The Citizen Kane of Awful #1: Movie 43

Welcome to a new feature ‘The Citizen Kane of Awful‘, in which our authors will view less than good movies and provide a minute-by-minute commentary. One Room With A View aims to be open-minded; if films show evidence of care , effort, or love they can usually win us over. At least a little bit. Films that are terri-brill (think The Room and Birdemic) will be viewed with our tongues in our cheeks.  Others – such as the movie taken on in our maiden feature – might have to work a bit harder…

The title of the feature draws its name from a review of Movie 43 by Chicago Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper. Therefore it only seems proper to commence with this apparent monstrosity.

Courtesy of: Momentum Pictures

Minute-by-minute commentary:

00:01:00 – “What you’re about to witness is the most bad-ass, fucked-up thing you’ll ever see”. That’s quite a claim. I’ve seen Pink Flamingos. However I’m sure many critics would remove the word ‘bad-ass’ and agree with the rest of the sentiment. So what have we got? There are two older friends being fooled by the younger geekier brother, following their attempt to perform ‘The Human Dartboard’. Nothing else really to add. The sets are perhaps overlit but y’know, that’s just me being a bitch.

00:03:50 – It seems that in order to get their own back, they’re going to distract the little brother by tasking him with the challenge of looking for ‘Movie 43’ whilst the elder brother gives his computer a virus. I think there have been three dick jokes already. I wonder if that’s going to be an occurring theme?

00:05:32 – I’m quite bored already. Nothing’s happened. Why is everything taking so long? I sound a bit like Veruca Salt (from Willy Wonka) here but seriously, we’ve not progressed from the bedroom and there’s no pulse of humour yet…

00:06:00 – We’re off! It’s Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet. She’s got an Oscar and he’s Wolverine. I feel weirdly at ease.

00:07:10 – Darn it. The joke is based on the fact that Peter Griffin (and now Hugh Jackman) has balls for a chin. They make this joke on Family Guy almost weekly and it isn’t funny. No matter how hard you try.

Courtesy of: 20th Century Fox

00:08:34 – Seriously do something new with the joke. Or better yet, give us another joke! I know what balls look like. I don’t want Hugh Jackman to do this! He means too much to me.

00:09:25 – Winslet keeps gesturing to others over the chin-balls. It’s almost as if she’s gesturing to her agent as if to say ‘What am I doing here?’. I have no idea Ms Winslet.

00:12:16 – How is this still going on? 6 minutes of balls. HAHAHAHA! He put his balls on the baby’s head. Hilarious?

00:13:23 – Phew. One down. That was tough. We managed 6 different jokes about balls, in addition to their general presence, in 8 minutes. Yikes.

00:13:30 – Quickly into sketch number two with Liev Schriber and Naomi Watts (the latter of which was extremely good in The Impossible). I thought I should add that in to remind myself later that she is actually very talented.

00:15:25 – “It should be the unhappiest time of your life” – oh you have no idea Liev. My tea’s gone cold and this is straight up awful. The sketch revolves around Schriber and Watts home schooling their son, while practically bullying him into an early grave.

Courtesy of: Momentum Pictures

00:17:45 – This one’s a bonanza. Get your gay jokes! I got ’em fresh. Poo! Incest! It’s all here! This movie is actually annoying me… It’s like the T-shirt cannon that kills Maude Flanders in The Simpsons; seemingly friendly, yet only delivering pain and sadness.

00:19:00 – “Creepy. Let’s move on”. Yes please.

00:20:03 – Okay, sketch number three. I’ve heard about this one. I have high hopes here. It’s directed by Steve Carr who has directed such hits as Dr. Doolittle 2, Daddy Day Care, Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Are We Done Yet? I can’t wait.

00:20:15 – Oh Anna Faris. I loved you in Friends and, indeed, Just Friends. You just make awful project choices. When you deliver the line “Will you poop on me?” we can’t help but ask, “what would the twins think of you?!”

