Not Another Teen Movie

Not Another Teen Movie

2001

Comedy

Rated: R

Running Time: 89 minutes

Starring: Chris Evans, Chyler Leigh, Jaime Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Mia KIrshner, Deon Richmond, Sam Huntington, Lacey Chabert, Samm Levine

Directed By: Joel Gallen

Rating 7.5 out of 10

Outline

A guy makes a bet that he can turn the high school outcast into the Prom Queen.

Review

Not sure why this movie is so loathed, but I am a fan. My brother and I might be the only ones in the world who find this movie hysterical. I watch it at least once a year, and still laugh out loud on a regular basis at it. Not Another Teen Movie is underrated, it is under appreciated, and it is under mentioned as one of the best parody movies of all time. This movie is spoofing the plethora of teenage films that have been made since the early eighties. We follow Jake Wyler as he tries to win a bet. He has to turn the high school weirdo (Janey Briggs) into the prom queen. This film loosely follows the storylines of She’s All That, and American Pie.

This film will be enjoyed a lot more by people who have watched all the films that are being spoofed. Cruel Intentions, The Breakfast Club, She’s All That, Cant Hardly Wait, 10 Things I Hate About You, American Pie, Bring It On, and many more are parodied in this. If you haven’t seen those films then you may be a little lost. The film starts out and we find Janey Briggs watching some scrambled television (sound familiar?) She is about to enjoy a little alone time with the most offensive vibrator in history, when her father interrupts her. This is the movie in a nutshell. It takes the most offensive situations and dialogue possible, and just runs with it. Grab your list and check these things off. Jokes about incest, check. Jokes about conjoined twins, check. Jokes about racial stereo types, check. Jokes about bodily functions, check. And the list goes on and on. Sure they miss the mark on a lot of the jokes. A naked girl attending high school, and anything Jaime Pressly says in this comes to mind. But there are just too many jokes and situations that connected for me. The typical high school football game scene, the typical story of boy meets girl, and the typical dance at the prom can all be found in this. The thing I liked the most about this film though, is the characters that yell things from off the screen. Listen for it throughout this movie, as it is comedic gold!

The casting in this is perfect. Jake Wyler is played by Chris Evans. He is great as the goofy yet charismatic lead. He is easy to follow, and shows he has no shame as he dresses up in a whip cream bikini. He is coupled on screen with the attractive Chyler Leigh, playing Laney Briggs. She is also great, and although I was unfamiliar with her going into this film, she shows that she is eager to make the audience laugh. Actors, Eric Olson, Mia Kirshner, and Cody McMains were also stand outs for me. Randy Quaid and Jaime Pressly tried their best to ruin this film with their unfunny dialogue, but the film was too good for that. Quaid should just give acting up as he makes me look sober in comparison.

As the film carries on, we are presented with Jake trying to woo the unpleasant Janey Briggs. He gets Laney made over, he takes her to the cool parties, and he even serenades her to win the bet. In trying to win the bet, he learns that he may be falling for Laney (Sound familiar?) The love story angle is incidental, when you will be laughing your ass off at the strange kid from American Beauty, and his plastic bag. Just when I thought this film couldn’t get any better, Ted Mosby from TV’s, How I Met Your Mother, shows up to deliver some quality lines. It also features the cast doing a prom musical montage that was quite memorable. As the film comes to an end, you could care less about what happens with the characters, but it doesn’t matter as the film is hilarious from start to finish. In conclusion, this film is fantastic. It is fun, it is stupid, it is low class, and it has plenty of laughs. At the end of the day it is what parody films should aspire to be.

Director Joel Gallen’s first full length feature film was a complete success. He hit all the right notes in making the audience laugh. He does his best to make this film coherent when there are so many storylines going on. This film is fast paced, and it has so many brilliant teenage movie clichés that shouldn’t be missed. To top it all off, the cameos were also amazing in this. Top Secret, The Naked Gun, and Airplane have new company in what parody films should be like. Great work Mr. Gallen, I hope you film a second installment.

I give this movie a big recommendation, and then you can tell me that I have awful taste after you watch it.

T Factor + If you like parody movies, than this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you haven’t seen all the movies parodied, than this could score lower on the rating scale.

If you liked this film reel recommendations: Scary Movie, Scary Movie 2