys and the costumed killer re-created the famous "Whassup!" beer commercial the teens cheered, while a parody of a Dawson's Creek episode (complete with theme song and cameo by James Van Der Beek) was equally popular. Such humor, however, has its limitations; as one seventeen-year-old pointed out, "if you didn't know the references that were made fun of, you wouldn't find it funny."
Unfortunately, good-natured humor is the exception, as the writers prefer the cheap laugh, often at the expense of minorities. One African American viewer was offended by a scene spoofing racial stereotypes. And the scenes involving male organs and bodily fluids feel like reheated Farrely brothers (Something About Mary) without the laughs.
The Scream movies lampoon traditional horror movies, which makes SCARY MOVIE a spoof of a spoof. While SCARY MOVIE's thin plot mirrors scenes from Scream, the comparison ends there. All three Scream movies relied on witty dialogue and engaging characters, something that SCARY MOVIE desperately lacks.
Rate It!
| Content | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CS | adults | kids | ||
Sexual ContentCountless references to oral sex. Graphic photographs of a penis, a pair of bloated testicles, and an erect penis in a gay character's ear. The characters all have sex, and we see lots of groping. A male gym teacher cross-dresses to have access to female students. |
 |
 |
|
|
ViolenceMany bloody stabbings. A girl is electrocuted. Characters are killed for laughs. One is beheaded. Another kills himself. The costumed killer chases his victims, although it's more silly than scary. |
|
|
|
|
LanguageFrequent extreme profanity, with the majority of it sexually-themed. |
|
|
|
|
Message |
|
|
|
|
Social BehaviorJust about everyone is the butt of a joke or two--including African Americans, the elderly, homosexuals, the mentally handicapped, and overweight people. One gag involves semen. Jokes about virgins, pubic hair, and sticking a penis in a vacuum cleaner. |
 |
 |
|
|
CommercialismProduct placement is prevalent. |
|
|
|
|
Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoEveryone from the sometimes drunk and stoned killer to Cindy's drug-dealing criminal father indulges. Drug use is prevalent. |
|
|
|
|
