Movie 43

Either a number of talented actors owed Peter Farrelly a favour or the promise of silly, filthy, low-commitment fun simply proved an irresistible palate cleanser for many busy performers. Like most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but everyone involved does seem to be having a heck of a good time. What really matters though is whether or not the results of this tenuously strung together comedy anthology are any fun to watch. The answer: laugh mileage may vary depending on your level of maturity and recent exposure to gas fumes. Even if you're a sober, healthy, generally well-adjusted adult, at least a couple of the barely skit-level segments will provide a few guilty or incredulous chuckles. The rest of us will have a hearty laugh over Hugh Jackman accidentally tea-bagging an infant with his neck testicles while his blind date (Kate Winslet) looks on in horror. That's the first of a series of offerings so lowbrow they're positively Cro-Magnon. But the involvement of classy thespians like Winslet and, in later segments, Richard Gere and Naomi Watts make the absurd potty humour somewhat surreal. It doesn't work every time though: Gere's "iBabe" bit is mostly just crass and juvenile despite attempts to emphasise the satirical intentions of the piece. As is the case with the vast majority of anthologies, the shorts comprising Movie 43 are very hit and miss — the surprising poignancy at the end of the Elizabeth Banks-directed "Middleschool Date" is countered by the one-note let down of scatological romance "The Proposition," while the twisted psychology of "Homeschooled" rubs shoulders with the clunky, passé stereotyping of "Victory's Glory." However, a shocking number impress by sheer virtue of not being akin to the laugh riot of watching one's own colonoscopy. For the Blu-Ray release, both the international and domestic versions of the movie are included. The difference between them is both huge and insignificant: the wraparound story is completely altered in each version. Neither are especially funny, but the original — a psychotic screenwriter pitches awful ideas to a producer at gunpoint — packs more (i.e., any) star power. In the alternate version, a bunch of teenagers search online for the mysterious, forbidden Movie 43, which actually gives the title a purpose, though it degenerates into filler just as swiftly. Other than that superfluous option, there's a single deleted sketch, "Find Our Daughter," which was understandably omitted for being gross and creepy, even for a film this irreverent. If you do give Movie 43 a chance, make sure to stick around (or skip ahead) until after the credits. The best segment of the entire film — a sick little ode to cat-owner affection, courtesy of James Gunn — pops up to wash away the bland capper of Terence Howard screaming about racial superiority with one final dose of bad taste.