00:22:30 – I now realize this film is not aimed at me. Yet I’m starting to wonder who it is actually for. I’m guessing the pre-teen/pot-smoking-50-year-old male crowd, so I’ll try to view it as such. That being said there are three guys standing around a BBQ now talking about what to eat so that it’ll come out of Chris Pratt “like a festival”. Sigh.

00:25:40 – I haven’t actually laughed once. I tried earlier. I felt dirty.

00:27:57 – We’re back in the bedroom now. The elder brother’s in the bathroom masturbating over a webcam model. I’m going to bet it is his sister/mother. Guaranteed. Anyway, we’ve got a conjoined A Beautiful Mind/The Social Network joke going on now. Still nothing yet.

Courtesy of: Universal Pictures

00:28:36 – Emma Stone and the funny guy from Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Kieran Culkin, head up sketch four.

00:32:27 – I’m sorry to say this, but this film is draining my soul. It’s hard to be funny about things that are so unfunny. The crux of the joke is that they are two sadistic love birds who get off on each others insults. Whatever floats your boat. The context isn’t the problem. It’s just… “I want to give you a hickey on your vagina”. You can say that as a freaky joke to your other half (maybe? I’m trying to be nice) but it doesn’t work on film. We’re not in on the joke. URGH.

00:33:23 – Here’s Richard Gere with the iBabe. Now I know for a fact he didn’t want to be here. When asked on his thoughts about it he replied “Other than apparently it’s a piece of shit? Nothing. I haven’t seen it.” I CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS SECTION.

00:33:50 – Damn it. A mislead. It’s only an advert for the iBabe. Whatever. Here comes Justin Long as Robin, Jason Sudekis as a douchey Batman and Uma Thurman (who has appeared in none of the promo material) as Lois Lane.

00:42:10 – I couldn’t do an up to the minute one on this as the jokes just kept on coming… Nope. The opposite. Lots of jokes about vaginas and small dicks. Also Uma Thurman is in the movie for about two lines only before disappearing completely. She is never referenced or mentioned again. Hang on this sketch was ten minutes long?! How?! Oh and the joke here is that Robin kissed a man. Yay.

00:43:11 – This is almost getting boring to write (and probably to read…). I haven’t laughed and the whole process feels so long and painful. Everyone looks sad in the eyes. This next joke seems to revolve around kids being inside everyday machines (photocopiers and vending machines). There are executives and business-like people shouting at them. Luckily it’s only a 90 seconds long. Wow, this is terrible. I feel this skit currently holds the title of ‘Worst Sketch’. Will it hold it by the end? Who knows? Who cares.

Courtesy of: Momentum Pictures

00:44:32 – Brief interlude in between the hilarity. The youngsters meet someone called ‘The Minotaur’ who warns them against discovering Movie 43. That’s it. Not even an attempt at humour this time. No attempt at explaining what Movie 43 is. It’s just a horrible MacGuffin that encases this horror show.

00:45:04 – Ah the moment, I’ve been waiting for. It’s the Gere.

00:45:30 – NO NO NO NO! Don’t bring Jack McBrayer or Aasif Mandvi into this. The joke is basically men putting their penises into the iBabe. Hilarious right? There is no saving grace… save Gere. His performance is terri-brill. He clearly doesn’t give a fuck. He looks half narcoleptic when on screen. He looks how I feel. I understand Richard. I feel his pain.

00:49:45 – We’re onto the next one now. Chloe Moretz leads this one. The joke is that she’s having her period? There must be more.

00:54:55 – There’s nothing else. Christopher Mintz Plasse dances around suggesting common items to be used as blockages – sponges etc. Since when was a 15-year-old’s menstrual cycle funny? It’s just weird. There is a strange, almost bullying, vibe at play. Calling a 15-year-old disgusting? This is strangely misogynistic. In fact, the last two sketches have pointed at the unfair stupidity of women. Which is funny…?

Courtesy of: Cinema International Corp.

00:55:11 – Two women dive into the sea. One is eaten. Tampax advert. You can make the connection. However I tip my hat to the movie – two period jokes in a row! Go team?!

