Epic Movie is a 2007 American parody film written and directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer and produced by Paul Schiff. It stars Kal Penn, Adam Campbell, Jayma Mays, Jennifer Coolidge, Faune A. Chambers, Crispin Glover, Tony Cox, and Fred Willard. A parody of the epic film genre, the film mostly references The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Harry Potter, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Pirates of the Caribbean, and X-Men.
| Epic Movie | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jason Friedberg Aaron Seltzer |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Paul Schiff |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Shawn Maurer |
| Edited by | Peck Prior |
| Music by | Edward Shearmur |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox[a][1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 85 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million[3] |
| Box office | $86.9 million |
The film was released on January 26, 2007, and it was unanimously panned by critics. Many have considered this to be one of the worst films of all time. Despite this, it was fairly successful at the box office, earning $86.9 million worldwide, more than four times its $20 million budget.
Plot
editLucy finds that her adoptive father, a museum curator, has been attacked by Silas. Before dying, he gives clues that lead her to a "Golden Ticket" in a vending machine candy bar. Fellow orphans Edward, a disillusioned monk trainee; Susan, a displaced adopted girl; and Peter, a mutant at Mutant Academy who is often teased for his chicken-like wings, all find Golden Tickets. All four meet up at Willy's Chocolate Factory. Willy reveals his plot to use them all as a special ingredient in his treats.
Attempting to hide from the maniacal Willy, Lucy finds a wardrobe. On the other side, in the middle of a wintry forest, she finds Mr. Tumnus, who welcomes Lucy to Gnarnia and warns her of danger. The others follow Lucy to Gnarnia, and Edward meets the White Bitch. She convinces him to trap the other orphans in order to become the king of Gnarnia in her White Castle.
All four go to Tumnus' house, where they discover their relation to each other in a copy of the famous painting The Last Supper, and that the White Bitch killed their parents. They ally themselves with Harry Beaver, Tumnus' life partner, to defeat the White Bitch.
Edward sneaks off to the White Bitch's castle. When he refuses to reveal to her where the others are, she flashes him her breasts, hypnotizing him into giving up the information on the orphans, then imprisons him. The White Bitch sends Silas after the trio; Tumnus apparently sacrifices himself to ensure their safety.
Afterwards, the orphans meet a graying Harry Potter, along with a balding Ron Weasley and a pregnant Hermione Granger at Hogwarts. They all help Lucy, Susan, and Peter train for the war against the White Bitch.
Captain Jack Swallows helps Edward escape, only for Edward to find out it was a ruse as Jack, the Bitch's old enemy, needs intelligence out of Edward.
Upon finishing their training, Lucy, Susan, and Peter head to the camp of Aslo. Aslo agrees to help Edward and manages to kill Silas, but while breaking Edward out, he is slain by the White Bitch. As the orphans have a pre-battle party with their allies, Susan gets drunk and vomits everywhere, disgusting their army enough that nobody shows up to help the orphans the next day. The four siblings engage the White Bitch in battle and all (except for Peter) are killed. Peter then finds a magic remote and uses its powers to revive his siblings.
Together, they kill the army, defeat the White Bitch, and stop her plan. Peter declares the White Bitch will receive a fair and just trial in the new Gnarnia, but Jack's wheel accidentally crushes her to death. The four are crowned the new rulers of the land. Tumnus then shows up, having survived his battle. Decades later, the four now-elderly rulers find the wardrobe again and go through it. They appear moments after they had left, young again. They meet Borat, who congratulates them on a happy ending, but then, Jack's wheel accidentally runs over the quartet, killing them. Borat then says his iconic "NOT!" before turning around and clapping his buttocks, ending the film.
