Customer Reviews

Strangers With Candy

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Even though I was a fan of the Comedy Central TV series that it's based on, I did not have the highest expectations for this film. Maybe thinking of the many so-so adaptations of movies based on Saturday Night Live sketches and the like, I would have been satisfied with a few laughs. Instead, I found this to be a brilliant, hilarious, almost perfect rendition of the uniquely bizarre, radically Un-PC series. Perhaps it was because they virtually transplanted the entire cast of writers and actors from the series to the big screen, nothing was lost. Amy Sedaris plays Jerri Blank, the freaky middle-aged bisexual drug addict who, just out of prison, tries to fit in at high school and at home with her equally bizarre family. Stephen Colbert and Paul Dinello reprise their roles as, respectively, the science and art teacher who are having a secret affair. This is made more amusing by the fact that Noblet (Colbert) is a fundamentalist who teaches that evolution is a fraud. At home, Jerri has a father who is in a coma (in the TV series, the father was a literal dummy; here he is played by an actor), a stepmother and stepbrother who despise her, and the stepmother's always-present "meat man" boyfriend who only wants to watch TV. The film actually has a fairly conventional plot involving a science fair competition, which reigns in the weirdness to some extent.

Strangers With Candy is not for everyone; in particular, it's not for the politically or culturally sensitive. The black principal at Jerry's high school, who has a gambling problem, is actually named Onyx Blackman; there are a constant stream of jokes at the expense of various ethnic types and homosexuals. Jerri has a confederate flag hanging in her bedroom, a detail that is not even spoken of. Sedaris does her utmost to make her alter ego Jerri as unattractive, stupid and, in many ways even repulsive as possible. Viewers are alternately tempted to laugh at her, feel sorry for her and simply shake their heads at her utter cluelessness. This, along with the rest of the uniformly weird characters makes for a kind of comedy that is both slapstick and absurd and at the same time hard-edged. It lacks the soft, sentimental core of mainstream comedies. You realize that these people are truly &%$#ed-up beyond repair and they are never going to change. This is, I suppose, sad, but it is also funny and, in its own way, more honest than most of what Hollywood dishes out.

Strangers With Candy is a thorough send-up of conventionality, moralistic cliches and the self-righteous hypocrisy of many authority figures. I suppose, along with shows like The Simpsons and South Park, it could be called cynical, even nihilistic in its portrayal of everyone as selfish and corrupt. But the complete absurdity of it all, which borders on the surreal, prevents us from taking its amorality any more seriously than we can take the pseudo-morality of its dysfunctional parents, teachers and school administrators. I found it to be the funniest movie I've seen in a long time.

I never really watched the TV series, but my wife enjoyed it. I watched this movie with her and I must admit, it was hard not to laugh. The film did seem to cool down a bit in the secand half,but it was pretty funny overall.

Out of prison & unleashed on Flatpoint once again, for the first time. A prequel to the best politically incorrect TV comedy perhaps ever (at least besides All In the Family). Laughs galore as Jerri tries to adjust to life outside the harsh penal system. It is not easy, especially for everyone inside Jerri's "chow zone". You may take a beating or perhaps loose a finger, but Jerri is loyal to her bitches. If anyone messes with her friends, she'll stick 'em with a shive in the showers. Violent slapstick, vulgar sexual content and other delights await.

Strangers with Candy is very funny. Many moments in the film recalled some of the highs of the series. But that may have been part of the problem. When I went to see this movie, the crowd was laughing almost non stop for the first half hour. But the laughing died down and there are probably more than a few reasons.

For one, the word "retread" comes to mind. There are a few gags which are ripped straight from the series. If one were to see these for the first time, they are hilarious. However, they merely call in a chuckle from fans who've seen the gag before. Clearly, the film strives to balance two potential audiences for the movie: those who know the material, and those who don't.

The uninitiated may be coming for Stephen Colbert, who shines onscreen delivering with the same deadpan manner that has caused his rise to fame. However, the humor is offbeat and dark, which may not exactly find a new auidence. That leaves SWC fans wanting something new and not exactly finding it. For them, a prequal may have not been the best idea.

But it's not a bad film. It just does some recycling and runs out steam in the second half. There are points in the film that are hilarious. Fans of the series will be happy to see the same likeable/unlikeable characters shine on screen with their same charm. Greg Hollimen as Principal Blackman has some "blink and you'll miss it" moments and some great lines of dialogue. The films ultimate success is on the pure deadpan delivery by many of the participants. There's also some great deleted scenes on the disc, including a very funny moment between Paul Dinello and Stephen Colbert, who are both hilarious throughout the film.

Some of us just have an addiction to candy....."Strangers With Candy", that is! And for those die-hard fans of Comedy Central's wickedly funny, politically incorrect homage to those after school specials we grew up with, the movie is a nice little gift from the warped minds of creators Paul Dinello, Stephen Colbert and Amy Sedaris.