00:56:09 – How is this still going? Seriously? I’m close to having an existential crisis.

00:56:10 – This isn’t going to help. Wikipedia reveals that Brett Ratner directed this section with Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville. My feelings can be represented by Abed here. The idea is that SWS and Knoxville capture a leprechaun in the form of Gerard Butler.

00:57:57 – What happened to Gerard Butler? I mean I enjoyed his Steven Seagal tribute earlier this year in Olympus Has Fallen but the man truly is the Katherine Heigl of actors. His only actions here are to repeatedly and aggressively say the words “balls”, “c*nt” and “fuck”. Good for you, Gerard. Honestly why is this film obsessed with testes? This is just weird.

01:02:55 – We’ve hit the hour mark. Thank you Buddha/Yoda/all you guys. We’re with Halle Berry (who looks very shiny) and Stephen Merchant. The game is truth or dare. The choices of actors from different ends of the spectrum suggest this might not be a love-in, in-joke phenomenom.

01:02:56 – I still haven’t laughed.

01:04:55 – News flash! A wry smile appeared! Only due to the reference to Benny Hill (someone who does makes me laugh with stuff like this). This sketch isn’t that bad. I’m not laughing but I’m not as despairing as with the others. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that these characters have some form of depth? Or am I lost in the Matrix?

01:05:32 – I got too far ahead of myself. Halle Berry’s just shoved hot sauce up her vagina. Classy.

Courtesy of: American Movie Classics

01:10:17 – YES! I was right! He WAS jerking off over his mum. Anyway, the kids have set off something that ends the world. Copious amounts of explosion footage now. Is that a clip from the first episode of the Walking Dead? Looks really similar.

01:13:11 – These three are up there among the best and the worst part of this film. Poor timing and continually unfunny. They make you want to reach out and smack ’em. How did this get made?

01:15:30 – Surely we’re near the end? I’m counting down the minutes. We’re with Terence Howard in ‘Victory’s Glory’ as he coaches a team of African American basketball players in the ’50s. Howard’s giving it his all. All credit to him. I may get caught out by him.

01:19:20 – Bravo Mr Howard. You pulled a laugh from me. Not a big one. However it’s taken 80 minutes of painstaking horror to get anything so let’s just go with it. I think the constant stream of crap has dulled my mind into submission. The jokes mainly follow along the lines of “you’re black, they’re white”. Basically White Men Can’t Jump in three minutes.

01:20:30 – It’s OVER! YES! The credits roll.

01:23:37 – Oh come on! Why is there more? Really? So it seems to be a riff on Ted with Josh Duhamel owning Beezel – an animated shit terror of cat – who is out to destroy Duhamel’s girlfriend Elizabeth Banks.

01:24:17 – The cat is masturbating to photos of Josh Duhamel. What?! They’ve given it hairy balls and everything. Seriously why is this film obsessed with balls!? I don’t get it. Once – okay, I’ll let you have it; but there’ve been so many mentions and references and views of them/it!

01:26:45 – This is terrible. The cat has now pissed extensively all over Banks. Hah… can’t even be bothered to write a mock laugh.

01:28:33 – Banks now beats up the cat in front of children’s party. The children then attack Banks WITH KNIVES?! Screen goes to black. I think that’s it? What the fuck?

01:29:51 – I think it’s done? There’s ten minutes left though. Oh god I hope there’s no more.

01:38:01 – It’s just ten minutes of credits! What a clusterfuck of crap this film is.

Conclusion

It’s over. It’s terrible. It’s utterly devoid of new ideas; surprisingly sexist and very anti-women. This will be a blotch on every actor’s CV. What is with the one joke per sketch mantra? What the hell Mr Farrelly?! My head hurts

This movie is obsessed with the male reproductive system.

To prove it, here’s a infographic of the number/type of ‘jokes’ in Movie 43. N.B. I laughed (minorly) and snorted once respectively. Here’s the graph.

That’s a penis joke once every 90 seconds. I rest my case.

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