Deadpan, dead-on parody of a schlockmeister at work and play.
60
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
L.A. WeeklyPaul Malcolm
Kessler frames it all with an ironic eye (Stiller's misfit mogul holds court in cheap motels and burger joints) and with enough big-hearted tenderness to keep the humor from going sour.
Unashamedly silly, inevitably erratic, it has so much fun sending up the world of exploitation filmmaking that even the most serious film student won't be able to suppress a laugh or two. Maybe even more.
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
Despite laughs, the movie only sporadically works. Its satire is too broad and silly to have much sting.
50
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Everyone involved obviously had a blast, but in the end this is a one-joke movie, and the joke is stretched too thin.
May be the only movie in recent memory unworthy of its own genuinely hilarious Web site, www.finemanfilms.com.
50
San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
Really is just an excuse to string together some silly fake-movie clips.
40
VarietyJoe Leydon
VarietyJoe Leydon
Would have worked better with a few more ersatz coming-attraction trailers and considerably less filler. More than likely, it would have worked best of all as an hourlong special on Comedy Central.