Epic Movie
| Epic Movie | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jason Friedberg Aaron Seltzer |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | Paul Schiff |
| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Roscoe Lee Browne |
| Cinematography | Shawn Maurer |
| Edited by | Peck Prior |
| Music by | Edward Shearmur |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Regency Enterprises |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $86.9 million |
Epic Movie is a 2007 American parody film directed and written by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer and produced by Paul Schiff. It was the first film to be distributed by Regency Enterprises. It was made in a similar style to Date Movie, Friedberg and Seltzer's previous film, but as a spoof of the "Epic" style of films, hence the name. The film mostly references The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the Harry Potter films, Tim Burton's version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and X-Men. The song "Ms. New Booty" by Bubba Sparxxx gained commercial attention for being featured in Epic Movie.
Plot
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (March 2015) |
Lucy (Jayma Mays) finds that her adoptive father (David Carradine), a museum curator, has been attacked by Silas (Kevin Hart). Before dying, he gives clues which lead her to a "Golden Ticket" in a vending machine candy bar. Edward (Kal Penn) is training at a Mexican monastery to be a monk. Ignacio (Jareb Dauplaise) becomes enraged at Edward's displeasure at the living conditions and has him beaten and thrown out the window. On the way Edward grabs a Monk's "Golden Ticket". Next, the film introduces Susan (Faune Chambers). She is going to Namibia to meet her new adoptive parents. While she orders water, snakes come out and hijack the plane. Samuel L. Jackson (James Walker, Sr.) pops up and starts repeatedly saying "I have had it with these goddamn snakes on this goddamn plane!" and he throws Susan out of the plane. Susan accidentally falls on Paris Hilton and finds her "Golden Ticket" in Paris' purse. Then the film introduces Peter (Adam Campbell), a mutant, a student at Mutant Academy, who is often teased for his chicken-like wings. One day he asks Mystique (Carmen Electra) to come with him to the homecoming dance, but he ends up bullied by Mystique's jealous boyfriend, Wolverine (Vince Vieluf), and the Headmaster, Magneto (Jim Piddock). As Magneto wills a locker door to open and knock Peter to the ground, another student's "Golden Ticket" falls onto Peter's chest.
All four meet up at Willy's Chocolate Factory. Willy (Crispin Glover) reveals his diabolical secret: he plans to use them all as the 'special ingredient' in the treats (which is actual human parts). In an effort to hide from the maniacal Willy, Lucy soon finds a wardrobe. On the other side, in the middle of a wintry forest, she finds Mr. Tumnus (Hector Jimenez). He welcomes Lucy to Gnarnia. Feeling a burst of compassion, he manages to warn Lucy of the danger she is in. Edward follows Lucy to Gnarnia and meets the White Bitch (Jennifer Coolidge). She convinces him to trap the other orphans and he can be the king of Gnarnia in her White Castle. All four main characters make their way to Mr. Tumnus' house, where the orphans discover that they are all related to one another, and that the White Bitch killed their parents. They ally themselves with Harry Beaver (Katt Williams), Tumnus' life partner. While this is occurring, Peter becomes Superman, but in the dream he gets shot in the eye and causing him to falls off the building, only to find out it is a nightmare. Edward sneaks off to the White Bitch's castle, despite realizing she intends evil. Edward refuses to tell the White Bitch where his friends are, so she flashes him her breasts, hypnotizing him into giving up the information on the orphans; he is then imprisoned. The White Bitch sends Silas after the trio; Tumnus sacrifices himself to ensure their safety.
They end up meeting a graying Harry Potter (Kevin McDonald), along with a balding Ron Weasley (George Alvarez), and a pregnant Hermione Granger (Crista Flanagan) at Hogwarts, and other characters from famous movies. They all help Lucy, Susan, and Peter train for the war against the White Bitch. It's soon revealed she plans to create a new continent for her followers via a magic crystal; she acknowledges this is the same plot as Superman Returns. Edward escapes with the assistance of Captain Jack Swallows (Darrell Hammond), only to find out later that it was a ruse as the Captain, the Bitch's old enemy, needs intelligence out of Edward. Jack is then stabbed by the White Bitch as the crystal is thrown in the ocean and grows, putting the witch's plan in motion.
Upon finishing their training, Lucy, Susan, and Peter head to the camp of Aslo (Fred Willard). Aslo agrees to help Edward, and he manages to kill Silas, but while breaking Edward out, Aslo is slain by the White Bitch. Despite this, the ungrateful orphans have a pre-battle party, during which Peter and Mystique (who, along with the others who bullied Peter, had come to help the trio) get in bed where Mystique asks what he would like her to be and Peter asks for big hooters and a ghetto booty which he says is a lot of junk in the trunk which she replies kinky. He then asks for badonkadonk, but then changes his mind for a mono-brow. He finally asks for big flabby grandma arms which disgusts her and he yells bingo wings like a fat blue Brittney Spears and then says come here and they have sex. Susan gets drunk and vomits everywhere; this so disgusts their new army that nobody shows up to help the orphans the next day. Despite the presence of a revenge-craving Jack on a giant wooden wheel, the four siblings are easily dispatched by the enemy. Peter is about to be slain when he finds the remote from Click using the device's reality altering powers to save his siblings; they kill the army and erase the White Bitch's plot. Although the others attempt to kill her while frozen, Peter declares the White Bitch will receive a fair and just trial in the new Narnia as it will be under a democracy. However, before it can be done, Jack's wheel accidentally crushes her. The four are crowned the new rulers of the land: Peter the Heroic; Susan the Just; Edward the Loyal; and Lucy the Dumb-shit. Tumnus then shows up, having survived his battle with Silas. Decades later, the four now elderly rulers find the wardrobe again. They appear moments after they had left, now young again. They meet Borat (Danny Jacobs), who congratulates them on a happy ending but, then, the four are accidentally run over by Jack's wheel. Borat is mad with himself for saying it was a happy ending, so he slaps his butt, ending the film.
