Scary Movie 4
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| Scary Movie 4 | |
|---|---|
| Image:Scary movie four ver4.jpg Scary Movie 4 film poster | |
| Directed by | David Zucker |
| Produced by | Robert K. Weiss |
| Written by | Pat Proft Craig Mazin |
| Starring | Anna Faris Regina Hall Craig Bierko |
| Distributed by | - USA - Dimension Films The Weinstein Company - non-USA - Miramax Films Buena Vista Distribution |
| Release date(s) | 14 April, 2006 |
| Running time | 83 min |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $45 Million |
| Preceded by | Scary Movie Scary Movie 2 Scary Movie 3 |
| Followed by | Scary Movie 5 |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Scary Movie 4 is a sequel to Scary Movie 3 that is directed by David Zucker, written by Craig Mazin and Pat Proft, and produced by Robert K. Weiss. It is distributed by The Weinstein Company via its Dimension Films unit in the US, and internationally by Buena Vista Distribution (Miramax). It was released on April 14, 2006.
Contents |
[edit] Short synopsis
Anna Faris and Regina Hall are back as the lovable, dim-witted Cindy Campbell and her self-serving, sex-crazed pal Brenda Meeks respectively. They are joined this time around by Craig Bierko as the cute, but utterly clueless, Tom Ryan. Together, they battle to save the world from a ruthless alien invasion. Cindy moves in next to Tom because she's taking care of an old lady. She finds out the house is haunted by a little boy called Troy Reed and goes on a quest to find out who killed him and why. Also, Alien "triPods" are invading the world and Cindy has to uncover the secret in order to stop them.
[edit] Parodies
This movie officially spoofed:
- Saw
- Saw II
- The Village
- The Grudge
- War of the Worlds
- Million Dollar Baby
- Brokeback Mountain
- Hustle & Flow
[edit] Detailed story
Shaq and Dr. Phil wake up chained in a bathroom (spoofing Saw). Shaq has to make a free throw with a huge rock in order to get the saw down to cut off their legs. Shaq and Dr. Phil have only two minutes to free themselves of their leg braces before dying from the room's airborne nerve gas. Finally Shaq makes the basket and lowers the saws down. Dr. Phil ends up sawing off his foot but he picks the wrong one. It is assumed that both die from the gases being released in the room.
Tom Logan (Charlie Sheen), spoofing Bill Pullman's character from The Grudge, wakes up. There are three girls (from The Girls Next Door on E!) in his bed who later have a pillow fight. He tries to kill himself by taking many sleeping pills but the pills turn out to be Viagra, resulting in a super-erection (within his trousers). Unaccustomed with the different mass distribution he tumbles over a balustrade, lands on his erect penis, and dies. Cindy Campbell goes to get a new job (parodying Sarah Michelle Gellar's character in The Grudge). She's been asked to be a caretaker for the creepy "Grudge House." She receives a tour inside, Cindy expects nothing and she gets a 'little feeling of evil' as the guide tries to hide the overflowing hair on the ceiling, in drawers and baskets and on his head; and The Grudge Boy in the bathtub by pushing him down with a plunger.
Meanwhile, Cindy's neighbour Tom Ryan (Craig Bierko), spoofing Tom Cruise's character in War of the Worlds, gets fired from his job as a crane operator at the docks. At a bar afterwoulds, he runs into Mahalik (Anthony Anderson) and CJ (Kevin Hart), where it is revealed (in a parody of Brokeback Mountain) that the two have started a homosexual relationship. Tom gets home, where his ex-wife has just arrived with his children, Robbie and Rachel, who both resent him.
Image:Gallery?id=755658&page=6&ad=.jpg Cindy's job is to look after the incapacitated Mrs. Norris (Cloris Leachman), however she is incompetent at it, to the point of accidentally sponge bathing Mrs. Norris with her with her own urine. Throughout the night Cindy notices strange events going on in the house, culminating in her finding a ghostly boy in the attic.