Cast
editParodies
editFilms and TV shows
edit- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)[4][5][6] (main parody)
- The Da Vinci Code (2006)[4][5]
- Nacho Libre (2006)[5]
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)[5]
- Snakes on a Plane (2006)[4][5]
- X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)[5]
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)[5][6]
- Borat (2006)[5][6]
- Rocky III (1982)
- Scarface (1983)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)[6]
- Superman Returns (2006)[7][8]
- The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
- Click (2006)[citation needed]
- MTV Cribs (2000–2006)[9][10][11]
- Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)[10]
- Punk'd (2003–2007)[10]
- Chappelle's Show (2003)[12]
- Star Wars (1977)[13]
- Saturday Night Live (2005) – "Lazy Sunday" song by The Lonely Island[11]
- The Lord of the Rings (2001)[14]
- Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
- Mission: Impossible III (2006)[15][16]
- Casino Royale (2006)[8]
- V for Vendetta (2005)[8]
Celebrities
editProduction
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2024) |
Release
editHome media
editThe film was released on DVD on May 22, 2007, in both unrated and theatrical versions. As of late 2009, 1,040,120 DVDs were sold, bringing in $16,807,388.[18]
Reception
editBox office
editEpic Movie debuted at number one at the box office with a gross of $18.6 million over the opening weekend.[19] As of May 8, 2007, the film has grossed $86,865,564, with $39,739,367 of that amount earned domestically.[20] 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
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, Epic Movie has an approval rating of 2% based on 66 reviews and an average rating of 2.8/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A crude comedy with nothing new or insightful to say about the subjects it satirizes."[21] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 17 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike".[22] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C−" on an A+ to F scale.[23][24]
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."[10] 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?"[25] 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."[26] Ronnie Scheib of Variety said it was "epically unfunny" and "unlikely to join the list of blockbusters it lampoons."[27] 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."[4] The Chicago Reader described the film as being "the cinematic equivalent of a tapeworm", while in his review for The Guardian, John Patterson wrote that "Epic Movie is an epic catastrophe, or an artistic failure of epic proportions, or even an Emetic Piece of Insufferable Crap".[28] The Times expressed surprise that "Penn would stoop so low".[29]
Accolades
editEpic Movie was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards at the 28th ceremony: Worst Remake or Rip-off, Worst Supporting Actress (Carmen Electra), and Worst Screenplay (Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer).[30][31]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 20th Century Fox did release the movie, but the logo isn't shown on the main film or on any promotional material.
- ^ a b "EPIC MOVIE (2007)". catalog.afi.com.
- ^ "EPIC MOVIE (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. January 19, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
- ^ "Epic Movie (2007) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
- ^ a b c d Jamie Russell. "Radio Times - TV news and guide, TV and radio listings, film reviews guide". Radio Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Epic Movie". Plugged In. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Adler, Shawn. "Biggest Spoof Ever? 'Epic Movie' Skewers 'Borat,' 'Pirates,' 'Potter'". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ Berardinelli, James. "Epic Movie". Reelviews Movie Reviews. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Epic Movie (2007)". MoriaReviews.com. February 11, 2007. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- ^ a b "BBC - Movies - review - Epic Movie". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d "Bravely Setting Out to Mock Others". The New York Times. January 27, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ a b "5 Reasons Epic Movie is Too Rotten to Miss". IFC. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
- ^ Epic Movie (2007) - IMDb, retrieved June 24, 2022
- ^ Epic Movie (2007) - IMDb, retrieved June 24, 2022
- ^ Howell, Peter (January 28, 2007). "'Epic Movie': Grand scale failure". The Toronto Star. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ a b "'Epic Movie' strings together movie mimicry with little creativity". East Bay Times. January 26, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ a b "'Epic Movie' strings together movie mimicry with little creativity". East Bay Times. January 26, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
- ^ DAILY NEWS STAFF AND AP REPORT (January 29, 2007). "'Epic Movie' shows in Dillon cinema". www.summitdaily.com. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ "Epic Movie - DVD Sales". The Numbers. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
- ^ "Epic Movie - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007.
- ^ "Epic Movie (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ "Epic Movie (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
- ^ "Epic Movie Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
- ^ Nicole Sperling (January 28, 2007). "'Epic Movie' biggest at boxoffice". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 28, 2007.
The highest-grossing movie of the frame scored the lowest with audiences, earning a C- from moviegoers.
- ^ Joshua Rich (January 31, 2007). "An Epic Movie tramples the competition". Entertainment Weekly.
a very poor C- CinemaScore review from audiences, three-quarters of whom, not surprisingly, were under age 25.
- ^ "REVIEW / 'Epic Movie's' tries at satire fail on a grand scale". San Francisco Chronicle. January 29, 2007. Archived from the original on September 18, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ Chun, Alex (January 29, 2007). "A witless sampler is 'Epic Movie'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ Scheib, Ronnie (January 26, 2007). "Review: 'Epic Movie'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
- ^ "Stop me if you've seen this one before". TheGuardian.com. February 10, 2007.
- ^ "Epic Movie".
- ^ "Nominations for the Razzie Awards". Iowa State Daily. January 23, 2008. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
- ^ Peters, Derek (February 28, 2008). "Lohan sweeps Razzies". Variety. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
External links
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