Extended version
The unrated, longer version (released in the United Kingdom as the "Rude & Crude Unseen Version") of the film features some scenes not shown in the theatrical version. In the last scene, Willy Wonka, instead of Borat, comes in and says: "I told you it was going to be an epic adventure." Willy Wonka then goes in the wardrobe and puts out a "do not disturb" sign that refers to the girl in the wardrobe. The Oompa-Loompas come in and start singing the Willy Wonka theme song. The four are then crushed by the wheel. Also, during the scene where Lucy is crushed under the junk that falls out of the "Narnia" closet, the girl who runs out is nude, as opposed to wearing a bikini. In the Snakes on a Plane scene, when the Samuel L. Jackson lookalike yells, he replaces "goddamn" with "motherfuckin'". In the sex scene with Mystique, Peter follows big hooters with the words silver dollar nipples.
Cast
Release
Box office
Epic Movie debuted at number one at the box office with a gross of $18.6 million over the opening weekend.[2] As of May 8, 2007, the film has grossed $86,865,564, with $39,739,367 of that amount earned domestically, despite negative reviews from critics.[3] The film was an economic success for its producers not least because it had a comparatively low budget, estimated at $20 million (the same as Date Movie).
Critical response
Despite being a financial success, the film received overwhelmingly negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes ranked the film 21st in the 100 worst reviewed films of the 2000s, with a rating of 2%. The site's critical consensus reads "A crude comedy with nothing new or insightful to say about the subjects it satirizes."[4]
A. O. Scott of The New York Times called the film "irreverent and also appreciative, dragging its satiric prey down to the lowest pop-cultural denominator" and added, "The humor is coarse and occasionally funny. The archly bombastic score . . . is the only thing you might call witty. But happily, Jennifer Coolidge and Fred Willard show up . . . to add some easy, demented class."[5] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle thought "only a complete idiot could think Epic Movie is remotely funny or worth making at all." Describing it as "so bereft of anything resembling wit or inspiration", he wondered, "What were the perpetrators, uh filmmakers, thinking?"[6] In the Los Angeles Times, Alex Chun called the film "nothing more than a disjointed series of scenes and references cobbled together as a backdrop for sophomoric humor,"[7] and Ronnie Scheib of Variety said it was "epically unfunny" and "unlikely to join the list of blockbusters it lampoons."[8] The Radio Times said "There's very little that's epic about this senseless parody, but then there's very little that's funny about it, either... It's mind-numbingly, tediously unamusing and is so devoid of imagination it even parodies self-mocking films."[9]
Awards and nominations
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Raspberry Awards | February 23, 2008 | Worst Supporting Actress | Carmen Electra | Nominated | |
| Worst Remake or Rip-off | Nominated | ||||
| Worst Screenplay | Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer | Nominated |
Parodies
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Main Parody/The Pervertskis/The White Bitch of Gnarnia/Bink/Mr. Tumnus/Aslo/Harry Beaver/Lead Archer
- The Da Vinci Code: The beginning of the film/Lucy Pervertski/Silas/The Curator
- Nacho Libre/Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle: Edward Pervertski
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Willy and the Oompa Loompas/The "Golden Tickets"
- Snakes on a Plane: Susan Pervertski/the plane she's on/Samuel L. Jackson
- Superman Returns/X-Men – Peter Pervertski
- X-Men: Mystique/Magneto/Wolverine/Rogue/Cyclops/Storm
- Click: The remote control
- Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle: The White Castle/Tony Cox's final revenge
- Star Wars: Chewbacca and Stormtroopers cameo appearances
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Swallows and Davy Jones mask
- Casino Royale: James Bond at the camp
- The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift: The White Bitch's sled
- Harry Potter: The training at Hogwarts
- Punk'd: Where Edward gets punk'd
- American Pie: When Edward meets the White Bitch for the first time he calls her "Stifler's Mom", in reference to the character Coolidge plays in the American Pie films.
- 50 Cent: Edward's back tattoo
- Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (at the camp & at camp at the end when celebrating victory)
- Mission: Impossible III: The disposable camera mission brief message was given to Lucy Pervertski by Mr. Tumnus
- Borat: The final scene
Home video
The film was released on DVD on May 22, 2007, in an unrated version, and a theatrical version as well. As of late 2009, 1,040,120 DVDs were sold, bringing in $16,807,388.[10]
References
- ^ "EPIC MOVIE (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. January 19, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ Epic Movie - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes
- ^ Epic Movie (2007)
- ^ "Epic Movie (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
- ^ New York Times review
- ^ San Francisco Chronicle review
- ^ Los Angeles Times review
- ^ Variety review
- ^ Radio Times review
- ^ "Epic Movie - DVD Sales". The Numbers. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
External links
- 2007 films
- 2000s comedy films
- American films
- American comedy films
- American parody films
- English-language films
- Films directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer
- Cannibalism in fiction
- Films featuring anthropomorphic characters
- Films shot in California
- Films shot in New Jersey
- Regency Enterprises films
- Fantasy parodies