The next morning she confides in Tom about the events of the previous night, which leads to a conversation about their past relationships. Cindy has a flashback to the death of her husband George (Simon Rex) where, in a parody of Million Dollar Baby, George trips and breaks his neck during a boxing match between Cindy and another opponent. As they share a kiss, the sky suddenly goes stormy and everything electrical stops working. Tom goes to investigate, and discovers the world has come under attack by gigantic triPods (giant iPods) that destroy everything in their sight.
Cindy runs back into her house and finds the ghost boy again. They began talking in "Japanese" (actually Japanese brand names and "buzz words" such as Sony, Mitsubishi, and Fujitsu), and she is told by the ghost boy that she can find the answer to the alien attack when she finds his father. He gives her directions to his location. Tom splits up with Cindy and flees with his kids. Cindy runs into Brenda Meeks (Regina Hall), who apparently survived her death in Scary Movie 3, and together they manage to find the last working car and follow the directions of the ghost boy.
The scene then changes to the President of the United States being informed that aliens are attacking. The President is sitting in Edna R. Penhall Elementary School, listening to a book being read; when his aide comes, he sits motionless, wanting to hear the rest of the story. This mirrors George W. Bush's listening to a story for seven minutes, after being told about the September 11th collisions.
Cindy and Brenda come across a village that is a hundred years behind modern times. After unsuccessfully trying to steal clothes off some villagers, they take some from a laundry basket and attempt to fit in. Unfortunately, they are captured and are taken into a court to decide their fate. Henry Hale (Bill Pullman), the head of the village, rules that Cindy and Brenda may stay in the village, but they may never leave.
Tom and his children run into a battle between the Army and triPods. Robbie decides to join the fight, excited by the graphic violence. While Tom tries to dissuade him, Michael Jackson (who has gathered a bunch of children) tries to persuade Rachel to come with him, but Tom manages to stop her in time, but unfortunately Robbie gets away. Michael Jackson gets shot by a triPod, and after screaming, "Not my real face, not my real face!" he is reduced to just his nose. Tom and his daughter flee into house protected by Oliver (Michael Madsen), parodying Tim Robbins' character from War of the Worlds.
That night, the village is attacked by Those We Do Not Speak Of, however it is discovered that they are simply villagers in costumes. Next door, Henry is stabbed by the mentally challenged Ezekiel (Chris Elliot). He reveals to Cindy and Brenda he is the father of the ghost boy, who was killed at the Cindy's boxing match because everyone snapped their necks and Don King crushed him. He tells Cindy that only she has the power to defeat the triPods. At that point, Cindy and Brenda get captured by a triPod, as do Tom and Rachel.
The characters wake up in the bathroom from Saw. Cindy and Brenda are wearing the "Venus Fly Trap" from Saw II and Tom is wearing a device that would shoot a large dildo into his anus. Jigsaw appears on a monitor on the wall, and tells them they have 60 seconds to get the Venus Fly Traps off before they close. Eventually, Cindy figures out (after much prompting) that she has to get the key from behind her eye, which she does with ease thanks to a glass eye she got in a "Bad bar fight in 96'". Cindy frees them from their traps, and Tom's kids come down from the ceiling, about to be sliced into bits unless he holds onto a rope which happens to be between a coffin with spikes inside. He grabs onto the rope which leaves him open to another torture device called the Nut Cracker, which gives him various punishments such as kicking his crotch, and giving him a purple nurple and a wet willie. Moments before their deaths, Cindy finds photos in the toilet of Jigsaw, a women, and the ghost boy, and realizes that Jigsaw was the ghost boy's real father, and the entire invasion was revenge for his son's death. He then says "Anyone can hold a grudge, but it takes real courage to forgive," and it is at this time that Jigsaw comes into the spotlight. He then tells them that the invasion is over and allows them to leave.
Image:Gallery?id=755658&page=4&ad=.jpg
He apologises for the invasion, and then Brenda and another alien, Zoltar emerge from the other room, where they have just had sex. Jigsaw asks Zoltar if he caught anything, and Zoltar replies that Brenda (untruthfully) told him she was a virgin. Nine months later, Brenda gives birth to a baby that looks just like Jigsaw and Zoltar.
