Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Unfunny, irritating comedy goes way over the top.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 18+?
Any Positive Content?
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Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie
What's the Story?
In Hollywood, Tim (Tim Heidecker) and Eric (Eric Wareheim) have just blown $1 billion on an unreleasable movie that only lasts a few minutes. (In one of their many mistakes, they accidentally cast a Johnny Depp look-alike instead of the real Depp.) To escape their angry financiers (Robert Loggia and William Atherton) and to raise money, the duo agrees to take on a job refurbishing a dilapidated and dangerous shopping mall. While there, they meet a range of strange characters and learn about a ravenous wolf and the secret of "Shrim." But can they finish the mall before their enemies track them down and take their revenge?
Is It Any Good?
It's embarrassing to think that this movie was made by grown-ups. First of all, it's just not funny. Comedy usually relies on very precise delivery, with special rhythms and beats, but Heidecker and Wareheim have completely ignored that concept. Instead they aggressively repeat punchlines, hammering them again and again in the vain hope that they'll become funnier, rather than the opposite. The dead space where laughter should be is like lead.
And the characters of Tim and Eric are unequivocally vile, hateful, irritating, stupid, and worthless. In one scene, Tim steals a small boy from his father and "adopts" him as his own son. (This horrifying event is supposed to be funny.) Most other characters are one-joke types, such as "Taquito" (John C. Reilly), who's sick and keeps coughing up blood. Again, this is played for laughs. The directing -- also by Heidecker and Wareheim -- has a vaguely sick, sludgy quality; the entire movie leaves off with a general depressing feeling.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the way that Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie depicts sex and violence. Is it funny? Does it cross the line? Who decides where "the line" falls?
How does this movie differ from Tim and Eric's TV shows? What's their appeal? Can they be considered role models?
What makes Tim and Eric want to get wasted? Does it solve anything for them or make them feel better?
Movie Details
- In theaters : March 2, 2012
- On DVD or streaming : May 8, 2012
- Cast : Eric Wareheim , John C. Reilly , Tim Heidecker
- Directors : Eric Wareheim , Tim Heidecker
- Studios : Magnet Releasing , Magnolia Pictures
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 93 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong crude and sexual content throughout, brief graphic nudity, pervasive language, comic violence and drug use
- Last updated : September 16, 2022
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