In what must be taken as a satire of excessive sequels, “Scary Movie 3” tries to carry on the “more is more” concept of comedy exemplified by “Scary Movie” and the aptly titled “Scary Movie 2.” Though not without its funny moments, it fails to take the genre or the series anywhere new.
“Scary Movie 3” proceeds sans Wayans brothers, relying on returning star Anna Faris to supply a vague connection to the first two movies. David Zucker (veteran director of “Airplane,” “Police Squad,” etc.) takes over directing responsibilities, trying vainly to bring the glory days of spoof films back to life.
Other genre vets have been inserted to bolster the cast, notably Charlie Sheen (“Hot Shots!”) and Leslie Nielson of the aforementioned Zucker films, whose deal with the devil seems to insist that he appear in every spoof series at least once. Both actors need better, fresher material if they want to enhance their already dubious reputations.
Faris has meanwhile figured out how to overplay the horror role just enough to make it funny, and her delivery wavers between adequate and excellent.
Less dependable is MTV escapee Simon Rex (“The Forsaken”), whose lame Eminem parody more closely resembles Harry Connick Jr. without the comic timing.
To balance the lackluster veterans and mediocre young’uns, we have the legendary George Carlin (of the “Bill and Ted” movies) and Regina Hall (“Love and Basketball”). In smaller roles, both add a lot — Hall with great timing and physical comedy and Carlin with a sad, smarmy performance that seems to acknowledge that the part he’s playing is very much beneath him.
An opening scene featuring Pamela Anderson and Jenny McCarthy in admirable self-parodies works well, filmed as it is with the cleavage-cam in “breast-level-o-rama.” The fact that these frightening women seem aware of their own absurdity is reassuring.
Beyond that, the movie fails in the way spoofs always do: by driving every joke through the floor. Thus it is presumable that the best way to enjoy “Scary Movie 3″ would be to become progressively intoxicated during its viewing. Then, maybe, will the perpetual gag violence perpetrated against a little boy be as funny at the end of the film as it was at the beginning.
The plot is draped loosely over a ‘”The Ring” meets “Signs”‘ concept, but familiarity with those films is no more necessary to the appreciation of “Scary Movie 3” than familiarity with the first two parts. Arguably, one could miss half of “Scary Movie 3” and still get about as much out of it. All that one would really miss would be about three hundred failed jokes and three or four successful ones.
If a spoof is a low-grade satire without subtlety, then “Scary Movie 3” is at best a middling spoof.
Grade: average viewer, C/D; underage drunken boy, B