After that, James Earl Jones gets hit by a bus while delivering Morgan Freeman's closing lines from War of the Worlds.
A five minute epilogue spoofs the Tom Cruise couch incident by showing an Oprah Winfrey Show episode with Tom Ryan jumping on a couch with Oprah (played by Debra Wilson). Tom runs around the studio, does backflips (performed by David Leighton), and chews/rips apart one of the couch cushions. Cindy Campbell walks in and gets thrown by Tom off the stage. Tom then breaks Oprah's hands and wrists, smashes a chair over her head, runs towards the camera lens, and the screen goes black.
[edit] Box office
In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of $40.2 million [1], the third best opening weekend of the Scary Movie franchise. It has the best Easter weekend opening weekend ever, beating Panic Room which made $30.1 million in its opening weekend and also the second best April opening, only $2 million behind Anger Management's record.
As of October 18, 2006, the film has grossed a total of $90,710,620 at the United States box office and $178,049,620 worldwide.
Earning over $40 million above the 'breaking even' point of its $45 million budget, and having a record-breaking opening, Scary Movie 4 is a bonafide success. Nonetheless, the film holds the dubious honor of the highest grossing opening weekend ever for a movie that did not break the $100 million dollar barrier.
[edit] MPAA rating
- In the USA, the official MPAA rating is PG-13 for crude and sexual humor throughout, some comic violence, and language.
[edit] Cast
[edit] Trivia
- The rules Brenda is holding up, in the poster, says the following:
- I: Let the scary movies be seen, we will mock them.
- II: Let the weepy dramas be seen, we will give them something to cry about.
- III: Let the romantic comedies beware, for we are coming.
- War of the Worlds is parodied the most, along with The Grudge.
- The "Nuts" joke was supposed to involve Mahalik putting his hand over CJ and saying "I wanna eat some peanuts!". Hart can't stop laughing after saying that line because he kept on saying the word "penis" instead of "peanuts".
- Someone is crushed by a car at the end of the movie, like the previous movies. This is the narrator James Earl Jones.
Image:Gallery?id=755658&page=7&ad=.jpg
- Most of the special effects in the film were in the parody of War of the Worlds, which were relatively well done and similar to those in War of the Worlds.
- This is the first in the Scary Movie franchise to be shot in high-definition video, specifically with the Panavision Genesis camera.
- Though intercut with a body double, at least one scene from behind of a naked Leslie Nielsen is that of Nielsen himself, doing a nude scene.
- Despite King Kong being in the poster, the film is not parodied in Scary Movie 4. Craig Mazin stated: "I don't know why King Kong is on the poster. We do not spoof King Kong in the movie. Marketing trick, I guess." (King Kong is spoofed in Date Movie)
- This is the second movie in the series where Brenda Meeks character does not die, the first being Scary Movie 2 (this is not counting the alternate ending for either this movie).
- Anna Faris denied the rumors about Tyson playing Cindy's opponent in the boxing scene. She said it was a boxing trainer who quite resembles Tyson a lot. However, in the DVD commentary, David Zucker stated it was indeed Tyson.
- This is the third Scary Movie filmed in Vancouver. Others were 1 and 3.
- Mahalik & C.J. sings "Hello" by Lionel Richie, during the flashback scene.
- Tom Ryan sings "Badd" by the Ying Yang Twins & Mike Jones to his daughter as a lullaby.
- Bill Pullman and Anna Faris both appeared in films parodied by Scary Movie 4: Faris can be seen in Brokeback Mountain and Pullman appeared in The Grudge, partly spoofing the same character he played in that movie.
- This is the first film in the Scary Movie franchise to feature Regina Hall on the film's poster.
- This film was supposed to spoof The Ring Two, but since it didn't do well at the box office, David Zucker decided to wait for War of the Worlds.
- Anna Faris and Regina Hall are the only two people that have appeared in all of the Scary Movie films.