With the movie, we are given a prequel of the television series, showing us Jerri's arrival at home after a long stay in prison and a life of drug abuse, prostitution and God knows what else! As Jerri returns to school we are reintroduced to characters we already know, such as closeted lovers Chuck Noblet and Geoffery Jellineck as well as Principal Blackman, Tammy Littlenut and Jerri's evil step mother (played by the wonderfully talented, Deborah Rush). Of course, for any fan, it is Amy Sedaris' trollish, chipmunk faced character Jerri Blank that is the true draw to the series and the film. Jerry is a great character, at once the victim and the perpertrator, wanting to do good and fit in but finding that her dark side emerges a bit too often!

The story for the film centers around Jerri trying to find away to bring "Daddy" out of a coma by doing something that will make him proud. She settles on participating in the Science fair but, of course, has trouble focusing her mind on the task at hand. Adding conflict is Matthew Broderick as Roger Beekman, a flamboyant 9 time winner of the state sciene fair, brought in by Principal Blackman as a sure fire chance to win and prove that there are, indeed, students in his school that have a ounce of intelligence (and thereby satisfying Board of Education bigwigs played by Allison Janey and Phillip Seymour-Hoffman). Jerri must decide, be a team player and do the right thing, or hang out with school kids and maybe get lucky with the school stud!

Fans of the show will enjoy some silly but typical "Candy" jokes, such as a gym sport modelled after the running of the bulls in Pamplona. And big name actors and fans of the show are peppered throughout the movie----Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Phillip Seymour-Hoffman, Allison Janey, Sir Ian Holm, Kristen Johnston and Justin Theroux, round out the cast along with the originals. A couple of characters such as Derek, Jerri's half brother and Orlando, are now played by new actors.

Now, the 100,000 dollar question....Is the movie as good as the televison series? In my opinion, no. The 30 minute time period is perfect showcase for a show like "Strangers With Candy" and it was cancelled well before its time. Many of those episodes are classic and I still fall out laughing when I watch them on dvd. Should fans of the show see it? ABSOLUTELY! We can only hope that one day, Comedy Central will see the error of their ways and bring this dark and deliciously sinful show back from the dead! In the meantime, we'll settle for watching Jerri on the big screen.

I'm hoping that we'll get some extras on the dvd! Definitely recommended for fans of the show! And if your not a fan, you probably wouldn't get the jokes anyway!

SWC: The Movie plays exactly like a superior 90-minute version of the Comedy Central series. (A prequel - it almost plays like a "lost" pilot). The film translates the series, and its devastating humor, perfectly.

That said, if you have never seen the TV series, this film's twisted sensibilities are liable to blow your mind. (You're in for a treat).

Sedaris, Colbert, and Dinello are excellent as always. Greg Holliman is amazing as Principal Blackman - one of the most hilarious characters ever created.

Cameos from big-name stars including Matthew Broderick, Sarah Jessica Parker, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and others may seem a bit gratuitous, but the stars are definitely down with the joke.

The movie was okay, with some entertaining parts. Of course, I felt that it was more an extended episode of Strangers with Candy, and did not provide any new insights into the characters. Oh well.

After taking several years off - the cult hit tv show, strangers with candy returns in all its un-pc glory. Most of the original crew are represented which was a feat unto itself. The original tv show was maybe the funniest show ever. The characters and dialogue are so well done, and with little fanfare.Through an almost underground following we have this last episode in the life and times of Jerry Blank. This movie does not disappoint there are so many funny lines in this it does the show justice. Onyx Blackman is back in trouble with his gambling addiction and needs to show the school board that he can produce intelligent students. Meanwhile Jerry Blank has just enrolled after a 32 year prison sentence to further complicate his goal. Science teacher turned religous man- Chuck Noblet is at his best in this one. He must decide whether his new found religous beliefs are more important to him than his love for the flamboyant art teacher Geoffrey Jellineck. So many great moments when Chuck teaches his class( eyes to the back of the room). There is even a celebrity couple who play roles in this one. If you have seen the original series then what are you waiting for? And if you are new to this series, you may want to watch some of the dvds from the original seasons to brush up on it a bit. They add some background to some of the humor and jokes. Part of what makes a show so good in your mind is the fact that it ended before it should have and thats just what happened to Strangers with candy. This movie is for the true fans who got it and needed one more for the road.

I totally love this movie. It has as many quoteable lines as Step Bros. Amy Sedaris is hilarious & I laughed so hard I cried at times. The plot is simple enough & at times gets kind of boring but so much funniness is going on you don't really care.

Awsome, funny, Amy is a hoot! Good movie! I wish the tv show was still going! Such a weird & wonderful show!!!!!