Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim are obsessed with two things, both of which appear in abundance in the Adult Swim stars' debut feature: the absurdity of celebrity and bodily functions. Elasticizing the 11-minute episodes of their purposefully awkward TV show, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! into a (brief) narrative feature, Heidecker and Wareheim have been granted license to indulge in their grossest and most outré whims. And what the basic cable TV show could only suggest, the movie displays shamelessly.
Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie finds the duo playing exaggerated, Hollywoodized versions of themselves ― spray-tanned and Botox-ed ―presenting their brand new, epic, billion-dollar feature to hard-nosed mogul Tommy Schlaaang (Robert Loggia). It is, of course, a disaster and the oblivious Tim and Eric soon find themselves on the road, suckered into becoming caretakers of an abandoned mall in order to recoup their investment.
Those unfamiliar with Tim and Eric's anti-comedy antics will likely be perplexed at how two seemingly developmentally disabled men have managed to star in an actual feature film, not to mention somehow conning Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Zach Galifianakis into appearing alongside. That is, if they don't run screaming from the theatre first, eyes burning from witnessing such trademark indulgences as recycled toilet paper, the soon to be infamous "Shrim" sequence and Tim cavorting in a thong. Fans of the cinematically transgressive will certainly appreciate the unfettered indulgences, but might feel some butt numbing during the movie's somewhat laboured narrative. Not to mention, Tim and Eric acolytes will have already seen the thing on the Internet already.
Unlike their TV show, where the targets of their comedy are often unable to defend themselves, Tim and Eric, while discernible stand-ins for the obliviousness of celebrity, are the targets this time around. Their willingness to look foolish, if not downright idiotic, is refreshing and the film is genuinely funny, on occasion, employing actual jokes and terrific performances from Ferrell and Reilly, as well as a capable supporting cast, which includes Loggia, as well as William Atherton (Die Hard), Ray Wise (Twin Peaks) and Twink Caplan (Clueless), as Eric's aging love interest.
While fans may be disappointed by the film's reliance on narrative, it looks like Tim and Eric have actually made the movie they wanted to. It is an achievement in transferring cult comedy to the screen that is impressive in, and of, itself.
(Magnet)Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie finds the duo playing exaggerated, Hollywoodized versions of themselves ― spray-tanned and Botox-ed ―presenting their brand new, epic, billion-dollar feature to hard-nosed mogul Tommy Schlaaang (Robert Loggia). It is, of course, a disaster and the oblivious Tim and Eric soon find themselves on the road, suckered into becoming caretakers of an abandoned mall in order to recoup their investment.
Those unfamiliar with Tim and Eric's anti-comedy antics will likely be perplexed at how two seemingly developmentally disabled men have managed to star in an actual feature film, not to mention somehow conning Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, and Zach Galifianakis into appearing alongside. That is, if they don't run screaming from the theatre first, eyes burning from witnessing such trademark indulgences as recycled toilet paper, the soon to be infamous "Shrim" sequence and Tim cavorting in a thong. Fans of the cinematically transgressive will certainly appreciate the unfettered indulgences, but might feel some butt numbing during the movie's somewhat laboured narrative. Not to mention, Tim and Eric acolytes will have already seen the thing on the Internet already.
Unlike their TV show, where the targets of their comedy are often unable to defend themselves, Tim and Eric, while discernible stand-ins for the obliviousness of celebrity, are the targets this time around. Their willingness to look foolish, if not downright idiotic, is refreshing and the film is genuinely funny, on occasion, employing actual jokes and terrific performances from Ferrell and Reilly, as well as a capable supporting cast, which includes Loggia, as well as William Atherton (Die Hard), Ray Wise (Twin Peaks) and Twink Caplan (Clueless), as Eric's aging love interest.
While fans may be disappointed by the film's reliance on narrative, it looks like Tim and Eric have actually made the movie they wanted to. It is an achievement in transferring cult comedy to the screen that is impressive in, and of, itself.