- Carmen Electra and Chris Elliot are the only two actors to appear in one Scary Movie film by Keenan Ivory Wayans and one by David Zucker. Electra played Drew in Scary Movie and Elliot played Hanson in Scary Movie 2. They are also the only actors to appear in the series more than once playing different characters.
- The second Scary Movie film to use samples from the score of Beetlejuice in its trailer, the first movie being the other.
- The only Scary Movie to have the celebrities in the beginning play themselves.
- Funnily enough, Charlie Sheen is featured in a role that spoofs Bill Pullman's performance in The Grudge, and Bill Pullman is also featured in Scary Movie 4, himself spoofing another actor's role. (William Hurt's in The Village).
- The producers of Saw III used Scary Movie 4's parody bathroom sets in their own production, as they were exact replicas of the ones used in Saw and it was cheaper than building them again.
[edit] DVD
Image:Scary movie 4 unrated DVD.jpg
[edit] Release date
According to DavisDVD.com, the DVD was released on August 15, 2006. This is available in a 91-minute "Unrated and Uncensored" version (available in both widescreen and fullscreen) and in a 83-minute PG-13 rated version (available in only fullscreen). The comedy spoof arrives with an anamorphic transfer, Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks, an audio commentary with David Zucker, Bob Weiss and Craig Mazin, 15 deleted & extended scenes (including "Tom Ryan on Oprah - The Long Take"), "The Man Behind the Laugh" David Zucker, "Zany Spoof Humor-Zucker Style", "Interviewers Worst Nightmare", "The Visual Effects of Scary Movie 4", "The Youngbloodz", "Rappers and Actors" featurettes and an NBA Scary Movie 4 spot all retailing at $29.99. The bonus features are over 2 hours long.
[edit] Deleted scenes
David Zucker has revealed some deleted scenes that might be on the DVD:
- “We had a thing where Michael Madsen is about to chop the probe with an axe, and the probe switches the mirror so that Madsen’s looking at himself in the mirror and then he’s trying to duke himself out in the mirror,” Zucker said. “We never tried it in front of an audience.”
- The film’s ending is the second one Zucker shot, and the original ending appears on DVD: “In the original ending, when Craig Bierko and Anna Faris bring the kids back to Molly Shannon, they kiss and look over and Brenda was so happy that she lived through the thing. Then we had the crate drop on her,” he said. “But it didn’t get a laugh.” The ending also included the appearance of bluish ghosts of Bill Pullman's character, the ghost boy, and his mother, a parody of the ending of Return of the Jedi, where Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Anakin Skywalker are seen together.
[edit] Scary Movie 5
Wal-Mart offers an exclusive bonus disc included with Scary Movie 4 on DVD. In the disc, the makers reveal that they are interested in spoofing The Omen (2006 film) and that they may spoof Lady in the Water in the upcoming sequel Scary Movie 5. The film is slated for a release in 2008. According to the Scary Movie 4 commentary, the makers revealed that the fifth film will be different than the others. According to IMDB, Leslie Nielsen is confirmed to be in the film, but Anna Faris and Regina Hall are only rumored.
The Final Destination series and Hostel are notable horror movies that have yet to be spoofed by the Scary Movie series (although Scary Movie 2 did feature a quick gag referencing Final Destination in which a couple is hit by a bus after Brenda claims to have had a premonition).
[edit] References and external links
<references />
- Official Website
- "Nearly" Official Website with an Exclusive Interview
- Movies.com
- Scary Movie 4 at the Internet Movie Database
- Scary Movie 4 at Rotten Tomatoes
- Scary Movie 4 at Metacritic
- Scary Movie 4 at Movie Mistakes
- Scary Movie 4 Trailer
- Movie Review - Scary Movie 4
| The Scary Movie series |
|---|
| Scary Movie | Scary Movie 2 | Scary Movie 3 | Scary Movie 4 |
| Key people |
| Anna Faris | Regina Hall | David Zucker | Keenen Ivory Wayans | Marlon Wayans | Shawn Wayans |
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