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Epic Movie

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For the film genre, see Epic film.

Epic Movie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJason Friedberg
Aaron Seltzer
Written by
  • Jason Friedberg
  • Aaron Seltzer
Produced byPaul Schiff
Starring
CinematographyShawn Maurer
Edited byPeck Prior
Music byEdward Shearmur
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox[a][1]
Release date
  • January 26, 2007 (2007-01-26)
Running time
85 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$20 million[3]
Box office$86.9 million

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.

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. The song "Ms. New Booty" by Bubba Sparxxx gained commercial attention for being featured in Epic Movie.

Plot

Lucy 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.

Extended version

The unrated, longer version (released in the United Kingdom as the "Rude & Crude Unseen Version") of the film features some scenes not shown in the theatrical version. In an alternate ending, Willy Wonka, instead of Borat, comes in and says: "I told you it was going to be an epic adventure." Willy Wonka then goes in the wardrobe and puts out a "do not disturb" sign that refers to the girl in the wardrobe. The Oompa-Loompas come in and start singing a parody version of the Willy Wonka theme song. The four are then crushed by the wheel. Also, during the scene where Lucy is crushed under the junk that falls out of the wardrobe, the girl who runs out is nude, as opposed to wearing a bikini. In the Snakes on a Plane scene, when the Samuel L. Jackson lookalike yells, he replaces "goddamn" with "motherfuckin'".

Cast

Actor/Actress Role Parody of Movie/TV
Kal Penn Edward Pervertski Edmund Pevensie/Kumar Patel/Augustus Gloop The Chronicles of Narnia/Nacho Libre/Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Adam Campbell Peter Pervertski/Super Peter Peter Pevensie/Angel/Superman/Charlie Bucket The Chronicles of Narnia/X-Men/Superman Returns/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Faune A. Chambers Susan Pervertski Susan Pevensie/Veruca Salt The Chronicles of Narnia/Snakes on a Plane/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Jayma Mays Lucy Pervertski Lucy Pevensie/Violet Beauregard The Chronicles of Narnia/The Da Vinci Code/Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Jennifer Coolidge The White Bitch of Gnarnia White Witch/Davy Jones The Chronicles of Narnia/Pirates of the Caribbean
Tony Cox Bink Ginarrbrik The Chronicles of Narnia
Hector Jimenez Mr. Tumnus/Tony Fauntana Mr Tumnus/Tony Montana The Chronicles of Narnia/Scarface/MTV Cribs
Jareb Dauplaise Ignacio/Nacho Nacho Libre Nacho Libre
Crispin Glover Willy Willy Wonka Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Darrell Hammond Captain Jack Swallows Jack Sparrow/Captain Morgan Pirates of the Caribbean/Captain Morgan
Carmen Electra Mystique Herself X-Men
Jim Piddock Magneto Himself X-Men
Kevin Hart (uncredited) Silas Himself The Da Vinci Code
Fred Willard Aslo Aslan The Chronicles of Narnia
David Carradine The Curator Jacques Saunière The Da Vinci Code
Katt Williams Harry Beaver Mr. Beaver The Chronicles of Narnia and Bell Canada reference in scene with PDA
Danny Jacobs Borat Sagdiyev Himself Borat
Nick Steele Lead Archer None The Chronicles of Narnia
Gregory Jbara Mel Gibson Himself
David Lehre Ashton Kutcher Himself Punk'd
Kevin McDonald Harry Potter Himself Harry Potter series
George Alvarez Ron Weasley Himself Harry Potter series
Crista Flanagan Hermione Granger Herself Harry Potter series
Alla Petrou Paris Hilton Herself
James Walker, Sr. Samuel "God Damn"/"Motherfuckin'" Jackson Samuel L. Jackson/Agent Neville Flynn Snakes on a Plane
Abe Spigner Flavor Flav Himself Flavor of Love
Lauren Conrad Herself Herself The Hills
Vince Vieluf Wolverine Himself X-Men series
Lindsey Kraft Rogue Herself X-Men
Scott L. Schwartz Hagrid Himself Harry Potter series
Roscoe Lee Browne Narrator None
Tad Hilgenbrink Cyclops Himself X-Men
Audra Lynn Wardrobe Girl None
Anwar Burton Michael Jackson Himself
Darko Belgrade James Bond Himself James Bond series
Dane Farwell Albus Dumbledore Himself Harry Potter series
Kahshanna Evans Storm Herself X-Men trilogy
Rico Rodriguez Chanchito Chancho Nacho Libre
Heather Storm Aslo's girl None
Shawn McDonald P. Daddy Faun Puff Daddy
Lichelle D. Ebner Morphed Mystique Herself X-Men

Parodies

Films and TV shows

Real-life people

Release

Box office

Epic 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

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 2% based on 66 reviews and an average rating of 2.33/10. 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

Epic Movie was nominated for three Golden Raspberry Awards, Worst Remake or Rip-off, Carmen Electra for Worst Supporting Actress, and Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer for Worst Screenplay.[30]

Home video

The film was released on DVD on May 22, 2007, in an unrated version, and a theatrical version as well. As of late 2009, 1,040,120 DVDs were sold, bringing in $16,807,388.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ 20th Century Fox did release the movie, but the logo isn't shown on the main film or on any promotional material.
  1. ^ a b "EPIC MOVIE (2007)". catalog.afi.com.
  2. ^ "EPIC MOVIE (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. January 19, 2007. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  3. ^ "Epic Movie (2007) - Financial Information". The Numbers.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Epic Movie". Plugged In. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Berardinelli, James. "Epic Movie". Reelviews Movie Reviews. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c "Epic Movie (2007)". MoriaReviews.com. February 11, 2007. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "BBC - Movies - review - Epic Movie". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  10. ^ a b c d "Bravely Setting Out to Mock Others". The New York Times. January 27, 2007. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  11. ^ a b "5 Reasons Epic Movie is Too Rotten to Miss". IFC. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Epic Movie (2007) - IMDb, retrieved June 24, 2022
  13. ^ Epic Movie (2007) - IMDb, retrieved June 24, 2022
  14. ^ Howell, Peter (January 28, 2007). "'Epic Movie': Grand scale failure". The Toronto Star. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  15. ^ a b "'Epic Movie' strings together movie mimicry with little creativity". East Bay Times. January 26, 2007. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  16. ^ a b "'Epic Movie' strings together movie mimicry with little creativity". East Bay Times. January 26, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  17. ^ Epic Movie (2007) - IMDb, retrieved June 24, 2022
  18. ^ DAILY NEWS STAFF AND AP REPORT (January 29, 2007). "'Epic Movie' shows in Dillon cinema". www.summitdaily.com. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  19. ^ "Epic Movie - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007.
  20. ^ "Epic Movie (2007)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  21. ^ "Epic Movie (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 1, 2020.
  22. ^ "Epic Movie Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ 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.
  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.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ Scheib, Ronnie (January 26, 2007). "Review: 'Epic Movie'". Variety. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  28. ^ "Stop me if you've seen this one before". TheGuardian.com. February 10, 2007.
  29. ^ "Epic Movie".
  30. ^ 2007 Razzie Nominees on the Razzies Official home page
  31. ^ "Epic Movie - DVD Sales". The Numbers. Retrieved May 7, 2011.
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