"DATE MOVIE: UNRATED"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: *** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ****1/2 (out of 5 stars) STARRING Alyson Hannigan as JULIA JONES Adam Campbell as GRANT FONCKYERDODER Jennifer Coolidge as MRS. FONCKYERDODER Eddie Griffin as FRANK JONES Fred Willard as MR. FONCKYERDODER Tony Cox as HITCH Sophie Monk as ANDY Not Rated Studio: 20th Century Fox Directed by: Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer Back to DVD Review Home |  |
I love DVDs like this. It’s when I see the assortment of special features and commentary choices on a film like “Date Movie” that I realize there are filmmakers out there that actually get it.
“Date Movie” was not a great film. It was funny, sure. But it wasn’t great. However, it existed solely to serve the purpose of making people laugh. Going back to the marketing of the film itself, I knew that the filmmakers got it. Making fun of advertising tricks, it was conspicuously billed as “From 2 of the 6 writers of Scary Movie.”
I never figured out if this billing was because the other four writers didn’t want to be associated with the film, or if they were just trying to please the corporate lawyers, but it worked.
“Date Movie” spoofs chick flicks, which is a bit of a stretch, considering this genre isn’t all that self-reflective. It was a tall order, considering that action films, horror movies and disaster films are much easier to poke fun at. However, the field is full of romantic comedies.
When this film was released theatrically, I knew the DVD would be good. I figured this out from the fact that the trailer had several gags that never made it into the final film. I wasn’t disappointed. The DVD comes with a dozen scenes that were deleted, cut or changed. There’s also several run-of-the-mill behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Other less-than perfect features include a six-minute version of the film (which amounts to the DVD manufacturers fast-forwarding through much of the movie), screensavers, a set-top game and original casting tapes.
However, two areas of this DVD shine. First is the alternate audio tracks. In addition to three commentary tracks, there’s an optional laugh track, in case you need an audience to make the movie funny. The only problem with this track is that the laughter is too perfect and intense, it’s not believable at all.
But the commentary tracks are great. The cast (Alyson Hannigan, Adam Campbell, Sophie Monk and Tony Cox) do a great job talking through the film. Filmmakers Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg also give a great commentary, going as far to hilariously dissect their own commentary near the end of the film. A final “anti-commentary” is presented, featuring two film critics to talk about the pros and cons of the film.
The best DVD extra, however (aside from extended dailies of Sophie Monk in a bikini), is the Fox Movie Channel’s “Making A Spoof” featurette. Originally meant to go behind the scenes of “Date Movie,” this goes behind the scenes of their fake “King Kong” spoof, with Adam Campbell as the meglomaniacal Peter Jackson. This making-of spoof is probably the funniest thing on the disc.
Ultimately, the “Date Movie” DVD is more entertaining, more funny and offers more overall than the film itself. Oh, and it’s unrated, so you get some more crude humor courtesy of Jennifer Coolidge and Sophie Monk.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Widescreen (1.85:1). French and Spanish language tracks. English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
