DISASTER MOVIE: No More Parodies
Proving that one can beat a dead horse well beyond the butyric fermentation stage of decomposition, Lions Gate has released a trailer for the newest entry in their inane and disturbingly popular “Movie” parody series. This time out, the ever-insightful lampooning duo of Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer take aim at disaster movies with the cleverly titled, “Disaster Movie”.
So what’s in store for any moviegoer unfortunate enough to actually sit down and watch this future travesty to comedy? Not much has changed since Meet the Spartans from earlier this year; the new film’s trailer showcases a who’s who of pop culture icons being smashed, squished, and pulverized by various, large objects. We have a cow plummeting onto Iron Man, a taxi slamming into Amy Ryan’s character from Enchanted, and Miley Cyrus being crushed to death by a massive meteorite, because nothing elicits a case of the giggles quite like dead prepubescent pop stars.
Disaster Movie does break new ground, however, by parodying a film that has not yet been released. The trailer depicts Will Smith’s Hancock soaring into the air, only to hit his head on a light pole and fall back to earth. What will those crazy goofballs think of next? A cross-dressing Carrie Bradshaw? Check. Juno duking it out with said transvestite, receiving assistance from her unborn child whom delivers several roundhouse kicks from within the womb? Naturally. The Hulk’s jean shorts being torn off by a gust of wind? You better believe it. Although there were no jokes involving flatulence or shots to the groin, rest assured they will be present come August.
These films, beyond their abysmal levels of putridity, are disappointing as missed opportunities to create genuinely funny parodies. It was not that long ago that the Naked Gun and Hot Shots films were sending up the popular movies of the time with sly wit and clever wordplay. The modern era of Hollywood, with its bloated budgets, parade of remakes, and intense fear of anything remotely resembling controversy or innovation is ripe for parody; it’s a shame that Friedberg and Seltzer are content to simply throw cows at their targets.
Perhaps I am misjudging the creators of Disaster Movie and its ilk. Maybe in their juvenile humor, reliance on vapid entertainers like Carmen Electra and Kim Kardashian, and insistence on churning out crummy film after crummy film, replacing waning flavors of the month with the upstarts, they are constructing an elaborate message of condemnation towards our own society. By biannually bilking money from the movie-going public through the promise of cheap, recycled jokes and violence beset against both our most beloved and hated stars, isn’t there a chance that Friedberg and Seltzer are, in actuality, sending up the very same audiences who are stupid enough to pay money to watch their films, daring them to come back for more next time around? Perhaps the Disaster Movie team is curious as to how long it can force feed tabloid stars and pop culture icons to a gorging public before inducing a figurative, communal regurgitation of the whole rank mess. That would be the ultimate parody, but then again, maybe they just really like fart jokes.