 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Epic Movie
- Review Date: May 21, 2007
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 2007
Common Sense Media says
Raunchy blockbuster spoof is over the top, dumb.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that plenty of teens will want to see this raunchy parody from the folks behind Date Movie. It frequently relies on sexual references and body functions for punchlines (though the old standby of good, clean, bopped-on-the-head slapstick gets a workout, too). Lots of crotch and breast gags; plenty of innuendo and big, cartoon-style violence. Some language (mostly "s--t" and "Goddamn"). While the main movie being spoofed is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, there aren't any jokes based on the religious allegory underlying C.S. Lewis' plot. References to R-rated films like Snakes on a Plane and Borat may pique young viewers' curiosity to see them.
What's the story?
The story, such that it is, follows four adult "orphans" from a variety of races (the joke is that they're all brothers and sisters, despite their ethnic mix) whose origins rest in plotlines of movies as diverse as Nacho Libre and The Da Vinci Code. The four come into possession of Golden Tickets that allow them tour Willy Wonka's (Crispin Glover) fabulous candy factory. When Wonka tries to make candy out of the overgrown-kid heroes (it's strongly hinted that he has sex-pervert motivations), they hide from him in a wardrobe that turns out to be the portal to the magic land of Gnarnia. There the evil sorceress known as the "White Bitch" (Jennifer Coolidge) tries to catch them to stop the fulfillment of a prophecy that would end her reign. Part of her plans include the woozy pirate Jack Swallows (Darrell Hammond), who, of course, is a takeoff based on a certain Disney pirate-film series. Oh, and there's a homicidal albino monk after them, too.
Is it any good?
With a title like EPIC MOVIE, you'd think this feature-length spoof would be taking aim at, well, epic movies, and the clichés of spectacles like Troy or Gladiator.
But Epic Movie -- which was made by some of the people involved in Date Movie and the Scary Movie series -- just goofs on a laundry-list of 2005-2006 theatrical releases and TV shows, both epic and non-epic, all pinned to a framework of Disney's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The whole thing is like a MADtv sketch that escaped the small screen to the big one. What's the point? Basically, just a state-of-the-art ridicule of the most current film fads and crazes -- kind of like the way the New York stage community has fresh editions of a parody called Forbidden Broadway every season or so. But there's not much insight beneath the crass, rapid-fire gags and celebrity (or celebrity impersonator) cameos.
Kids are an easy-to-please crowd for this style of broad send-up, and some bits might make parents laugh too -- when they're not squirming at the prospect of having to explain a sleazy pun like "Jack Swallows." But much of Epic Movie's humor relies on the tiresome fallbacks of sex and drinking, with a few incongruous hip-hop dance numbers thrown in for good measure. Even more of the humor relies on having viewing tastes identical to writer-directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, who do takeoffs on everything from the Saturday Night Live digital short "Lazy Sunday" (which itself was partially a Narnia riff) to MySpace.com. Good luck if you're not hip to the last two or three years of popular culture.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the movie's crazy, all-out style of parody. Does any of it work, and do you think anyone will find any of it funny decades from now, when half of the references will have been forgotten? Compare this film to other spoofs -- like Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein and Woody Allen's Shadows and Fog -- in which the comedians seem to have great understanding and affection for what they're spoofing. Is there any of that here?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
epic piece of garbage
this movie was awful. the pirate rap and two other things were funny but other than that i thought it was boring. there's way better spoofs out there. 13+
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Very provikitive comedy
Good movie for mature kids
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
don't let 5-9 year olds watch it
All I can say about this movie is it was a epic failure.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Stupid, not worth a minute of your time or money
I'd like my hour and a half back. This movie is stupid, boring, and completely unfunny. If you like stupid "comedies" that are completely devoid of any humor or wit, than this is your kind of movie. If not, pass this one. If you must watch it, expect lots of crude, sexual humor, bad messages, comic violence, and PG-13 level swearing.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Worst movie you could possibly see in your life.
A parody of a group of a bunch of popular movies sounded good before saw it with my friends. I was wrong. The movie is practically built with bad words,sexuallity, violence, and drinking. Charecters we admire like Wolverine can be seen sticking his middle claw up in this trashy movie. Don't show it to your kids.
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Bit over the top
Profanity isn't that bad in terms of its infrequency and repetition. In the Uncut version they use the f word.
I saw this at 10 and didn't understand half the stuff.
It's an ok movie, pretty funny, but nothing compared to a lot of movies and I think a lot of reviews are over the top saying "iffy" or "off" for 16 year olds. It's a fricken PG-13!
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
UNRATED VERSION
tons of profanity and nudity/sex
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
Spoof Movie is Just What Teens Want
There are a lot of sexual jokes and language. This is a comedy spoof movie that teens will love, but is not for younger kids.
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Directors: | Aaron Seltzer, Jason Friedberg |
| Cast: | Adam Campbell, Jayma Mays, Kal Penn |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 86 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | January 26, 2007 |
| DVD release date: | May 22, 2007 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | crude and sexual humor, language and some comic violence. |
Review It
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already seen it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
