"Demented, depraved, and senseless." These are the words used by Monty (Ryan Reynolds) to describe the wacky antics of his restaraunt crew. Wacky they may be, but funny they are most definitely not. I can't really comment on the plot, story, etc. of this film, because the film (in the loosest sense of that word) is far too concerned with playing the "male genitalia-showing game" to worry about such meaningless devices as those. Yes, you read that sentence correctly. Yes, the running gag of this movie involves male staff members flashing one another.
In addition to that, there is recurring joke (and I hesitate to call it that because the word "joke" implies that it is funny) about pedophilia. This nearly culminates in statutory rape (Monty decides against it, but he still wants the girl to tell everyone they did it. Isn't he a great guy? Ha!). Women are degraded and objectified. Children do drugs. The handicapped are maligned. Other people degraded by this film include (but are probably not limited to) children with Down's Syndrome, foreigners, homosexuals, and rural people.
You know how people laugh in disbelief when they are shocked or uncomfortable? The few laughs this comedy (and I use that word loosely) manages to elicit are those kind. I never expected this movie to be good, but considering the cast, I was shocked by how bad it was. Ryan Reynolds, Justin Long, Anna Faris, and Luiz Guzman have all done fairly decent work before (and someone keeps telling me that that Dane Cook guy is supposedly funny too). However, none of them manage to make this movie work in the least. I am most disappointed in John Francis Daley. Daley played my favorite character in my favorite TV show ever (Freaks and Geeks). He was amazing. And now he is in this. Stupid NBC!
Daley's character does, however, sum up many of my reactions to this movie in an angry tirade at the end. I can't find the quote anywhere, but he basically tells all of the other characters that they are the sickest people ever. Word!
If you want to see a hilarious movie about smart aleck twentysomethings surviving a day of working their dead end jobs while trying to make sense of their lives, DO NOT see this movie. Instead, rent Kevin Smth's vastly superior "Clerks."
